Does my funder require a specific degree for the evaluator?
Whether your funder requires a specific degree for the evaluator is in the solicitation, so read its evaluation section and its budget instructions before you choose. NSF's ATE solicitation is one example of what a funder may ask for. It requires funds for an evaluator independent of the project and, if the evaluator is named in the proposal, a biographical sketch in NSF's format. It doesn't specify a degree. Other funders and programs may set different requirements, and your institution may have its own rules for consultants.
Even when no degree is required, the evaluator's qualifications still matter to the proposal. If you name an evaluator, reviewers will see who will conduct the evaluation and why they are qualified for this project. Do I need to name an external evaluator before my grant is funded? covers what the proposal needs in that case.
What does a Ph.D. tell me about an evaluator?
What a doctoral degree tells you about an evaluator is that they've had extensive formal training in research design, methods, and analysis. Often it also means they've taught or conducted research. That training can matter when an evaluation involves complex methods, longitudinal data, or careful work with human subjects.
What a Ph.D. doesn't tell you is how the evaluator will use that training on your project. Evaluation and research are related, but their purposes differ. Research generally seeks knowledge that extends beyond one setting, while evaluation seeks to understand and improve a specific program. A research-oriented approach can add complexity an evaluation doesn't need, such as measuring every possible construct or administering many validated scales. So a doctorate is a useful signal of training. It's still worth asking how the evaluator decides what your evaluation needs to know, as distinct from what would be interesting to study.
What should I look for alongside credentials?
Alongside credentials, look for experience evaluating projects like yours, methods that fit your questions, and the ability to work well with the people involved in your program. The American Evaluation Association's Evaluator Competencies are one framework for what evaluators need. They group the work into five areas: professional practice, methodology, context, planning and management, and interpersonal skills, which include communication and facilitation. A degree speaks mostly to methodology, and the other areas show up in how an evaluator plans the work, understands your setting, and communicates with your team.
The association also notes that an area of practice listed in its directory doesn't indicate certification or expertise. That's one more reason to ask about experience directly. Whether an evaluator understands your field, your students or participants, and your institution is its own question, covered in Will the evaluator understand our field and our people?
The Grantibly perspective
Lauren's perspective
We both hold doctorates in sociology, and we've both taught at colleges and universities. As sociologists and former and current faculty members, we understand both sides of evaluation. We understand rigorous research methods, data collection, analysis, and evidence. But we also understand what it's like to be the faculty member, project director, center leader, or nonprofit professional responsible for actually doing the work.
We can talk about rigorous methods when they're relevant, but sophistication should never be the point. The question is always how the evaluation will help a project team understand its work better.
