Preliminary Exam Information
Written preliminary exams will be given during the fifth week of Fall and Spring Semesters. Quantitative Methods does not administer preliminary exams during Summer.
The written preliminary exam will consist of two parts. The first part will be prepared, scored, and evaluated by the Quantitative Methods; faculty. This part of the exam will be composed as follows:
- Statistics - 4 hours
- Measurement and Methods – 4 hours
The second part of the written preliminary examination will be a four-hour exam in the student’s area of interest. This part of the exam will be prepared and scored by the student’s doctoral committee.
An oral exam over the preliminary exam will be conducted within three weeks of the written exams. This oral exam will be conducted by the student’s doctoral committee and at least one member of the Quantitative Methods faculty who is not a member of the student’s doctoral committee. The student’s committee chairperson is responsible for arranging the oral exam.
In case of disagreements as to whether a student passes or fails the preliminary exam, the decision of the doctoral committee will be final. However, it is understood that the doctoral committee will ordinarily accept the recommendation of the Quantitative Methods faculty.
Students who pass the preliminary exam will be advanced to candidacy. The advancement to candidacy form must be signed by all members of the student’s doctoral committee.
Students who fail the exam, or any portion of it, may take the exam one additional time within one calendar year. If at that time the student has not passed the exam, the student will be dropped from the program.
To be eligible to write the preliminary examination a student must complete an application to take prelims. The application must be signed by the student's committee chairperson and the Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Education/designee. The application will show that the student has completed all required coursework as specified in the Graduate Catalog necessary for admission to candidacy.