MS General Core Requirements

MS Core Course Requirements 

Time Limitations

All requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed within six years.

As individual courses exceed this time limit, they lose all value for degree purposes. Credits that are more than six years old at the time of first registration for graduate work are not transferable from other institutions.

Students anticipating that they will exceed the time limit should apply for an extension before the normal time period to complete the degree expires. Holding a full-time job is not considered in itself sufficient grounds for granting an extension.

Use of Transfer Credit

Depending on the student’s previous preparation and degree plan, graduate work completed elsewhere may be transferred toward the M.S. degree. Only those courses with a grade of “B” or higher will be transferred. Courses to be transferred must be taken within five (5) years of the transfer.

Extension and correspondence credit earned at other institutions will not be counted toward a graduate degree at HSC. The School does not award credit for portfolio-based experiential learning or noncredit courses.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that official transcripts of courses completed elsewhere are furnished to the office of the Dean. The student must provide the catalog description and/or syllabus from the semester the course was taken before transfer credit will be approved. Although listed on the degree plan, such courses will not be counted toward the degree until official transcripts showing graduate credit have been received and the credit has been approved by the Dean. All transfer courses are subject to the time limitation described above. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Transfer credit is not accepted for the Medical Science discipline.

The majority of the semester credit hours required for any graduate degree must be completed in coursework registered through HSC.

Major Professor

Graduate training entails both formal education in a specific discipline and an apprenticeship in which the graduate student trains under the supervision of one or more investigators who are qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor (Major Professor). A positive mentoring relationship between the student and the Major Professor is a vital component of the student’s preparation to become not only an independent and successful research scientist but also an effective mentor to future graduate students.

Individuals who pursue a biomedical graduate degree are expected to take responsibility for their own scientific and professional development. Faculty who advise students are expected to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor, including providing scientific training, guidance, and instruction in the responsible conduct of research and research ethics. The Major Professor also performs a critical function as a scientific role model for the graduate student.

Prior to completing the first semester of study, the student must identify a Major Professor and file the “Major Professor Designation/Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and Their Research Advisors” form. This form and the entire “AAMC Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and Their Research Advisors” document are available on the School’s Forms and Guidelines website.

Advisory Committee (General)

Each student must select an advisory committee. The Major Professor and/or the Graduate Advisor assist the student in selecting members to serve on the advisory committee. The committee guides the student in selecting coursework appropriate for the degree program, defines research goals, monitors research progress, approves the research proposal, and provides scientific guidance. The advisory committee administers the final examination for the degree (defense).

The Major Professor serves as chair of the advisory committee. Advisory committees for M.S. students must include at least two additional Graduate Faculty members. Qualified individuals may be approved as professional affiliate graduate faculty members in addition to the two Graduate Faculty members for the purpose of adding specific expertise to student committees. Requests for more than one professional affiliate graduate faculty member per committee must be approved by the Dean. Furthermore, all students in programs requiring a thesis will be assigned a University Member (see details below) who ensures that the policies and procedures of HSC and the School are upheld.

Each student is required to meet with their advisory committee at least once per academic year.

Students in M.S. programs that do not require internship practicum or thesis projects are not required to designate advisory committees.

Advisory Committee (Specialized Master’s)

Prior to the beginning of each student’s internship practicum experience, the Graduate Advisor assigns an advisory committee. The committee guides the student to define practicum goals, monitor internship progress, approves the practicum report proposal, and provides scientific guidance. The advisory committee administers the final examination for the degree.

The Major Professor serves as chair of the advisory committee and must be a full-time HSC faculty with full or associate Graduate Faculty member status. At least two additional committee members are required: one Graduate Faculty member and the on-site practicum mentor who will have Professional Affiliate status.

Students in Specialized Master’s programs are not assigned University Members.

Degree Plan

Before completing the second semester of study, a degree plan listing all courses should be prepared by the student, approved by the student’s advisory committee, Graduate Advisor, and Dean.

The degree requirements listed in the graduate catalog currently in force at the time the student’s degree plan is approved by the Dean are those that must be completed by the student.

Students in M.S. programs with lock-step curricula are not required to file a degree plan.

University Member

When the advisory committee is formed for students in programs requiring a thesis, the Dean will appoint a University Member.

The primary responsibility of the University Member on both M.S. and Ph.D. committees is to ensure that the policies, procedures, and standards have been upheld. The University Member may choose to participate but must be present in any formal hearing (see below for a list of such events); however, such participation is not mandated. The University Member’s signature on appropriate forms indicates that the integrity of the review process has been upheld. It is the responsibility of the University Member to report to the Dean any inappropriate due process.

The University Member must be present at all formal hearings that require a vote, including the annual progress summary, thesis proposal presentation, and the final thesis seminar and defense.

Research Proposal

All M.S. students must submit an approved formal research proposal describing the thesis/practicum project. The research proposal is an outline of the project. It must include a summary of the proposed project, the hypothesis to be investigated, the significance of the project, research design and methodology to be used, and a review of the salient literature supporting or opposing the hypothesis and potential limitations. To take advantage of the advisory committee’s expertise and advice and clearly define the project and the committee’s expectations, it is imperative that the student meets with their advisory committee before preparing the research proposal.

Clinical Research Management students are required to submit the research proposal by the middle of the second month of the internship practicum. Biotechnology students are required to submit the research proposal before the end of the fall semester during the second year of study.

All other M.S. students are required to submit the research proposal before the end of the second year of study. The research proposal is a prerequisite for the Thesis (BMSC 5395) enrollment. A master’s proposal must represent original research, not necessarily generated by the student, and must be written by the student. The student may seek guidance from the advisory committee members, including the Major Professor, during the writing process. Procedures for the research proposal are as follows:

1. Hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss the proposal preparation and appropriate date. At this meeting, the student should identify a funding agency format that the committee approves and follow the requirements for that agency. At the completion of the proposal defense, students are encouraged to submit their proposal for funding on the recommendation of the advisory committee.

2. Prepare a “Notice of Research Proposal Seminar and Defense” form, including securing a room reservation and securing signatures of committee members establishing a date and time for the seminar and defense. This form must be submitted no less than thirty (30) days prior to the event date to allow sufficient publicity.

3. A final draft of the research proposal must be provided to the advisory committee members after the approval of the Major Professor, no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the proposal defense.

4. The student will conduct a public seminar presentation of the research proposal. Following the seminar, the committee will convene privately to discuss the student’s seminar performance and the procedures for the defense examination. Following the defense examination, the committee will meet without the student to discuss their evaluation and prepare a written summary. The committee will then discuss the evaluation summary with the student.

5. Two attempts are allowed to satisfy the requirement to file an approved research proposal. If required, the second attempt should be completed the following semester to allow sufficient time to address deficiencies.

“Research Proposal Guidelines,” “The Notice of Research Proposal Seminar and Defense,” and the “Research Proposal” forms are available on the School’s Forms and Guidelines website.

Program Requirements

Each student is responsible for the completion of the M.S. program according to the procedures that follow. Each item must be completed in the sequence and time period indicated. Forms are subject to revision at any time and should be obtained from the School’s Forms and Guidelines website.

1. A Major Professor should be selected by the end of the first semester of study. The student must file the “Major Professor Designation/Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students” form with the Office of Student and Academic Services. The student must meet with the Major Professor for guidance in forming an advisory committee and degree plan.
2. Before completing the second semester of study, the student must select an advisory committee and file a Designation of Advisory Committee form with the Office of Student and Academic Services. Enrollment will be restricted to prevent registration beyond the second semester without a designated advisory committee. Upon receipt of the “Designation of Advisory Committee” form, a University Member will be appointed to serve on the student’s committee.
3. The student must file a degree plan approved by the advisory committee with the Office of Student and Academic Services before completing the second semester of study. Course work deficiencies will be stipulated at this time. Enrollment will be restricted to prevent registration beyond the second semester without an approved degree plan. Procedures vary slightly for Clinical Research Management students. Consult the discipline handbook for complete instructions.
4. A research proposal must be approved by the committee and filed with the Office of Student and Academic Services prior to the semester in which the student first enrolls in Thesis (BMSC 5395). See the previous section in this catalog for detailed procedures. Clinical Research Management students are required to submit the research proposal by the middle of the second month of the internship practicum. Biotechnology students are required to submit the research proposal before the end of the fall semester during the second year of study.
5. Once a student has enrolled in an internship practicum or thesis, they must maintain continuous enrollment for a minimum of 3 SCH of the course during each semester until the practicum report/thesis has been accepted by the Office of Student and Academic Services. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment will either invalidate any previous thesis credit or result in the student’s dismissal from the degree program unless granted an official leave of absence by the Dean for medical or other exceptional reasons.
6. At the time of registration for the final semester, the student must file an “Intent to Graduate” form with the Office of Student and Academic Services. The form is available on the School’s Graduation website.
7. At least thirty (30) days prior to the final defense, the student must file an “Intent to Defend” form with the  Office of Student and Academic Services. The  Office of Student and Academic Services will advertise the public seminar associated with the final defense.
8. Upon completing the research and after consultation with the Major Professor, the student should submit a rough draft of the practicum report/thesis to the advisory committee members at least one month before the receipt of the final draft. The final draft should be distributed to committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense. Committee members should return corrected drafts to the student as soon as possible. Working through committee members at all times, the student and Major Professor will resolve comments arising from the rough draft and incorporate them into a final draft.
9. During the semester of graduation, the student will present a formal seminar on the research. This seminar should be scheduled immediately prior to the final defense and is open to the public.
10. The final defense will be held immediately following the seminar. The defense is closed to all parties except the advisory committee and University Member. The committee will determine if a student fails, passes, or passes with distinction. The signature of the Major Professor indicates that the document is in its final form and approved for submission, although an embargo may be placed on publication.
11. The practicum report/thesis must be prepared for digital submission according to the instructions in the “Guidelines for Filing Theses, Internship Practicum Reports, and Dissertations” form available on the School’s Graduation website.