Program Overview

Clinical Investigation, MS

Clinical investigation is a field in which teams of health care professionals, biostatisticians, and others imagine, design, and conduct clinical research, and then take discoveries to human or animal patient populations in the health care system or in communities.

The graduate program in clinical investigation (GPCI) offers a MS degree. The focus of GPCI is to provide physicians, clinical scientists, and other health care professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to conduct and translate basic science discoveries into clinical applications through patient (human or animal)oriented research. The MS program trains students to help move research toward solutions for patient populations more quickly.

Admissions

• Applicants ideally have a health professional degree (MD, DVM, PharmD, PhD, BSN, BSE, MPT, DPT).
• Clinical Investigation students are unique among UWMadison graduate students because they enter the program with a terminal degree (with exceptions) and they are seeking training to directly apply their work with patients.
• Admission requirements include:
  • Fall Deadline: February 1
  • Spring Deadline: October 1
  • Summer Deadline: The program does not admit in the summer.
  • GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required.
  • English Proficiency Test: Refer to the Graduate School's policy.
  • Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT): n/a
  • Letters of Recommendation Required: 3
• The program's faculty executive committee considers all aspects of each application.
• The applicant must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School plus those of the program, including:
  • Having a focused area of interest in patient-oriented clinical research and a passion for continuing in a career in patient-oriented translational and/or clinical research.
  • Ideally having a health professional degree.
  • Identifying a primary advisor to mentor and support the applicant throughout graduate study.

Funding

• The Bursars Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student.
• Resources to help afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.
• Further funding information is available from the Graduate School.

Requirements

• Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 16 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 15 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required.
• Other Grade Requirements: Students must earn a B or above in all core curriculum coursework.
• Assessments and Examinations: Defense of MS thesis required.
• Language Requirements: No language requirements.

Required Courses

• Core Requirement:
  • B M I/STAT 542: Introduction to Clinical Trials I
  • POP HLTH/SOC 797: Introduction to Epidemiology
  • NURSING/MEDICINE/POP HLTH 705: Seminar in Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Evidence
  • H ONCOL 750: Multi-disciplinary Patient-Oriented Research Presentation Skills Seminar
• Biostatistics Requirement:
  • To fulfill this requirement, students must complete one of the following courses or sequence.
• Clinical Translational Science Requirement:
  • To fulfill this requirement, students must complete 3 credits from one of the following courses.
• Research Design Requirement:
  • To fulfill this requirement, students must complete 3 credits of a clinical and translational science, biostatistics, or methods course.
• Research or Electives:
  • To satisfy the minimum credit requirement, students complete additional courses or research credits.

Policies

• Probation: Refer to the Graduate School's policy.
• Advisor / Committee: MS students select their faculty advising (degree) committees by the end of the first year in the program.
• Credits Per Term Allowed: 12 credits
• Time Limits: Refer to the Graduate School's policy.
• Grievances and Appeals: The Graduate Schools Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures.

Professional Development

• The Graduate School's professional development resources are available to build skills, thrive academically, and launch a career.

Learning Outcomes

1. Formulate research questions and address them using rigorous methods to generate reproducible findings that contribute to improving health.
2. Learn from and improve the health of patients through engagement in research that respects the full diversity of the population.
3. Contribute to programs that integrate clinical and translational science across scientific fields, disciplines, and professions to improve the health of patients and communities.
4. Draw on the expertise of collaborators in multiple disciplines.
5. Contribute to analysis, interpretation, and reporting research findings through peer-reviewed scientific channels and to the public.
6. Apply and foster professional, ethical, and responsible conduct of research.