Program Overview

Introduction to the MS in Implementation Science Program

The Master of Science (MS) in Implementation Science is a unique graduate degree program offered by Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine in partnership with the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. This program aims to address the persistent gaps in moving evidence-based clinical practices into routine use in the real world.

Program Overview

Implementation science is a burgeoning field that draws upon a rich and diverse set of established research traditions. The program will provide students with the skills to identify programs and policies that work and collaborate with stakeholders to implement them. The MS in Implementation Science will be one of the first standalone master's programs in implementation science to be launched in the U.S.

Program Features

• The program will be offered fully online, either over nine months or 18 months.
• It will be taught by national experts, at least a third of whom are based at other leading institutions across the country.
• The program will launch with 30 graduate students, with a target of 50 students annually to be achieved within two to three years.
• It will include international enrollment.
• Core competencies will be designed to prepare students to assume leadership roles in implementation science across many settings.

Curriculum

The program's foundational curriculum will provide coursework on:

• IS theories, models, and frameworks
• Implementation strategies and measures
• Study design
• Research approaches, including community engagement and participatory research
• Mixed methods for qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, and interpretation
• Adaptation and fidelity of interventions
• Sustainment and sustainability in IS

Advanced and emerging topics will include:

• De-implementation
• Global implementation science
• Digital health implementation
• IS experimental designs
• Implementation costing measures and cost-effectiveness analysis
• Scaling-out interventions
• Dissemination of evidence-based interventions

Capstone Project

Each student will complete a Capstone IMPACT Project (1.0 unit) that spans the entire program.

Program Goals

The program aims to contribute to the rapidly increasing demand for trained experts in the field and further position Dartmouth as a leader in implementation science nationally. It will provide students with the skills to tackle key questions in implementation science, such as how to more quickly and effectively move new, proven scientific evidence into routine healthcare practice.