Science of Learning and Assessment

We invite motivated people interested in improving human potential and well-being in our society using advanced technologies and scientific methods. 

We offer an interdisciplinary program at the intersection of psychology, cognitive and brain sciences, test and measurement theory and practice. By combining subjects, the student creates an individual track to suit his or her goals, using a full range of evidence-based approaches to thinking, learning, and personal development. We welcome students with interest and motivation to learn and develop. 

Cognitive Development builds on current concepts from neurobiology and other human research sciences. Graduates will learn how to tune learning to age, genetic factors, track the relationship of human thinking traits to human achievement and educational outcomes, understand decision-making mechanisms, and set up machine learning.

* in English

Measurement and assessment track will allow you to master methods of working with psychometric models, including complex models, big data and digital traces, and applying different programming languages for this purpose. The track provides an understanding of how to create tools for various research and application tasks.

* in English and Russian

There are two specialties on the measurement track:

Applied psychometrics will provide skills needed to create, adapt, gamify tests and other instruments. Students will learn how to measure psychological characteristics and knowledge/skills, including complex constructs such as 21st-century skills, analyze and interpret measurement results and data from customers. Already during their studies, students will be involved in the work of Institute of Education Centers and laboratories and outside partners.

At the core of the track there is the Measurement in Psychology and Education program, developed with leading experts and partner centers from the University of Massachusetts, CITO (Netherlands), Stanford, and Boston College. It has been independently audited internationally (by experts Kadri Ercikan, Canada, and Kristina Wickstrom, Sweden) and meets global requirements for training psychometricians.

Computational psychometrics is the most up-to-date methods of psychometrics, including the development of models and the use of data science techniques, digital traces, response times, and other materials to process assessment results more accurately.

– Master various neuroscience approaches and tools, including magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, eye-tracking, and drawing on genome characteristics with their connections to cognition and educational outcomes.

– Be able to create tests, polling tools and assessment instruments for education, HR, psychology, scientific research in various fields.

– Learn to use the tools of computational psychometrics: analyze behavior by digital trace, use multivariate models, R and Python programming languages, use artificial intelligence intelligently, search for data driven and evidence based solutions.

– learn in project logic. Much of the knowledge is acquired through project work: each student completes two projects over two years (12 educational credits) and undergoes two research internships - this is possible not only at HSE, but also at partner organizations, including FIPI, FIOCO, ICCO, ECOPSI, Skyeng, Formatta, Algorithmica, Humanitarian Technologies, and others.

– Take master classes by foreign colleagues: the program attracts researchers, consultants, and teachers from the world's leading research centers.

– Among the basic courses: theory and methodology of modern psychology, quantitative and qualitative research methods in psychology, developmental science, psychometrics, test development, statistics, machine learning.

– Elective courses include: cognitive testing, personnel assessment, learning analytics, international and national assessment, experimental and quasi-experimental models in education, and a large block of developmental disciplines - including its biological basis, disorders, social, emotional and linguistic aspects.

– Build a research career: through participation in international projects, master classes from foreign colleagues, and teaching basic courses in English, it can become international.

– Become a sought-after consultant and analyst, ready to assess the quality of training projects and predict their development, in state and commercial organizations of any profile.

– To act as a game technician - to gamify educational programs and measurement tools.

– Become a highly qualified school psychologist with more in-depth knowledge than those with a basic profile education.

– Work with children and adults with developmental and cognitive disabilities: offer programs to compensate for their learning difficulties, create educational applications, advise developers of educational products, and adapt education for different types of developmental disabilities.

– Advanced English: 6.5 IELTS or equivalent (TOEFL, Cambridge level certificates). 

– Full-time learning opportunities (you will NOT be able to work or study elsewhere at the same time). 

–  Study motivation: ⅔ of classes will be self-paced. 

– Understanding of the sphere of interests of the leading lecturers of the program and profile centers: you should choose the range of topics you would like to work with beforehand (the actual list will be published on the website). 

– For admission, you must take a free English-language course on the ethics of research on living beings and provide a certificate (also free). 

– Creative competition as a part of the portfolio competition - a one-minute video on a topic of your choice: "how I would explain a difficult concept to a five-year-old (psychometrics, MRI)" / "how I would explain my perspectives on the program to my grandmother".

– Please find the requirements for the portfolio structure in a list of official program documents.

Application deadlines for foreign citizens: November 1, 2021 - August 15, 2022

Application to the programme, in addition to general documents, includes a portfolio.

More information about international admissions is available here