The Preliminary Doctoral Qualifying Examination (Prelims)

The Doctoral Qualifying Examination (also called the Prelim Exam) includes written and oral components. The written component is given twice each year shortly after the start of the Fall and Spring semesters. The written exam is broken up into two 3-day segments with three items being administered during each segment. Three Prelim Exam questions (Measurement and Assessment, Multicultural Counseling and Human Diversity, and Research and Psychological Interventions in Counseling Psychology) will be transmitted by e-mail attachment by 8:00 a.m. the Friday of the first segment and must be returned by 8:00 a.m. the following Monday. Three additional Prelim Exam questions (Segment two: Ethics, Methods of Quantitative Research Design and Analysis, and Vocational Psychology and Career Development) will be transmitted by e-mail attachment by 8:00 a.m. the following Friday and must be returned by 8:00 a.m. the following Monday. Students wishing to pick up and deliver hard copies should make arrangements at least two weeks in advance with the Prelim Exam director. Completion of the written component of the Prelim Exam qualifies the student to sit for the oral component. The Counseling Psychology Committee conducts the oral component of the Prelim Exam. The oral component is scheduled approximately three to five weeks after completion of the written exam.

It is strongly recommended that students take the prelims during the academic year prior to applying for internship. It is a program requirement--and is often a requirement of internship sites as well--that students have passed the Prelim Exam prior to applying for internship. In cases where students must retake a portion of the Prelim Exam, it will not be possible to successfully complete this retake before the required deadlines for most internship applications. Students are strongly advised to take the Prelim Exam no later than the Spring before they apply for internships the following Fall.

Please see the Prelim Exam Guide for more information on the Doctoral Qualifying Exam, including it's purpose, process, structure, and requirements. The Guide also includes study information.

Counseling Psychology Information Sessions

These video conference information sessions will provide important information about our Ph.D. Program. Please review our program introduction video on this page before the information session. The video includes an introduction to our program, what professionals in these careers do, the job outlook, program requirements, admissions requirements, and the admissions process. The information session will primarily be a question-and-answer session about the program. Video Conference Times are in Mountain Time, so adjust if you are in a different time zone.

Please contact ed-cpasst@utah.edu and specify which date to participate.

Upcoming Info Session Dates/Times: