Evaluation Programs: online & Distance Learning

Masters in evaluation

This page presents a selection of graduate programs and professional courses in evaluation available online or in blended format. Programs are listed from universities and institutions in Australia, Europe, North America, and Latin America.

Courses are taught in English or Spanish. For French-language master’s programs, see Formations diplomantes en évaluation and Masters in Evaluation: Europe. For master’s programs in Africa, see Masters en évaluation : Afrique.

The programs vary in scope and orientation: some are dedicated specifically to evaluation as a discipline (program evaluation, policy evaluation, M&E), while others approach evaluation as a component within broader curricula in public policy, instructional design, or public administration. Each description includes a note on the program’s methodological positioning to help prospective students identify the approach that best fits their professional context.

Courses bellow are taught in English or Spanish.

Australia

University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

Master of Evaluation

This fully online Master’s degree, designed by the Assessment and Evaluation Research Centre (AERC) within the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne, is one of the few online programs dedicated entirely to evaluation as a professional discipline. The curriculum covers evaluation theory, research design, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and applied program evaluation.

Students develop the ability to design and conduct sound program evaluations, measure impact, build organisational evaluation capacity, and support evidence-based decision-making across sectors including government, health, education, international development, and not-for-profit. The program is structured around 100 credit points (8 subjects, including 4 compulsory and 4 electives) and can be completed in one year full-time or two years part-time. The degree culminates in an Evaluation Capstone subject integrating theory with applied practice.

Germany (blended)

Saarland University & Distance and Independent Studies Center of the Technische Universitaet Kaiserslautern

Master (Blended Learning) of Evaluation, MABLE (M.A.)

The MABLE is a Master of Arts (60 ECTS, 4 semesters part-time, approx. 15h/week workload) taught entirely in English and dedicated to evaluation theory and practice. It is offered jointly by Saarland University’s Faculty of Empirical Human Sciences and Economic Science, the Center for Evaluation (CEval), and the Distance and Independent Studies Center (DISC) at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau.

The blended learning format combines self-study materials with an interactive online campus and two mandatory on-campus phases (one week each, in Saarbrücken, during the 1st and 3rd semesters). The curriculum covers 9 modules: evaluation theories, empirical research methods, and national and international evaluation practices, including a case study where students design and implement an evaluation in a real-world setting. A master’s thesis completes the degree. The programme targets working professionals: freelance evaluators, M&E staff, programme managers, and commissioners of evaluations in public, private, and development cooperation sectors. Tuition: €1,700 per semester (plus a social contribution).

The MABLE was launched in 2018 by Prof. Reinhard Stockmann, founder of CEval (2002) and co-founder of the German Evaluation Society (DeGEval). He had previously created in 2004 the first evaluation master’s programme in Germany (in German). 95% of MABLE students come from outside Germany, with an age range of 25 to 60. Saarbrücken, directly on the French-German border, is the on-campus venue.

See also the European masters page for additional context.

United states

American University of Washington DC

Online Master of Public Administration & Policy

This fully online master’s degree (36 credits, 24 months, 12 courses) from American University’s School of Public Affairs combines two NASPAA-accredited programs, the Master’s in Public Administration and the Master’s in Public Policy, into a single degree. The curriculum covers policy formulation, program evaluation, organizational management, public budgeting, and data analysis, drawing on frameworks from statistics, economics, and political science. The program concludes with an applied capstone project conducted for a real-world client. Students can also earn a Certificate in Analytics and Management alongside their degree.

The School of Public Affairs was founded in 1934 with a $4,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to train 80 federal government employees in downtown Washington, DC. By 1937, enrollment had grown to over 1,000 students. Today the school counts more than 20,000 alumni. AU students in the MPAP program are eligible for the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program, the US federal government’s flagship leadership development pathway.

Kent State University

This Master of Education (32 credits), available fully online or in hybrid format, develops specialists in assessment, measurement, research design, and program evaluation. The curriculum covers descriptive and inferential statistics, research methodology, psychometrics (development and validation of measurement instruments), and contemporary program evaluation theory. Individualized plans of study can be built around each student’s career goals. The program serves professionals across PK-12 education, higher education, non-profit organizations, test publishers, and evaluation consultancies.

The program’s orientation is primarily quantitative and psychometric: it trains students to construct valid and reliable measures, select appropriate statistical analyses, and evaluate programs through standardized research designs. Participatory or context-driven evaluation approaches are not a central focus of the curriculum. The program was originally named « Evaluation and Measurement » before being renamed « Research, Measurement and Statistics, » a shift that reflects the growing emphasis on statistical methodology and psychometrics over evaluation practice per se.

Michigan state university

Program Evaluation Master of Arts or Graduate Certificate

This fully online Master of Arts (37 credits, 16 months full-time) is housed in the Department of Psychology and structured around the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Evaluator Competencies. The curriculum covers foundations of evaluation, evaluation design, qualitative and mixed-method evaluation, quantitative data analysis, communication and reporting, and project management. A Graduate Certificate option (12 credits, 9 months) is also available, with all credits transferable to the M.A. No GRE required. Enrollment opens three times a year (September, January, May).

A distinctive feature is the practicum sequence (13 credits over two semesters), in which students work alongside experienced evaluators in government agencies, human service organizations, healthcare settings, or evaluation firms. The curriculum addresses culturally competent evaluation design and stakeholder engagement throughout the evaluation process, though the overall framework remains grounded in applied social science methodology.

💡 Among the faculty, Ana Coghlan (Cornell, PhD in Program Evaluation and Planning), co-founder of the Bangladesh Monitoring and Evaluation Network and the Myanmar Monitoring and Evaluation Association, conducts research on « Buddhist Approaches to Evaluative Thinking » and has published on shifting evaluation practice from accountability to learning and action. Faculty bring an average of 23 years of field experience, with a student-to-professor ratio of 10:1.

  • Syracuse university

Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation, M.S.

This 30-credit Master of Science from Syracuse University’s School of Education can be completed fully online or on campus, with no residency requirement for online students. The program can be finished in one calendar year full-time or pursued part-time.

The IDD&E curriculum trains students to identify learning and performance problems, then design, develop, implement, and evaluate instructional solutions across educational and professional settings. Coursework blends soft technologies (theoretical models, strategic planning, collaborative problem solving) with hard technologies. Two courses address evaluation specifically: IDE 641 (applied evaluation techniques for educational programs and projects, covering planning, data collection, reporting, and ethics) and IDE 741 (a review of major theoretical approaches to the evaluation of educational products, personnel, projects, programs, and policies). A course on educational technology in international settings (IDE 772) addresses multicultural design challenges and the social dimensions of instructional design and evaluation. The program concludes with a digital portfolio rather than a thesis, reflecting its emphasis on applied competency demonstration.

🧭 Evaluation is approached here as one phase within the instructional design cycle (the ADDIE framework: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation), not as a standalone discipline. The perspective is that of the designer who must assess whether an instructional solution works, rather than that of an external evaluator examining a policy or program. Faculty hold leadership positions in the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the Association for Educational Communications & Technology (AECT), placing the department at the intersection of these two professional communities.

  • Claremont Graduate University (California)

Online M.S. in Evaluation & Applied Research

This fully online Master of Science, designed by the Claremont Evaluation Center (CEC) within the School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation at CGU, is dedicated specifically to evaluation as a professional discipline. The curriculum is aligned with American Evaluation Association (AEA) competencies and covers evaluation theory and practice, theory-driven evaluation science, systemic inquiry, mixed-method approaches, culturally responsive and equitable evaluation, and professional practice. CGU is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium (which includes Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College). The program is structured around synchronous online sessions with small class sizes.

The program’s orientation explicitly integrates equity, cultural responsiveness, and social impact into its evaluation framework, going beyond technical methodology to address how evaluation can serve as a tool for positive social change. This positions it closer to participatory and context-driven approaches than most US-based evaluation programs, while maintaining a strong empirical and theory-driven foundation.

➜ The CEC is co-directed by Stewart I. Donaldson (AEA President 2015, 130+ peer-reviewed publications, 20+ books on evaluation science) and was co-founded with Michael Scriven, one of the founders of modern evaluation theory (he introduced the distinction between formative and summative evaluation in 1967). The CEC has also partnered with UNICEF and the Rockefeller Foundation on e-learning initiatives in evaluation, and hosts the AEA’s Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) program. Donaldson co-authored « Evaluation for an Equitable Society » with Robert Picciotto, former Director-General of the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), the same unit that created the CLEAR network.

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