`
Frederic C. Bartter
General Clinical Research Center (GCRC)
Pathways to Completing the Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) Degree Program.
Students Formally Enrolled in the MSCI Program
All applications to the MSCI Program are submitted through the UTHSCSA Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and reviewed by the MSCI Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS). Please see the application check list here: (http://apply.embark.com/grad/UTHSCSA/) for details. The COGS review:
(a) the overall application, and
(b) the proposed mentored research project.
Candidates enrolling in the MSCI Program may complete it either as a full-time or part-time student:
· Full-Time students: If you intend to enroll as a full time student, you need to have a mentored research project at the time of application to the program and can expect to complete the MSCI in 2 years. Full time work is regarded as nine credit hours a semester (six hours of didactic seminars/lectures and three hours of research credit).
· Part-time Students: If you intend to enroll as a part time student, you do not need a mentored research project at the time of application. Once accepted, you may start to take courses. Once a mentored research project is identified (typically during the first year), this is reviewed by the MSCI COGS and you may start to earn research credit. Earning the MSCI Degree as a part-time student will require 3-4 years.
Special Students
Students may begin to take MSCI sponsored courses without formal application to the MSCI program. Students must fill out the application. The appropriate MSCI Course Directors will need to approve your attendance and sign your course cards. The course credit earned as a Special Student can then be counted toward the MSCI Degree if you decide to formally enroll in the program. You cannot earn the MS Degree in Clinical Investigation as a Special Student.
Admission of UTHSCSA Faculty and Staff to the MSCI program
UTHSCSA Faculty and Staff may enroll in the MSCI Program and take courses as a part time student. Their enrollment and amount of course work is subject to the ‘quantity of work’ rules set out in the Graduate School Catalog and the UTHSCSA Handbook of Operating Procedures.
Admission of Foreign Nationals to the MSCI Program
The MSCI Program’s specific aims are to:
· Enhance and expand the quality of training in clinical research for UTHSCSA post-doctoral students, graduates, and faculty from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Allied Health, and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
· Increase the numbers of ethnically diverse students trained in the conduct of clinical research. Our goal is to prepare investigators skilled in the conduct of outstanding clinical research in culturally diverse settings.
Therefore, consistent with these aims, the MSCI COGS firmly believes that enrollment in courses related to the conduct of clinical investigation is directly relevant to the research education of fellows and trainees at the UTHSCSA. As a consequence, denying access to the MSCI Courses to foreign nationals (persons at UTHSCSA on a J-1 or H-1B visa) potentially puts them at a disadvantage in their research education and experiences. Additionally, the MSCI program will directly benefit the J-1 and H-1B visa programs because the skills taught in the MSCI courses will enhance the quality of the candidates’ work that they were hired to do under the auspices of these visas.
Therefore, the MSCI COGS has agreed to the following enrollment principles for persons with
J-1 or H-1B visa status.1. They may be enrolled in the MSCI program, but enrollment in classes must be incidental to their primary activities for which they came to the UTHSCSA.
2. Part-time enrollment: Persons with J-1 or H-1B visas may enroll in up to four credit hours of didactic course work per semester. These four credits will be in formal lecture and seminar courses which are ‘incident to’ the purpose of the visa. Four credit hours is less than half of the semester credit hours considered to constitute full time enrollment in the UTHSCSA Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
3. They may enroll in research credits under the supervision of their research mentors. This credit is directly relevant to and obtained from the work these individuals are conducting in the United States. Enrollment for research credit is based upon the discussion and discretion of the MSCI Committee on Graduate Studies, Program Director, and the individual’s Research Mentor. The number of research credits allowed per semester will be determined on a case-by-case basis, based on the individual circumstances of the student.
4. At no time, will participation in the MSCI program interfere with the timely completion of the duties and responsibilities for which the visa status was granted to the individual for admission to the United States.
These principles assure that the Federal Rules and Regulations for the visa process are upheld while creating a pathway by which foreign nationals may participate in clinical research education at UTHSCSA.
Foreign nationals who seek admission to the MSCI Program as full time students may do so under an F-2 Student Visa.
Graduation Requirement
To be eligible to graduate, students must submit one manuscript to the COGS for review. This manuscript:
· Must be based on the mentored research project done during the MSCI Program.
· Should be submitted for publication or published in a peer reviewed scientific journal since the student’s date of enrollment in the MSCI program.
Unrelated articles, such as case reports or book chapters, are not acceptable for completing the MSCI degree. Students do not have to be the first author on the paper, but must be a primary author.
The student’s mentor must write a cover letter accompanying the manuscript that details the work done by the student to contribute to the paper. This letter must also vouch that the mentor has reviewed the work and state which journal is reviewing the manuscript.
This graduation requirement is the same for all students enrolled in the MSCI Program.
Structure
of the MSCI Program
Timeline
Course
Schedules & Syllabi
MSCI
Checklist for application
Graduate
School of Biomedical Sciences Applicant Viewbook
Graduate
School
Application
Advisory Committee
Return
to Educational Opportunities
Date page last modified: 12/11/07 01:11 PM
