Clinical and Translational Sciences, Master of Science (M.S.)
Jessica L. Waugh, M.A., M.S.I.S
CCTR Graduate Education Program Manager
cctred@vcu.edu
(804) 828-6671
Admission requirements summary
Clinical and Translational Sciences, Master of Science (M.S.) |
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| Degree: M.S. |
Semester(s) of entry: Fall preferred |
Deadline dates: Rolling admission |
Test requirements: None |
Target audience: VCU junior faculty; early-stage and new investigators with terminal degrees
The Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Sciences program provides training and mentoring for a new generation of investigators who, regardless of primary area of interest, will be able to understand the methods and techniques used along the pathway from the bench to the bedside and beyond, to the community. The program offers a broad foundation of core courses and emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to research. The master’s degree can be earned upon completion of 30 credit hours of core and elective courses, including a master’s essay in the form of an NIH-style proposal. The program provides a sound foundation in clinical and translational research principles and thereby prepares the student to engage in many components of investigative processes.
The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours distributed between core and elective courses. The core curriculum, required of all students in the program, consists of 21 credit hours, including a minimum of 6 credit hours in statistics or experimental design. An additional minimum of 9 credit hours of elective courses completes the program. The core provides students with an understanding of the concepts and importance of clinical and translational sciences to the advancement of health care provision and associated patient outcomes, as well as grounds students with the emerging computational tools they will need to become leaders in the advancement of health sciences.
Students will be required to attend the research seminar course each semester they are in the program (and register for the course a minimum of three times) in order to stay abreast of current health and human services research and to develop their communication skills. Additionally, the core includes a course on responsible conduct of research and scientific integrity, which will ensure that students understand the broad ethical implications of biobehavioral and biomedical research, understand what constitutes scientific fraud and misconduct, and are aware of their responsibilities as scientists.
A typical program of study will include:
| Core | |
| BIOS 571 Clinical Trials | 3 |
| CCTR 520 Fundamentals of Research Regulation | 2 |
| CCTR 550 Foundations of Clinical and Translational Research: The Intersection of Theory and Application | 3 |
| CCTR 690 Research Seminar in Clinical and Translational Sciences | 3 |
| CCTR 700 Master’s Essay | 3 |
| OVPR 601 Scientific Integrity | 1 |
| Statistics, clinical trial or translational experimental design courses (chosen with approval of Research Advisory Committee) |
6 |
21 |
|
| Electives | 9 |
| (chosen with approval of Research Advisory Committee) | |
| Total | ______ 30 |