Information for Students

"The Evaluation Lab was eye opening for potential careers as well as great experience of working with organizations and starting a network." - 2019 Evaluation Lab Fellow

The Evaluation Lab serves the dual purpose of training students and providing high quality program evaluation services to community organizations in New Mexico. The Lab harnesses the rigorous analytical and quantitative skills of academia to serve the public good. Students accepted into the program enroll in a two-semester Evaluation Lab course that emphasizes collaborative and culturally competent problem-solving, robust data analysis, and creative ways of communicating technical information applied to a community organization’s evaluation project. In addition to hands-on learning in the classroom, students work in partnership with non-profit community organizations to develop and implement evaluation plans under the supervision of an Evaluation Lab Team Lead.

Why should you become an Evaluation Lab Fellow?

You will...
  • Gain practical and marketable experience to list on your resume
  • Earn 6 graduate credits in public policy, economics, or sociology. (Students from related fields are welcome.)
  • Learn program evaluation skills, including collaborative and culturally competent problem-solving, quantitative and qualitative methods, data analysis, and creative ways of communicating information through the visual display of data.
  • Develop new data collection instruments and data analysis tools that will help organizations build capacity in program evaluation.
  • Create effective evaluation plans and processes
  • Earn a stipend of $500 in each semester of the two-semester course

Who is eligible?
UNM graduate students in any department may apply. Students must have completed at least one statistics course or social sciences methods course with a grade of B or higher. Students must register for two courses (described below) in the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters, respectively. The course will be offered on Mondays 1:00-3:30 pm.

What is the Evaluation Lab?
The Evaluation Lab serves the dual purpose of training students in applied research and building program evaluation capacity in community organizations that serve vulnerable populations in New Mexico.

What does the fellowship involve?
Fellows take two 3-credit courses: Evaluation Lab I in the Fall and Evaluation Lab II in the Spring.
Evaluation Lab I emphasizes collaborative and culturally competent problem-solving, data analysis, and creative ways of communicating technical information. Student teams are led by an evaluation professional and are partnered with a non-profit community organization.
In Evaluation Lab II student teams complete the evaluation projects started in Evaluation Lab I under the supervision of their mentors. Classes are conducted as a supportive learning community in which teams present work in progress and receive peer and expert feedback.
Fellows are required to complete both courses.

Is the fellowship paid?
Fellows receive a modest stipend of $500 per semester, for a total of $1,000.

How many fellowships will be offered?
There are 8 slots available.

Who is the ideal candidate?
There is no one ideal candidate. We are looking for talented and hardworking students with a passion for undertaking applied research in the service of the community. Familiarity with and dedication to New Mexico is a plus, so if you grew up here or have other ties to the community, let us know!
First generation students and students belonging to historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic minority groups are encouraged to apply.

How do I apply? Apply here!


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