Lisa Hodge, PhD, Assistant Dean for Specialized MS Programs
Center for BioHealth Building CBH 345
Phone: 817-735-2110
E-mail: Lisa.Hodge@unthsc.edu
The Master of Science (MS) program in Medical Science is a specialized master’s program designed to provide additional opportunities to those individuals who would like to enhance their credentials for entry into medical, dental, chiropractic, pharmacy, physical therapy, or other professional school. This result is achieved by offering a strong, challenging biomedical sciences curriculum in the environment of a health science center. The average time to complete the program is twelve months.
Track Options
Cohort Track
The cohort (on campus) option is designed for the student that works best in a team setting alongside other students with daily faculty interaction. Cohort students will participate in didactic lectures interacting in real-time with faculty and other students. Cohort students participate in the cadaver lab for Gross Anatomy and team-based learning exercises. In addition to the rigorous basic science curriculum students will have access to interview preparation and academic advisors. The cohort option begins each summer semester which enables students to complete the degree requirements by the following spring, in time to matriculate into professional programs immediately. A comprehensive list of course requirements is available online.
Online Track Option
The online option is designed for the student that wants to improve his/her qualifications for applying to professional school while balancing work, family, and enrollment. The MS coursework is completed 100 percent online. In addition to the rigorous basic science curriculum, including anatomy training using a computer model, students will have access to interview preparation and academic advisors. The average time to complete the program is 18 months with full-time enrollment. A comprehensive list of course requirements is available online.
Campus resources are available including Financial Aid, Library, Career Services, and the Center for Academic Performance, without traveling to our physical location.
Research Track Enrichment Year Option
Caroline Rickards, PhD, Program Director
Education and Administration Building EAD-310H
Phone: 817-735-2735
E-mail: Caroline.Rickards@unthsc.edu
Medical Science majors interested in extending their training with the addition of research experience may apply to the Medical Science Research Track. The successful applicant will have excelled in the requirements for the Medical Science discipline and expressed a strong interest in education and/or research within a specific field. Interested students will interview with faculty mentors prior to applying and transferring into this track.
During this research track year, students will complete a combination of research-focused courses and an independent research project within campus laboratories. Students will work closely with a primary research advisor and advisory committee to produce a research proposal and final practicum report.
Program Success
This program has been very successful in assisting students to better their chances for acceptance into a professional school. In the class that graduated in 2017, 88% of students who matriculated graduated with a master’s degree. Approximately 82 percent of these were successful in gaining admission into medical/dental school in the State of Texas and across the United States.
Opportunities for Graduates in Medical Science
The MS in Medical Science program responds to the need for generalist graduate study in the medical sciences to provide students with the background required for the pursuit of a variety of careers in the health professions. It is a broad-based curriculum that can provide the student with requirements to pursue medical school, dental school, veterinary school, advanced graduate education, or enter a career in allied health sciences, such as public health and health care administration, clinical research, or in non-research positions including managerial and biotechnology patent law, teaching, and medical writing.