Clinical Science
Master's Program: Preliminary Exam
The annual CLSC Program Preliminary Exam is held the first week after graduation, from Friday (in-class) through Monday.
There are three options offered:
- Track-Specific Exam Option Only – CI.
- Core Course Exam Option Only – covering all four domains for research methods, biostatistics, ethics, and grant writing. All four domains must be taken together – and are not separable.
- Both Core and Track-Specific Exam Components Together
Each component of the exam uses a grading rubric for scoring. The honors/pass/contingent pass/fail designation reflects the weighted faculty scores submitted for: 1) designated Track Section; 2) Ethics; 3) Biostatistics; 4) Research Methods; and 5) Grant Writing. In order to pass the Preliminary Exam, a passing designation is required in ALL five components.
- 95 or greater score = Honors
- 80 to 94 score = Pass
- 75 to 79 score = Pass with contingencies to be specified
- Less than 75 = Fail
For the core section, if student fails any one domain – there is one more chance to retake the core section exam the following year. The scoring designations will be submitted to the Graduate School in early July, with a notification sent to each student by end of July for his/her Preliminary Exam scores.