Completion of the Certificate in Cancer Prevention Program requires the satisfactory completion of required and elective coursework. Twelve (12) semester credit hours (SCH) of didactic coursework (9 hours required, 3 hours elective) are required to obtain the certificate. All course-related rules established by the MSCI-TS Program and listed in the MSCI-TS Handbook will be endorsed and followed by the Certificate in Cancer Prevention.
Required Coursework – 9 SCH
Students in the Certificate in Cancer Prevention must successfully complete the following didactic courses.
| TSCI 5070 (2 SCH) | Responsible Conduct of Research |
| TSCI 5071 (2 SCH) | Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Methods – 1 |
| TSCI 5072 (2 SCH) | Patient-Oriented Research Biostatistics – 1 |
| TSCI 6001 (1 SCH) | Introduction to Translational Science |
| TSCI 6105 (1 SCH) | Topics in Cancer Prevention |
| TSCI 6106 (1 SCH) | Practicum in Cancer Prevention Science |
Elective Coursework – 3 SCH
Diverse elective courses are available to Certificate in Cancer Prevention graduate students. These courses may be taken in any semester when offered and include:
| TSCI 5050 (1 SCH) | Introduction to Data Science |
| TSCI 5073 (1 SCH) | Integrated 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 5077 (1-3 SCH) | Practicum in Translational Science |
| TSCI 5080 (1 SCH) | Practicum in Integrating Molecular Biology with Patient-Oriented Clinical Research |
| TSCI 6060 (2 SCH) | Patient-Oriented Clinical Research Methods – 2 |
| TSCI 6061 (2 SCH) | Patient-Oriented Research Biostatistics – 2 |
| TSCI 6065 (2 SCH) | Health Services Research |
| TSCI 6069 (2 SCH) | Statistical Issues, Planning, and Analysis of Contemporary Clinical Trials |
| TSCI 6070 (2.5 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 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 |
Timeline for Coursework
Coursework towards a Certificate in Cancer Prevention must be accomplished within three or fewer years prior to the request for certification. Exceptions to this requirement will be considered by the MSCI-TS COGS on a case-by-case basis. A written request for exemption must be submitted to the Program Director through the Program Coordinator and should include a brief description of the reason(s) for the request. The Program Director will make a recommendation to the MSCI-TS COGS who will provide the final program approval. It will then be submitted to the Graduate School Dean for final institutional approval.
Grade Requirement
As detailed by the MSCI-TS Program, student performance in MSCI-TS courses is assessed on a satisfactory (S) / Unsatisfactory (U) basis. Any student who receives less than a Satisfactory (S) assessment in any Certificate in Cancer Prevention required course 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 to the GSBS Dean as to whether the student should be dismissed from the CCP Program.
Exemption of a 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 must be submitted to the Program Director through the Program Coordinator and should include a brief description of the reason(s) for the request as well as documentation (publication copies, meeting abstracts, etc.) supporting the reason(s) for the request. If prior coursework is the basis for the request, the following documentation must be submitted to the Program Director through the Program 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 an MSCI-TS elective course or additional mentored research hours. Transfer of coursework for credit is described below.
Transfer of Coursework for Credit
If a student has successfully completed graduate-level coursework that is duplicative of required or elective courses, it is possible that transfer of course credit may be allowed. A written request for consideration of the transfer of course credit in substitution for a given course must include the following documentation and be submitted to the Program Director through the Program 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.
If the transfer of credit request is approved by the MSCI-TS COGS, the Program Coordinator will prepare a request for transfer of course credit (on GSBS form) 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 CCP course. No more than three (3) semester credit hours may be transferred towards the completion of a Certificate in Cancer Prevention.
Completion of the CCP program
A graduate student must be accepted into in the CCP program to be eligible to receive a certificate. Upon satisfactory completion of all required didactic and elective coursework, the CCP student will complete and submit the CCP Request for Certification form to the MSCI-TS Academic Coordinator for review and approval by the MSCI-TS COGS. Once approved by the MSCI-TS COGS, the Chair of the MSCI-TS COGS will then submit a recommendation form to the Graduate Faculty Council of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences through the Dean for further consideration and approval.
Time-to-Certificate
The program can be completed within 1 year of study. Some students may require two (2) to three (3) years to complete certificate requirements. If a CCP student has not completed the necessary coursework within three (3) years, the MSCI-TS COGS Chair will form a special committee to review progress with the student. The special committee’s responsibility will be to either recommend a course of action to expedite completion or recommend termination of the enrollment of the student in the program.