BE COUNTED

JOINT PROGRAM IN

Survey Methodology

1218 LEFRAK HALL7251 PREINKERT DR.COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742

WWW.JPSM.UMD.EDUP 301.314.7911 / F 301.314.7912

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology is

one of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’

10 diverse, interdisciplinary departments and

programs, all committed to investigating and improving

the human condition. www.bsos.umd.edu

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIESBE EMPOWERED

ANTHROPOLOGYBE CULTURAL

CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICEBE JUST

ECONOMICSBE EFFICIENT

GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCESBE GLOBAL

GOVERNMENT & POLITICSBE CIVIL

HEARING & SPEECH SCIENCESBE HEARD

JOINT PROGRAM IN SURVEY METHODOLOGYBE COUNTED

PSYCHOLOGYBE UNDERSTOOD

SOCIOLOGYBE SOCIAL

Survey Methodology at Maryland

Survey data and analysis inform many of the major government

decisions that affect our lives, on issues ranging from unemploy-

ment to crop yields to health care. At the Joint Program in Sur-

vey Methodology, we’re discovering new knowledge about

and increasing the accuracy of key estimates. Our program

brings together faculty from the University of Maryland and the

University of Michigan, as well as researchers from Westat, a

leading survey organization based in Rockville, Md.

Through these collaborations—and the unique resources and

opportunities they afford—we are transforming the student

experience. We inspire Maryland pride and educate the next

generation of professionals by working closely with government

agencies in nearby Washington, D.C. to train employees and to

advance survey methods and analyses. The Census Bureau, the

National Center for Health Statistics and the Bureau of Justice

Statistics are just a few of the agencies that fund our efforts to

train students and conduct research to improve the quality of

surveys. These top-tier agencies are invested in our efforts to

turn imagination into innovation. Ultimately, survey data

can affect policy in ways as profound as measuring poverty,

predicting electoral outcomes, evaluating media consumption

and fighting crime.

Research Overview >>

Our faculty, students, partners and alumni focus their work in four

main areas:

» Interviewer Effects and Behavior

» Survey Nonresponse

» Small Area Estimation

» Modes of Data Collection

WE ARE THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS’

go-to institution for survey and data analysis training.

ADRIANNE BRADFORD, M.S. JPSM ’16Research Associate, Committee on National Statistics

“I got a great part-time job doing research with

the National Academy of Sciences through

one of my professors. Survey methodology is a

growing profession, but it remains a somewhat

small group of individuals, and some of the top

experts in the field are our professors.”

Our Consortium and Collaborators >>

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology has been sponsored by the

Federal Interagency Consortium on Statistical Policy. Its award-winning

faculty is drawn from the University of Maryland, the University of

Michigan, and Westat, a leading survey organization based in Rockville,

Md. Our sponsors—all members of the Interagency Council for Statistical

Policy—include the Social Security Administration, the National Science

Foundation, and the United States Census Bureau.

Faculty Research Highlights >>

It might seem that traditional jobs are becoming a

thing of the past, but no trace of growth in freelance

or “gig” employment can be seen in official statistics

based on household surveys. Together with col-

leagues in the Department of Economics and at the

Census Bureau, KATHARINE G. ABRAHAM is cre-

ating better measures of the changing structure

of work that incorporate the information contained in administrative

records derived from tax filings. This work is part of a broader research

agenda focused on using administrative data to develop improved sta-

tistics to inform policymakers’ understanding of the labor market. In the

spring of 2016, Abraham was appointed by President Obama to chair

the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, a bi-partisan body

charged to recommend how federal administrative data can be better

tapped for policy evaluation purposes.

Demand for data scientists and survey statis-

ticians is rising now that the digital revolution

provides companies, agencies and nonprofits

with an unprecedented amount of data. Thus,

FRAUKE KREUTER created a Massive Open

Online Course in Questionnaire Design, which

attracted more than 70,000 learners within its

first year. She also launched an international, long-distance professional

education program, with collaborating universities in Germany, Chile,

China and Australia. For this effort, Kreuter won a faculty research award

from Facebook. She still maintains strong ties to the Federal Statistical

System, and also has served in advisor roles for the Bureau of Labor

Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Center for Educa-

tional Statistics, and the Energy Information Association.

PARTHA LAHIRI is improving statistical meth-

odology that can link multiple complex big

databases in order to extract maximum possible

information at the lowest possible cost. In order

to facilitate researchers’ access to confidential

databases, he is developing statistical method-

ology that can produce synthetic data to protect

sensitive information contained in the original databases. His research

can help improve government fund allocation formulas and regional

planning. For example, more than $130 billion are allocated each year

to states and localities based on the Model-Based Small Area Income

& Poverty Estimates produced by the Census Bureau. Lahiri’s refined

methodology could keep low-income students fed and get them the

books and other resources they need to succeed in school.

Learn more at www.jpsm.umd.edu

JPSM Points of Pride >>

DRAWN FROM UMD, THE UNIVER-SITY OF MICHIGAN, WESTAT AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OUR AWARD-WINNING FACULTY ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS; THEY ARE FREQUENTLY INVITED TO PUBLISH, LECTURE, AND INFORM PUBLIC POLICY.

UNIQUE RESEARCH CENTERS AND PROJECTS ADDRESS MAJOR SOCIAL ISSUES.

MORE THAN 300 OF OUR ALUMNI ARE WORKING IN GOV-ERNMENT AGENCIES, ACADEMIC SETTINGS AND PRIVATE SURVEY RESEARCH FIRMS.

OUR LOCATION NEAR WASHINGTON, D.C. ALLOWS FOR EXCEPTIONAL INTERNSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES.

SMALL CLASS SIZES ALLOW FOR EXCELLENT CONNECTIONS WITH FACULTY AND OTHER STUDENTS.

300+

DUE TO HIGH DEMAND AND THE SPECIALIZED NATURE OF THEIR TRAINING, 100% OF OUR ALUMNI ARE EMPLOYED UPON GRADUATION.

100%

Academic Offerings >>

UNDERGRADUATE OFFERINGS

» Minor in Survey Methodology

» Junior Fellows Internship Program

GRADUATE OFFERINGS

» Master of Science in Survey Methodology

• Social Science

• Survey Statistics

• Data Science

» Professional Master’s Degree

• International Program in Survey and Data Science

» Ph.D. in Survey Methodology

• Statistical Science

• Social Science

» Certificate Program

• Statistical Science

• Survey Methodology

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

» Applied Data Analytics Training Program

» Short Courses

» Citation Program

• Introductory Survey Methodology

• Economic Measurement