Dual Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Science (MSc) in Clinical Investigation Sciences
Approved by Vice Provost on July 16, 2015
J. Jackson Barnette, Interim Director
Students admitted to the University of Louisville School of Medicine can pursue a dual MD-MSc degree program with only one additional year of study beyond the traditional four-year medical school curriculum. Medical students pursuing the dual MD-MSc degree begin the MSc course work after completing one year of clinical training (i.e., the third year of medical school). Dual-degree students spend the fall, spring, and summer semesters of their fourth year completing the MSc course work. They complete their professional paper for the MSc degree during their fourth year. Graduates of the program can expect to be highly competitive for residency and fellowship positions at prestigious institutions.
Required Coursework with Suggested ScheduleSemester / Course # / Course Title / Credit Hours
Fall IV / PHPH-523 / Public Health in the U.S.* / 2
PHST-500 / Biostatistics I / 3
PHST-624 / Clinical Trials I / 2
PHST-631 / Data Collection for Clinical Research / 2
Electives / 6
Semester Total / 15
Spring IV / PHST-501 / Biostatistics II / 3
PHEP-614 / Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology / 2
PHST-625 / Clinical Trials II / 2
PHPH-601 / Evaluating Health Care Literature / 1
PHPH-632 / Ethical Conduct of Research / 2
Elective(s) / 3
Semester Total / 13
Summer IV / PHPH-699 / Mentored Research / 3
Semester Total / 3
Degree Total / 31
Electives: Nine hours of electives from the following (other courses on approval of program advisor) / Semester
Offered / Credit hours
PHST-XXX / Advanced Coursework in Biostatistics / Variable
PHEP-XXX / Advanced Coursework in Epidemiology / Variable
PHPB-604 / Health Decision Risk Analysis / Spring / 3
PHPB-501 / Introduction to Health Behavior / Fall / 2
PHPH-610 / New Drug and Device Development / Fall / 2
ENGL-599 / Advanced Academic Writing Across Disciplines / Spring / 3
CECS-536 / Data Management and Analysis / Fall / 3
SOC- 618 / Qualitative Field Research Methods / Spring / 3
* PHPH-523 is required of students who do not have a broad exposure to public health through experience or coursework. It is offered only in the Fall. Any student who waives out of the course must replace the two semester hours with elective coursework.
Professional Paper
A professional paper, based on original research conducted by the student, is required of a candidate for the degree of Master of Science in Clinical Investigation Sciences. It is to be an original work of professional quality and a scholarly achievement that demonstrates the student’s thorough understanding of research techniques in clinical research and the ability to conduct independent research.
Professional Paper Committee
The professional paper is read by a reading committee, chaired by the student’s mentor/faculty advisor, and appointed by the dean of the school upon the recommendation of the program director. This committee consists of three members and must include one representative of the School of Public Health and Information Sciences. The professional paper must be approved by the committee and the program director.
Professional Paper Proposal
The proposal for professional paper is to be developed in written form and presented to the committee for approval.
Professional Paper Approval
The professional paper is to be submitted in completed form to the chair of the committee at least fourteen days before the end of the term in which the candidate expects to be graduated, and the candidate is not eligible for the final oral examination until the professional paper has been accepted by the committee.
The committee schedules an oral examination of the candidate during which the student presents his or her professional paper and is asked to defend it and the supporting research. The professional paper is approved by a majority vote of the committee and by the program director.
Accreditation
The School of Public Health and Information Sciences is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
The University of Louisville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
For more information, see the School’s accreditation webpage. (https://louisville.edu/sphis/accreditation)
V2015.07.15-03
Program DataName / MD/Master of Science in Clinical Investigation Sciences
Degree / MD/MSc
Department / School-based
Unit / School of Public Health and Information Sciences
Version / 2015.07.15-03 / Author(s) / J.Jackson Barnette
Program History
Version / Submitted / Approved / Change Summary / Author(s)
2004.04.27 / 04/27/04 / 05/25/04
2007.08.02 / 08/08/07 / 08/29/07 /
- Credit hours increased to 31
- Coursework revised
2009.07.20 / 08/06/09 / 08/10/09 /
- 3 credit hours of required courses changed to elective
2012.04.06 / 04/07/12 / 05/18/12 /
- Replaced elective option with single, 3-credit hr elective
- Replaced PHCI-631 Social and Behav Science in Health Care with PHPB-501 Intro to Health Behavior
- Removed PHCI-629 Special Topics Epi Methods
- Moved PHCI-601 Evaluating Health Care Literature to Spring I
- Results in no courses in summers
Ms. Tammi Thomas
2013.08.15 / 8/15/13 / pending /
- Moved PHCI-624 from Spring I to Fall I
- Deleted PHEP-602 Epi Methods and replaced with PHST-501
- Moved PHCI-610 from Fall I to Fall II
- Replaced elective with PHMS-623
- Deleted PHCI-650 and replaced with PHPB-604
- Decreased mentored research hours from 6 to 5
2015.05.12 / 5/12/2015 / pending /
- Dropped CREST designation
- Made possible the advisor being a mentor not a member of the SPHIS faculty
- Revised curriculum
2015.05.12 / 5/18/2015 / approved /
- Approved by SPHIS Curriculum Committee
2015.05.12 / 5/21/2015 / approved /
- Approved by SPHIS Faculty Forum
2015.05.12 / 5/28/2015 / submitted /
- Submitted to Vice Provost Goldstein
2015.05.12 / 7/15/2015 / pending /
- Revised
2015.07.15 / 7/16/2015 / approved /
- Approved by Vice Provost Goldstein
2015.07.15-01 / 11/09/15 / 11/09/15 /
- Corrected year of program for CIS coursework and professional paper
- Corrected required committee membership (one SPHIS faculty).
2015.07.15-02 / 01/14/16 / 01/14/16 /
- Deleted “Mode of Delivery” column from “Electives” table
2015.07.15-03 / 02/03/17 / 02/03/17 /
- Changed prefix from PHMS-523 to PHPH-523