Education:

Ph.D. Educational Research and Evaluation, Virginia Tech; M.Sc. Human Ecology, University of Alberta; B.Ed. Elementary Education, University of Alberta

Research Interests:

Dr. Dika’s research focuses on college access, student success, and equity for historically underserved and minoritized populations. She is a founding member of the UNC Charlotte Transfer Research Team, whose aim is to understand the transfer identities, experiences, and outcomes of vertical transfer students in North Carolina. She has published more than 75 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and proceedings papers, and has led research funded by the Spencer Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the John M. Belk Endowment. She also serves as an external evaluator for STEM education initiatives.

Teaching Specialty:

Applied Research Methods, Mixed Methods

Sandra L. Dika is a professor of educational research methods at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she has been teaching graduate-level research methods courses since 2010 and served as Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation Ph.D. program director from 2018 to 2025. A first-generation college graduate, she earned her B.Ed. and M.Sc. from the University of Alberta and her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. Prior to UNC Charlotte, she held positions at Virginia Tech, Brown University, and the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez.