Clinical Research (MS)

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Clinical Research (MS): Program Overview

The Master of Science in Clinical Research is a rigorous program that meets the needs of health professionals engaged in the full spectrum of patient-oriented research. This flexible degree program is designed for a variety of professionals, including physicians who will plan and oversee translational research and clinical trials; research nurses; study coordinators; managers in clinical research and site management organizations (CROs and SROs); and professionals in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries.

Upon completion of the MS in Clinical Research, students are expected to:

Demonstrate the ability to design and conduct clinical research, analyze results and answer a research question
Demonstrate the ability to read and critique the clinical research literature
Present clinical research findings (from literature or their own research) to peers

Our mission is to provide students with a rigorous academic experience, and hands-on exposure to and practical experience in clinical research. MSCR graduates will be prepared to enter the workforce as competently trained clinical research professionals.

Clinical Research (MS): Academic Policies

Academic Standing

Students must earn a 3.0 or above in core and cognate courses, earn a pass in courses with a pass/no pass option, meet the requirements of their Program and maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average at the end of each term to remain in good academic standing. Any student who falls below this academic standard are academically deficient and not eligible for graduation. Failure to remediate deficiencies within one academic semester can result in dismissal by the Graduate College.

Graduate College/Rush University Academic Policies

Academic policies specific to the Graduate College are located earlier in this catalog. In addition, the Academic Resources and Policies section of this catalog contains Rush University academic policies.

Clinical Research (MS): Curriculum

Degree Requirements

The program consists of three components:

Minimum of 32 graduate credits; 22 required and 10 elective credits
Clinical research practicum; hands-on involvement in a clinical research project
Capstone/Thesis Project; clinical research project resulting in a written research paper

Master of Science in Clinical Research degree candidates are required to complete all of the following:

A minimum of 32 credits are required. These must include the 22 credits in the following areas:

Designing Clinical Research Studies (4)
Tools for Clinical Research (4)
Biostatistics (4)
Ethics, Regulatory, and Compliance for Clinical Research (4)
Seminar in Clinical Research (2)
Option 1: Internship/Practicum or Independent Study in Clinical Research (2), and Thesis Research (2)
Option 2: Thesis Research (4)

In addition, a minimum of 10 credits are required in elective coursework. A wide variety of courses offered at Rush University that will count toward elective credit. A minimum of 10 credits must be taken as electives or directed study. Up to 4 credits across two terms may be taken as the internship/practicum or for research. To waive a course requirement, students must speak to the Program Director and Associate Dean. No transfer credits from other Rush University Colleges or other institutions will be accepted.

The following courses meet the subject area requirements listed above:

CRE - 557 Clinical Trials I Credit(s): 2
CRE - 558 Clinical Trials II Credit(s): 2
GCC - 552 Intro to Regulatory Process Credit(s): 2
GCC - 593 Introduction to Grantsmanship Credit(s): 1
PVM - 553 Observational Epidemiology Credit(s): 1
GCC - 546 Principles of Biostatistics I Credit(s): 2
GCC - 547 Principles of Biostatistics II Credit(s): 2
GCC - 551 Ethics and IRB Credit(s): 2
CRE - 559 Readings in Special Populations Credit(s): 1
CRE - 523 Readings in Clinical Research Credit(s): 1
GCC - 548 Bioinformatics Credit(s): 1
GCC - 549 Bioinformatics II Credit(s): 1
CRE - 597 Thesis Research Credit(s): 1-9

Course of Study

The MSCR program can be completed either part-time or full-time depending on the student’s goal.

The program is designed so that a full-time student may complete their coursework in one academic year, including summer. Practicum and capstone components of the program should begin near completion of the coursework and the time frame for finishing them will be determined on a student-by-student basis by the research mentor, committee and Program Director. Part-time students must register for at least four but not more than 11 credits each academic term until all course requirements are fulfilled.

Internship/Practicum

Completion of a minimum of eight weeks of an internship/practicum in clinical research is required for the degree. The internship/practicum usually begins near completion of formal coursework. The goal of the internship/practicum component is to provide the student hands-on exposure to clinical research. The student will work with a mentor and will be actively involved in the development, execution and evaluation of a clinical research project or projects. During the internship/practicum, the student should be exposed to clinical research planning, protocol preparation, interaction with Institutional Review Boards, regulatory requirements, selection of subjects/patients for the clinical trial, study monitoring and data analysis. The internship/practicum may be completed with a mentor who is actively conducting clinical research studies within a clinical research or hospital setting. It may also be performed under the direction of a clinical research professional within a drug, device or biotechnology company, a clinical research organization (CRO) or site management organization (SMO) actively involved in clinical trials.

Capstone/Thesis Research

Students in the MSCR program are required to complete a capstone/thesis that provides a culminating experience and applies the principles and methods learned in the coursework to a real-life clinical study.

The goal of the capstone/thesis is to demonstrate the student’s understanding of the clinical research process from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. Students can conduct their thesis research in a wide variety of settings, including academia, biotechnology, pharmaceutical or device companies.

Students generally identify their mentor and advisory committee, and develop their research proposal while they are completing their coursework. The research project must involve the analysis and interpretation of data. Students are encouraged but are not required to conduct primary data collection (e.g. preexisting patient health information). Students must meet with their advisory committee at least once every six months, and the committee is responsible for reviewing and approving the capstone/thesis. Once approved, the student defends the thesis in a 30-minute public defense that includes their committee, capstone mentor, MSCR students and faculty members and any other interested parties. The purpose of the oral presentation is to demonstrate the student’s ability to (1) clearly describe the research topic, methods and results; (2) demonstrate their understanding of study design and analytic principles and methods; and (3) place their research into a clinical context.

All students will be required to submit the capstone/thesis to ProQuest to be eligible for graduation. All students are encouraged to formulate the thesis into a scientific journal article and submit the manuscript as a publication in a peer-reviewed journal.