The University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics

Master of Science in Clinical Research Degree Program

The Degree Program for the Master of Science in Clinical Research at the Medical School is designed as a focused, flexible, affordable program to train clinical investigators.


in designing and conducting patient-oriented research that is of exemplary quality. The curriculum accommodates clinicians' busy schedules; the courses are concentrated on Wednesdays after noon. The degree requires a minimum of 3 years of coursework; the time required for degree completion depends on the amount of time and effort a student devotes to the program.  Detailed information about policies for the Medical School and the Master's Degree Program can be found in the on-line catalog.

Program Description

This Master’s Degree Program builds on the Clinical Research Curriculum, a 2-year series of courses composed of a weekly 1.5 hour lectures. Students in the Master's Program will be given 10 credit hours for successful completion of the Clinical Research Curriculum courses.

Coursework for Master's Degree

The curriculum for the Master's (MS) Degree Program consists of two tracks -- a Patient-Based Clinical Research Track and a Translational Research Track. In either track, the specific advanced courses (usually 4-5) chosen by an individual student will depend on his/her previous training and course work and on career goals. All students are expected to take the Advanced Epidemiology and Advanced Biostatistics Courses unless they can demonstrate adequate skills in these areas. Most students in the Translational Research Track will take advanced courses in molecular biology and/or genetics whereas most students in the Patient-Based Clinical Research Track will take advanced courses in health care economics and health care policy. In addition to the 10 credit hours for the Clinical Research Curriculum, each student will be required to complete an additional 26 credit hours, including practica and a thesis, for a total of 36 credit hours.

See detailed curriculum for Master's Program.

Mentorship

Participants in the Program will work jointly with two different advisors--a Program mentor who provides the methodological expertise and a departmental mentor from his/her own medical department or institution to provide expertise in the specific area of clinical research.

Faculty

The faculty in the Center for Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Medicine will supervise this Program and teach the classes. All are full-time faculty at either the Medical School or the School of Public Health. These faculty are all actively involved in clinical research and bring to the Program a broad range of expertise, including biostatistics, epidemiology, ethics, and health care economics. This structure allows for a wide diversity of training and skills among the faculty and acknowledges the importance of ongoing participation in research and clinical activities for career development of Center faculty.

Admission Requirements

This Program is expected to appeal primarily to MDs at the fellow and faculty levels as well as other clinicians who have not had previous formal training in clinical research.  All of our current students have full-time fellowship or faculty appointments at one of the Texas Medical Center teaching institutions.  The rapid pace of the curriculum assumes a working knowledge of clinical medicine and an excellent scholastic aptitude. See detailed admission requirements.

Costs

There are no fees charged for the courses in the NIH-supported Clinical Research Curriculum. Costs for advanced coursework in the MS Program will follow the Tuition and Fees Schedule for the UT System and are subject to change. The total cost of the program will depend on the number of courses taken and the duration of enrollment. At current rates, the total cost of the program is estimated to be $3000-4000 for students who qualify for Texas residency status and $10000-13000 for non-residents.  Texas residency status is determined by the Registrars Office for individual students using criteria established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact:

Claudette Ocampo
MS Degree Program Coordinator
Claudette.Ocampo@uth.tmc.edu
(713) 500-6708

Kathleen A. Kennedy, MD, MPH
Program Director
Kathleen.A.Kennedy@uth.tmc.edu
(713) 500-6708

Jon E. Tyson, MD, MPH
Associate Director
Jon.E.Tyson@uth.tmc.edu

On-line application form is available at: http://registrar.uth.tmc.edu/Admissions/appformslist.htm.

The deadline for receipt of all application materials (including letters of reference and transcripts) for the Fall 2008 semester is June 15, 2008.

Information for enrolled students