The Graduate School offers ten Master of Science programs – including an interdisciplinary program offered in both traditional and accelerated tracks as well as our new Clinical Laboratory Sciences program. Our Master’s programs help prepare students for successful careers as researchers, managers, and teachers. The interdisciplinary programs are intended for students seeking careers in the health professions, such as medicine, dentistry, physician’s assistant or veterinary. Minimum required credits vary for each program. Students must write either a Master’s Literature Review of a current field of investigation, or a Master’s Thesis based on original laboratory research performed under the guidance of a graduate faculty mentor. All programs may be completed within two years with the exception of the Accelerated Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Master’s program and the Dental Linker program, which may be completed within one year. Most or all credits earned in pursuit of an M.S. degree in one of the six basic sciences can also be applied subsequently towards Ph.D. degree requirements.
Each of the six discipline-specific M.S. programs also offers a Biomedical Science & Management - Professional Science Master’s (PSM) track designed for students interested in pursuing careers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or other biomedical science industries – or in the government or not-for-profit sectors related to these fields. These PSM tracks require completion of 36 credits overall, including science courses; courses in one or more professional skills such as business, project management, communications, or regulatory affairs; and a project-based internship at one of the many participating companies or agencies in our region.
Discipline-based:
Biomedical Science & Management:
Pre-professional:
The degree of Master of Science is awarded after the satisfactory completion of certain minimum requirements specified by the Graduate School. Each program has specific requirements for course work and examinations and are described in the individual program sections. The general degree requirements of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences are outlined below.
Didactic credits are earned in courses in which a formal evaluation mechanism (examination, graded term paper, etc.) allows assignment of a letter grade. Lecture-based courses usually fall into this category, as do certain independent study courses such as directed readings or tutorial courses.
Pass/Fail courses are graded solely on the basis of the student's effort or participation and/or subjective evaluation by the faculty. Journal clubs, seminar courses, and research rotations are usually graded on a pass/fail basis.
Elective credit requirements in all programs may only be met by didactic (letter-graded) courses unless specified otherwise. Programs may further restrict fulfillment of the elective credit requirement to advanced courses or courses in only certain topical areas or disciplines.
Students with prior credit in graduate courses that are equivalent in topic coverage to specific program requirements may petition a waiver of those specific requirements. If the request is granted by the program director and approved by the dean, the waived credits must be replaced by an equal number of didactic credits by transfer or in residence.
An overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or better is required before a degree can be awarded. In some programs, there are additional minimal GPA standards, such as requiring a GPA of 3.00 or better in specific core courses. Although C is a passing grade, programs may require a higher minimum acceptable grade in certain courses in order for those credits to be used to fulfill program requirements.