• Program Description
  • CCTS
  • MCTS
• Program Goals
• Program Cost
• Tuition and Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Program Eligibility
• Advisory Committee
• How To Apply
• Program Co-Directors
• Occupations
• On-Time Completion Rates
• Median Loan Debt
• Program Summary
• Immunization forms
• CTS Handbook

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

A specially-designed knowledge and skills building program has been created to provide advanced training in Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) at GRU. The primary objective of this program is to enable health professionals to perform Clinical and Translational Research (CTR). It is intended to provide trainees with essential skills in CTR, including hypothesis generation, research design, data analysis, interpretation and dissemination of results, critical appraisal of scientific literature, grant preparation, human research protection, and research ethics. Primary emphasis is placed on practical application of the scientific method, with less focus on theoretical issues.

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The CTS curriculum includes didactic instruction in the core areas of biostatistics, epidemiology, and clinical research design; a mentored research project; and seminars on recent advances in clinical and translational science.

Two training options are available:

Certificate in Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)

Consists of 14 credit hours of didactic courses, 2 credit hours of clinical and translational science seminars, and 4 credit hours of mentored research. The mentored research project that is a requirement of the CCTS program will culminate in a scientific paper that is suitable for submission to a scientific research journal. The CCTS can be completed in 1 year and courses taken while obtaining the certificate can be applied toward the Masters of Clinical and Translational Science for those who wish to continue. Upon successful completion of the required coursework and the mentored research project, the trainee will be awarded a Certificate in Clinical and Translational Science from the GRU College of Graduate Studies through the GRU Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology.

• CCTS Curriculum
• CCTS Course Sequence
• Descriptions of all courses in the CCTS program

Master of Clinical and Translational Science (MCTS)

Consists of the CCTS curriculum plus 1 additional required didactic course, 2 additional hours of clinical and translational science seminars, 6 hours of elective courses, and 5 additional hours of mentored research. The mentored research project that is a requirement of the MCTS program will culminate in a grant proposal that is suitable for submission to an extramural funding agency (NIH, RWJ, etc.). The MCTS can be completed in 2 years. Upon successful completion of the required coursework and their mentored research project, the trainee will be awarded a Masters of Clinical and Translational Science from the GRU College of Graduate Studies through the GRU Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology.

• MCTS Curriculum
• MCTS Course Sequence
• Descriptions of all courses in the MCTS program

Either CTS program can be completed on a part time basis (enrollment in no more than 8 credit hours per semester), beginning each fall. An oral defense of the mentored research project will be used to assess the trainee’s abilities and accomplishments at the end of the program rather than the traditional written comprehensive exam. Both programs are considered to be non-thesis.

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PROGRAM GOALS

The primary goal of both the CCTS and MCTS programs is to provide an educational environment in which trainees will learn how to design and conduct an effective research project. Graduates completing either program should have developed the necessary skills for performing each of the following tasks:

• Effectively utilize human subjects in clinical trials,
• Perform basic analyses of clinical research data,
• Apply basic epidemiologic principles and tools in clinical research,
• Consider relevant ethical and legal issues when designing and conducting clinical research,
• Prepare research manuscripts for publication in research journals, and
• Prepare competitive grant proposals for extramural research funding.

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PROGRAM COST

It is anticipated that the tuition for either the CCTS or MCTS program for eligible full-time employees at GRU would be completely covered under the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), once the trainee has been employed at GRU for 6 months. The only exception would be a trainee who has to take more than 8 hours in a semester in order to make up courses that they failed to take at the scheduled time in the curriculum. Trainees who follow the recommended CCTS Course Sequence or MCTS Course Sequence will never have to take more than 8 credit hours in a given semester.

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TUITION and FEES

Graduate Level Tuitions and Fees can be found at the following website (College of Graduate Studies Tuition and Fee schedule) for in-state and out-of-state students. It should be noted that as the Clinical and Translational Science programs are intended for clinical faculty employed at GRU that students enrolled in the program can apply to the Tuition Assistance Program.

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ROOM and BOARD

Because the CTS programs are intended for clinical faculty who are already employed by GRU, it is unlikely that students in these programs will incur room and board costs. However, for enroll students who are not faculty employees of GRU, on campus housing information can be found here.

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BOOK and SUPPLIES

Costs for books and supplies for students enrolled in the CTS programs are typically $200-$300 per semester when enrolled in didactic coursework.

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PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

The program is intended primarily for GRU faculty members, but clinical fellows and senior residents are also encouraged to apply. In addition to meeting the College of Graduate Studies requirements for admission, the applicant must possess:

(1) a doctoral degree from an accredited school in the health/clinical sciences (e.g., M.D., D.O., PharmD., D.D.S., Ph.D.);

(2) a bachelor's or a master's degree in the health/clinical sciences from an accredited institution of higher education (e.g., B.S.N., M.H.S.) **and** a professional designation (e.g., R.N., P.T., O.T.).

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ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Throughout both the CCTS and MCTS programs, the trainee's Advisory Committee closely monitors the trainee’s progress. This Committee is composed of at least four members, including the trainee’s research mentor, co-mentor (if applicable), biostatistics mentor, and additional members, as appropriate. All members of the Advisory Committee must be members of the GRU Graduate Faculty.

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HOW TO APPLY

All applicants must apply to either the CCTS or MCTS programs through the GRU online application for Graduate Programs at GRU.

On-line Application for Graduate Programs at GRU

A complete application includes the GRU Graduate Programs Online Application forms plus the following supplemental materials:

• Identification of a research mentor PRIOR to applying to the program.
• A letter of support from the research mentor must be included with the application.
• A letter from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (usually, their department chair or division director), stating that the applicant will have protected time to attend classes and seminars, must be included with the application.
• One additional letter of recommendation.
• A personal statement giving reasons for wanting to enroll in the CTS program and a description of future career objectives must be submitted as the first step in the application procedure.
• Official transcripts from ALL previous institutions attended. If any official transcript is from an institution outside of the US, a credential evaluation AND a course-by-course evaluation must be submitted with an official transcript. Please see the following link for more information on the credential evaluation service providers http://www.gru.edu/Admissions
• Standardized test scores, if applicable.
• TOEFL scores, if applicable.

All materials must be received in the OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADMISSIONS no later than February 1 of the year the applicant intends to start the program. Failure to submit all application materials will delay admission to the program.

For individuals who already have earned a doctoral-level degree (or equivalent), the College of Graduate Studies application requirements related to submission of standardized test scores may be waived. However, all applicants to the CCTS and MCTS programs must still follow the standard application procedures and submit transcripts of all post-secondary work completed, as well as 3 letters of recommendation.

PLEASE NOTE: For an application to be complete, all materials must be received by February 1 of the year in which the applicant intends to start the program.

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PROGRAM CO-DIRECTORS

Jennifer L. Waller, PhD.
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs, Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Anthony L. Mulloy, Ph.D., D.O.
Associate Vice President for Clinical Research

Contact us for more information

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OCCUPTIONS

Students who graduate from the CTS programs can expect enhance their clinical health occupations by adding a research component to their chosen career pathway such as those below found at www.onetoonline.org

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ON-TIME COMPLETION RATES

The on-time completion rates for students enrolled in the CTS program is currently 83%.

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MEDIAN LOAN DEBT

No loan debt is expected for students enrolled in the CTS programs due to the type student typically enrolled in the programs.

College of Graduate Studies