Qualitative/Interpretive Research (QIRC), Graduate Certificate – Online

About the Qualitative/Interpretive Research Certificate (QIRC)

The Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at Texas Tech University offers graduate students the opportunity to earn a Qualitative/Interpretive Research Certificate (QIRC). Over the course of the past three decades, qualitative research has been increasingly conducted and influential in social and applied sciences. By responding to the growing need for local, national, and international training in qualitative research, this certificate program is suitable for any graduate student from education, arts and humanities, and social science who wishes to understand the world and conduct research through an interpretivist perspective. Degree holders may also wish to pursue this certificate for additional training and credentialing. This program considers what constitutes sound, ethical, and rigorous research from different theoretical and epistemological approaches. It further acknowledges the role that “scientific” research plays in promoting and maintaining various power relations across groups. We seek to use qualitative research to trouble concepts like researcher/researched, knowledge and practice, and truth. Finally, this program also provides those who may be interested in teaching qualitative research courses with a broad knowledge base, along with a variety of learning experiences, useful tools, and skills. In this 15-credit-hour (5 courses) certificate program, students will be invited to thoroughly investigate critical issues in the field as they think qualitatively and act reflectively to design and conduct meaningful qualitative studies to answer impactful research questions.