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Core Coursework

Students must maintain a grade point average of 3.00 (letter grade of B) or better to maintain good academic standing, as required to receive financial support and to be awarded the MS degree.

Students must complete a minimum of 24 units of coursework toward the MS and at least six units of thesis. All courses must be completed at the graduate level, and at least 15 units of coursework must receive regular letter grades (i.e., A, B, C). A limited number of courses may be transferred from another institution with the approval of the program and the faculty mentor — and presuming the courses earned graduate credit at the home institution with a grade of B or better.

Required coursework includes the following:

  • CR 501/502 (Principles of Clinical Research I and II), four units each.
  • CR 503 (Informatics for Clinical Research), four units.
  • BIOS 576A (Biostatistics in Public Health), three units.
  • CR 595C (Responsible Conduct of Research), one unit/enrollment, taken in one Fall and one Spring semester.
  • CR 910 (Thesis), total of six units (can be taken across multiple semesters/terms).

Elective Coursework

Commonly used elective courses include:

  • CR 585 (Individualized Scientific Writing), two units.
  • CR 696B (Biomedical Sciences Seminar), one unit, or CR 696A (Medical Sciences Seminar), one unit [postgraduate students only].
  • BIOS 576B (Biostatistics for Research), three units.
  • BIOS 675, (Clinical Trials and Intervention Studies) three units.

Note: Students are not restricted to this list of potential elective courses. Each CR student works with their faculty mentor to select optimal elective courses relevant to the student's research.