PhD Program: Preliminary Examination
Download the CLSC Preliminary Exam Instructions.
Download the CLSC Preliminary Exam 2007 Student Study Guide
Download the “Summary of Clinical Science Research Competencies” as supplementary materials for study purposes.
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 – either CI, HSR, or HIT.
- 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:
- Designated Track Section (CI, HSR, or HIT);
- Ethics;
- Biostatistics;
- Research Methods; and
- 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.
The Following courses are required to take the Prelim. Exam:
CORE REQUIRMENTS
- BIOS 6601 or (BIOS 6606 and CLSC 6608) Biostatistics
- CLSC 7101 Grant Writing
- CLSC 7150 Ethics and Regulation in Human Subjects Research
- PRMD 6630 Epidemiology
CI REQUIRMENTS
- CLSC 7500 Practical Application of Molecular and Cell Biology Techniques for the Clinical Investigator
HSR REQUIRMENTS
- PRMD 6603 Health Care Systems
- PRMD 6617 Introduction to Health Services Research
HIT REQUIRMENTS
- CLSC 6800 Intro to Health Information Technology
- CLSC 7200 Clinical Outcomes Assessment