Qualifying Examination

Through the preliminary examination process, students demonstrate their command of scholarly literature in health economics and policy, health data science, and applied epidemiology, their critical analytic skills, and their ability in causal research design. The examination process begins as early as the summer following the second semester of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.All Ph.D. students are required to successfully pass both preliminary exams, core/required courses, and their defense proposal prior to candidacy as part of the degree requirement.

Preliminary exam one tests the student’s knowledge of the foundations of public health and their ability to apply concepts from health data science and health economics and policy to public health questions. The exam is generally taken during the summer following the second semester in the program. The second preliminary exam tests the student’s ability to develop a causal research design for secondary data. Preliminary exam two is generally taken during the summer following the fourth semester in the Ph.D. program. The first preliminary exam must be successfully passed within three semesters of program enrollment. Both exams must be successfully completed within six semesters of program enrollment. 

Exam 1. Foundational Public Health Knowledge

This examination draws from the 12 foundational knowledge objectives (Criteria & Procedures - Council on Education for Public Health (ceph.org), p. 34-36). Part I of the exam will include short essay questions based on the student’s mastery of the foundational public health knowledge and their selected concentration coursework. In Part II, students will apply their knowledge to selected passages from research articles and critically assess the work, how it relates to the established foundational public health knowledge, and key unanswered questions based on the information provided.

Exam 2.  Research Design

This exam assesses the doctoral student’s proficiency in causal research design with secondary data. Students will be presented with applied research questions relevant to current or future policy decisions. In Part I of the exam, students will critically assess the research design from a selected article with particular attention to factors that affect internal and external validity. In Part II, students will design an analytical plan for addressing an assigned policy research question and assess the strengths and limitations of the proposed plan.