Overview

The Certificate in Applied Evaluation Practice (CAEP) is designed for professionals who want to strengthen practical, end-to-end evaluation skills and build a solid foundation they can apply across contexts. The curriculum reflects widely used evaluation competency frameworks and standards, including those promoted by the American Evaluation Association and the Canadian Evaluation Society, along with internationally recognized norms and standards such as UNEG. Course content is anchored in real evaluation work products and is not tied to any single professional body’s requirements.

Certificate Requirements

To earn the certificate, participants complete six courses plus the required Standards and Ethics module.

1. Core Courses

Select four Core courses from the list below. To keep your pathway well-rounded, your four Core courses must include:

• At least one from Planning and Management
• At least two from Methods and Data
• At least one from Sensemaking and Communication

Planning and Management (Choose at least 1)

• Evaluation Planning
• Evaluation Management

Methods and Evidence (Choose at least 2)

• Appreciative Evaluation
• Data Quality Fundamentals
• Developmental Evaluation
• Framework Weaving for Evaluation
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Fundamentals
• Qualitative Research Methods for Evaluation
• Quantitative Research and Evaluation Methods
• Mixed Methods Research and Evaluation
• Organizational Capacity Assessment
• Principles-Focused Evaluation
• Program Monitoring
• Real-Time Evaluation (RTE): Using Timely Evidence and Learning to Drive Improvement
• Survey Design
• Using Interviews to Enhance Evaluation Practice

Sensemaking and Communication (Choose at least 1)

• Facilitating Evaluation
• Participatory Data Analysis, Integration, and Synthesis (DAIS)
• Meaningful Engagement in Program Planning and Evaluation
• Data Storytelling
• Foundations of Data Visualization
• From Default to Dazzling: Creating Visual Evaluation Reports That Shine

2. Electives

To reach the six-course requirement, choose two additional courses. These may be selected from any Core options above or from the Electives below.

Leadership and Management Development

• Managing Difficult Conversations
• Managing Conflict
• Negotiations

AI and modern tools**

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Essentials for Research and Evaluation
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance for Evaluation
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Practice Lab for Evaluators
• Deep Dive on AI-Assisted Qualitative Analysis
• Deep Dive on AI-Assisted Quantitative Analysis

**If you want a deeper, more structured focus on AI-enabled evaluation practice, explore our Applied AI in Evaluation certificate track.

3. Standards and Ethics requirement

Self-Paced Learning: Evaluation Standards, Ethics, and Quality (60-minute asynchronous module)

This required module introduces widely used standards and principles that support high-quality evaluation practice across sectors. Participants review practical expectations related to independence, credibility, transparency, and ethical conduct, drawing on the Program Evaluation Standards, AEA Guiding Principles, and internationally recognized norms and standards such as UNEG.