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Curriculum



Curriculum

Achievement of the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation and Translational Science (MSCI-TS) program requires the satisfactory completion of all required coursework, a MSCI-TS Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) approved Research Project Proposal, and a COGS approved manuscript to a peer-reviewed publication. (Note: The manuscript must be related to the student’s approved research project and approved by the MSCI-TS COGS to satisfy the manuscript requirement of the MSCI-TS Program.)  

Coursework

Thirty (30) semester credit hours (SCH) total is required to obtain the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation and Translational Science degree. This will be composed of 19 SCH of required coursework and 11 SCH of elective coursework.

Required Courses – 19 SCH

Students in the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation and Translational Science Program must successfully complete the following didactic courses.

TSCI 5070 (2 SCH) Responsible Conduct of Research
TSCI 5071 (2 SCH) Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Methods -I
TSCI 5072 (2 SCH) Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Biostatistics – I
TSCI 5073 (1 SCH) Integrating Molecular Biology with Patient-Oriented Clinical Research
TSCI 5074 (2 SCH) Data Management, Quality Control, and Regulatory Issues
TSCI 5075 (2 SCH) Scientific Communication
TSCI 5080 (1 SCH) Integrating Molecular Biology with Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Practicum
TSCI 6001 (1 SCH) Introduction to Translational Science
TSCI 6060 (2 SCH) Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Methods -2
TSCI 6061 (2 SCH) Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Biostatistics – 2
TSCI 6065 (2 SCH) Health Services Research

Supervising Professor

The Supervising Professor will oversee all aspects of the student’s research project and must be a member of the MSCI-TS Graduate Faculty. The Supervising Professor will act as a guide to help the student through the process of establishing a Research Supervising Committee, Research Project Proposal, and the collection of data, analysis and writing of their Research Project Proposal and later their manuscript.

The Supervising Professor must be established within one year of enrollment into the MSCI-TS program along with the Research Supervising Committee, Research Project Proposal and Student/Supervising Professor Compact.  Exceptions must be approved by the MSCI-TS COGS and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis after submission of a written request to the MSCI-TS Program Director through the MSCI-TS Academic Program Coordinator.

Research Supervising Committee

The student, with the help of his/her Supervising Professor, will select a Research Supervising Committee (RSC).  The RSC shall consist of the Supervising Professor (chair), a member of the MSCI-TS COGS, a member of the MSCI-TS Graduate Faculty; and an External Expertise-Specific member to provide specific expertise in the planned area of study.  The RSC must be comprised of four (4) separate members, including the external expertise-specific member, as members of the student’s Research Supervising Committee cannot serve in multiple roles within the Committee.  The RSC will advise and guide the student on their Research Project Proposal and manuscript development. The RSC must be established within one year of enrollment into the MSCI-TS program.

Mentored Research (TSCI 6097) – All MSCI-TS students must submit a Research Project Proposal and receive approval from the MSCI-TS Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) in the semester prior to when they desire to enroll in TSCI 6097 – Mentored Research.  MSCI-TS students must enroll in TSCI 6097 Mentored Research for at least two semesters to be eligible for consideration for graduation.  MSCI-TS students will complete a Planned Activities form before enrolling in TSCI 6097, detailing a tentative plan describing their activities for the MSCI-TS COGS approved Research Project. Students will outline the types of planned activities related to the approved research project and the number of hours dedicated to each per week and will thereby determine the number of semester credit hours (SCH) the student is eligible to enroll in. Student may enroll to receive course credit (1.0 – 4.5 SCH) per semester. Please review Academic Handbook for more detailed information on the Research Project Proposal requirement.

Thesis (TSCI 6098) MSCI-TS students wishing to graduate are required to enroll in 1.0 semester credit hour (SCH) of TSCI 6098 Thesis, during their last semester before graduation (not to exceed two semesters).  It is required that MSCI-TS graduating students enroll in TSCI 6098 Thesis, during the semester in which they will be submitting their manuscript to the MSCI-TS COGS for approval. Please review Academic Handbook for more detailed information on the Manuscript submission requirement.

Semester Credit hours accrued for TSCI 6097 and TSCI 6098 will count towards the student’s Elective requirement.

 

TSCI 6097 (2 SCH) Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Biostatistics – 2
TSCI 6098 (2 SCH) Health Services Research

 

Elective Courses – 11 SCH

Diverse elective courses are available to accommodate the varying interests of the graduate students in this program. These courses may be taken in any semester when offered and include:

TSCI 5050 (1 SCH) Introduction to Data Science
TSCI 5077 (1 SCH) Translational Science Practicum
TSCI 5201 (3 SCH) Advanced Statistics for Machine Learning Methods: Statistical Principles of Machine Learning Applied to Biomedical Data
TSCI 5230 (3 SCH) Programing for Biomedical Data Science
TSCI 6067 (1 SCH) Genomic Healthcare
TSCI 6069 (2 SCH) Statistical Issues, Planning, and Analysis of Contemporary Clinical Trials
TSCI 6070 (2 SCH) Biostatistics Methods for Longitudinal Studies
TSCI 6100 (1 SCH) Practicum in IACUC Procedures
TSCI 6101 (1 SCH) Topics in Translational Science
TSCI 6102 (1 SCH) Practicum in IRB Procedures
TSCI 6105 (1 SCH) Topics in Cancer Prevention
TSCI 6106 (1 SCH) Practicum in Cancer Prevention Science
TSCI 6201 (1 SCH) Data Science Leadership in Healthcare
TSCI 6202 (2 SCH) Data Visualization and Building Applications
TSCI 6203 (1 SCH) Practicum in Biomedical Data Science

 

Grade Requirement

Student performance in MSCI-TS-sponsored Program courses is assessed on a satisfactory (S) / unsatisfactory (U) basis.  Any student who receives less than a Satisfactory (S) assessment in any of the requisite MSCI-TS core courses will be required to re-take the course and receive a passing grade during the next academic year.  In the event of a second failure in the same course, the MSCI-TS COGS will provide a recommendation as to whether the student is to be dismissed from the MSCI-TS Program.

Exemption of Required Course

Exemption of the requirement for completion of a required course will be considered by the MSCI-TS COGS on a case-by-case basis.  A written request for exemption of a required course must be submitted to the MSCI-TS Program Director through the MSCI-TS Academic Coordinator and should include a brief description of the reason(s) for the request as well as documentation (publications, meeting abstracts, etc.) supporting the reason(s) for the request.

Transfer of Coursework for Credit

If a student has successfully completed graduate level coursework that is duplicative of required or elective MSCI-TS courses, it is possible that transfer of course credit may be allowed.  A written request for consideration of transfer of course credit in substitution for a given MSCI-TS course must include the following documentation and be submitted to the MSCI-TS Program Director through the MSCI-TS Academic Coordinator.

  • A written request that includes a comprehensive description of the prior course detailing when and where completed, course semester credit hours, and details of course content and objectives.
  • An official copy of the student’s transcript that indicates successful course completion and the grade issued.
  • A copy of the course description from the catalog that was in effect during the semester the course was taken.
  • A course syllabus is suggested but not required.

MSCI-TS COGS approval of a request for course exemption does not grant the student credit for the semester credit hours associated with the course.  The semester credit hours for the exempted course can be obtained by taking a MSCI-TS elective course or additional mentored research hours.  Transfer of coursework for credit is described below.

If the transfer of credit request is approved by the MSCI-TS COGS, the MSCI-TS Academic Coordinator will prepare a request for transfer of course credit and submit it to the GSBS for consideration/approval by the Dean.  In no case will the allowable semester credit hour(s) of transfer for a given course exceed that of the corresponding MSCI-TS course.  As per GSBS rules, no more than 6 semester credit hours may be transferred towards the completion of a Master of Science degree.

Timeline for Coursework

It is expected that that the MSCI-TS Program can be completed in 2 years of full-time work.  Part-time students may require 3 to 4 years to complete the degree requirements.  If an MSCI-TS student who enrolled full-time has not graduated in 3 years (or a part-time student has not graduated in 4 years), the MSCI-TS COGS Chair will form a special committee independent of the Student’s Research Supervisory Committee to review progress with the student and his/her advisor.  The special committee’s responsibility will be to either recommend a course of action to expedite graduation or recommend termination of the enrollment of the student in the program.