Building a Career in Psychometrics: Advice from MESA Graduate Scott Frasard

Psychometrics is a specialized field that blends education, statistics, and data analysis to create meaningful assessments across industries worldwide. For those curious about how to break into this impactful career path, Scott Frasard’s journey offers valuable insight. A graduate of UIC’s Online Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA) program, Scott has leveraged his educational background and the skills gained through MESA to build a successful career as a psychometrician. In this spotlight, he shares advice and experiences that can guide prospective students aiming to make a similar transition. 

Can You Provide a Brief Overview of Your Background? 

My career has been quite a journey, taking many paths from paramedic to educator, and then moving into psychometrics and statistics. Right now, I work as a psychometrician at Kryterion, one of the larger testing platform organizations. Our team does consulting and client work for organizations that run psychometric tests through us. My day-to-day involves exam development, data analysis, and reporting, especially for accreditation bodies. The skills I learned in the MESA program are something I use every single day. 

I initially transitioned into the corporate world, working in training evaluation. While my educational background and PhD coursework gave me a basic understanding of evaluation and solid statistical skills, I realized I needed deeper knowledge of the theory and practical application of evaluation. This led me to explore online programs, and after comparing options, I chose UIC’s MESA program because it offered the right blend of education, measurement, and psychometrics, unlike other programs that focused mainly on pure statistics.  

Career Advantages Gained from Earning the Online MESA Degree 

Earning the MESA degree has been instrumental in advancing my career and opening up new opportunities. Early on, as a global training director, the program helped me provide solid evidence that our training efforts were truly impacting the organization. The skills I gained allowed me to build better formative and summative evaluations, helping me more precisely identify knowledge and performance gaps. This deepened my interest in psychometrics, leading me to transition into a full-time role focused on high-stakes certification test development. Over the past decade, I’ve continued developing my skills and refreshing my knowledge, embracing new technologies like AI to enhance every exam development phase. 

Thanks to the MESA program, I’ve secured promotions and new roles, including working on high-stakes licensure and certification exams for several tech industries. I’m now managing exams across many sectors on a global scale. I wouldn’t have been able to take on these responsibilities without this degree. 

What Was the Most Valuable Course in UIC’s Online Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment Program? 

The course EPSY 551: Item Response Theory was especially valuable because it launched the psychometric portion of my professional journey. Before this program, I was primarily focused on adult education and had just started doing program evaluation. My PhD was quantitative, so I knew some statistics, which helped me get into program evaluation. However, the MESA program helped me learn how to do evaluation correctly and thoroughly. The courses on psychometrics, especially, sparked my interest in exams and psychometric theory, which became a significant focus in my career moving forward. 

Balancing Work, Personal Life, and the Demands of UIC’s Online MESA Program  

At the time, I was a global manager leading an evaluation department I set up in a large tech company, with direct reports across the US, Germany, and Ireland. On top of that, I was training for marathons, so balancing workouts, work, and school required a lot of discipline and careful scheduling. Each day, I set aside dedicated time to read, work on assignments, or take tests, and I stuck to that routine. 

What helped was applying what I was learning directly to my day-to-day job and sharing it with my team. That made the concepts more meaningful and easier to grasp. It’s not just about reading slides or passing tests; you must actively engage with the material, understand how the concepts connect, and see how they work in real life. The MESA program is a well-designed, rigorous program that requires active engagement. Success comes from participating fully with your classmates and professors, putting in the work, and applying what you learn. 

What advice do you have for a prospective MESA student?  

Reflecting on my journey through UIC’s MESA program, here are a few essential tips for prospective students: 

1. Be patient. Understanding the material takes time and effort, especially if you’re new to the field or online learning. You can’t shortcut the process. You must do more than just complete assignments; you must truly engage with the content. 
2. Engage actively with classmates and faculty. My professors were approachable and supportive, and I’ve stayed in touch with some of them even after classes ended. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or reach out.  
3. Practice working with real, messy data. Analyzing clean, standardized datasets is one thing, but real-world data is often imperfect. Learning how to prepare and clean data properly is essential because good results depend on good data. When you encounter challenges, your instructors can guide you through them. 
4. Explore beyond the classroom. Resources like the YouTube channel How to Stats explain statistical concepts and software like SPSS in easy-to-understand ways. I also recommend Statistics.com for refresher courses. 
5. Join the program’s email list. It’s a great way to connect with current students and alumni and discover valuable insights, shared resources, and opportunities you might not otherwise find. 
6. Keep your class materials. I still refer to my presentations, spreadsheets, and homework from over a decade ago. They continue to be valuable resources in my work.