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College of Medicine

Department of Preventive Medicine

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Certificate in Clinical Research
Program

Program Chair: Andrew J. Bush, Ph.D.
Program Director: Pamela D. Connor, Ph.D.


Program inquiries: contact

The Certificate in Clinical Research program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center aims to enhance the education and skills of clinical researchers by offering online, introductory graduate courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical research design, ethics, and other disciplines related to the effective, efficient conduct of clinical research.

The 12-credit-hour nondegree program, leading to an awarded certificate, is designed primarily for junior faculty, fellows, and other healthcare professionals who are not in a degree program, who seek initial training in the methods and skills to conduct clinical research, but whose schedules may not accommodate traditional, classroom-based courses. The Certificate program will provide the following online courses:

Fall 2007 / Fall 2008

  • Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation (3 credit hours): BIOE 750
  • Biostatistics for Public Health (3 credit hours): BIOE 720 section 701

Spring 2008 / Spring 2009

  • Principles of Epidemiology (3 credit hours): BIOE 727
  • Ethical and Legal Issues in Clinical Research (3 credit hours): BIOE 740

These online, self-paced courses will be moderated by experienced research scholars and will be offered within the College of Graduate Health Sciences' academic-year schedule of fall and spring semesters. Not all courses will be offered every semester, so students may need at least two semesters to earn a certificate if they follow the recommended plan for two courses in the fall semester and two courses in the spring semester.

Estimated program tuition costs:
See http://www.utmem.edu/admiss/current_student_fees.pdf
Note: rates are subject to change without notice. Updates will be posted when available, but prospective students may want to check with the UTHSC cashier's office at http://www.utmem.edu/financeoper/cashier/ for more information about current UTHSC rates for tuition and fees.

Prospective students will apply to the Certificate in Clinical Research program for enrollment as nondegree students in the College of Graduate Health Sciences (CGHS). Students will be expected to comply with regulations and procedures of the CGHS and UT Health Science Center (UTHSC), including procedures for enrollment and course registration, arrangements for tuition and fees, and other expectations of students as indicated in the UTHSC General Catalog and CenterScope student handbook. Admission to the certificate program is not linked to admission in any other graduate program of the CGHS; if students wish to enroll in another graduate program, they must apply to it separately. Certificate program graduates who later seek admission to the Master of Science in Epidemiology program in the CGHS may request that credit from the certificate program apply toward credit in the electives component of the curriculum for the M.S. degree in epidemiology at UTHSC.

Application Process for Certificate in Clinical Research Program

Minimum Admission Requirements

This program is offered to qualified applicants holding baccalaureate, masters' or professional degrees in a variety of disciplines, including physical, biological, and social sciences, as well as the health and medical sciences. Applicants should meet the following requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited college or university;
  • Submission of a completed application form for this program (see link below);
  • Official academic transcripts from previous colleges or universities attended (applicants who have international transcripts must arrange for an independent educational-equivalency evaluation company to submit an evaluation of their international transcripts to this program at their own expense; the evaluation report should include the grade-point average based on a 4.0 scale);
  • Recommendations from two people qualified to affirm the applicant's capabilities for graduate academic work.

In addition, applicants should have sufficient computer literacy, English-language literacy, and technical skills to participate in web-based, graduate-level courses, use standard computer software for word-processing, data-processing, Internet browsing, e-mail handling, and related functions, and should have regular access to a computer with an Internet connection (a high-speed Internet connection is recommended).

How to Apply to This Program

  1. Complete the required application form for this program. The form is in a pdf file that you can download and print from this website: click HERE to view the form. (Note: To view pdf-formatted files, you will need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader software, which can be obtained from Adobe's website at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html.)

    In completing the application form, leave the "Approved by" lines blank at the bottom of the second page because the program will obtain the necessary signatures of department chair and academic dean. Mail the form to the following address:

    Elizabeth Webb, M.A., Coordinator
    Certificate in Clinical Research Program
    University of Tennessee Health Science Center
    Department of Preventive Medicine
    66 N. Pauline Street, Suite 633
    Memphis, TN 38163


  2. Arrange for official academic transcripts to be sent to the Certificate in Clinical Research Program office address, listed above, from previous colleges and universities that you have attended. If transcripts are international, applicants who supply foreign transcripts for the purpose of entry to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are required to submit their transcripts to an independent, educational-equivalency evaluation company at their own expense and must ask the company to submit an evaluation report, including the equivalent cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, to the Certificate Program address shown above. Examples of educational-equivalency evaluation companies include World Education Services (www.wes.org) and Educational Credit Evaluators (www.ece.org). Foreign transcripts must be evaluated for equivalency of college-level education in the United States. Transcripts from any non-U.S. institution must be verified and certified to generate a grade-point average (GPA).

  3. The application form includes an area in which you should list the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of two people who can be contacted to recommend you for this program.

  4. Meet the application deadline of May 2, 2008, to be considered for fall 2008 admission.

    Following the application deadline, the program's Admissions Committee will meet to review application files and to select candidates for a limited number of openings in the program. The Committee's selections must be further reviewed and approved by the Dean of the College of Graduate Health Sciences before applicants can be notified of decisions.

Graduate courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical research design, ethics, and other disciplines related to the effective, efficient conduct of clinical research are also offered by the Master of Science Program in Epidemiology at this university. For more information about the Master's Program, please click on the following link:

Master of Science Program in Epidemiology

Related links: