Clinical Research Graduate Programs

What is the Clinical Investigation and Translational Education (CITE) Program?

The Indiana CTSI’s Clinical Investigation and Translational Education (CITE) program provides degree opportunities for fellows, faculty and others with career interest in clinical and translational research.

Master of Science in Clinical Research

The Master of Science in Clinical Research degree is designed to prepare Indiana University health care professionals for careers in clinical research.
All eligible applicants must:

• Have a post-doctoral degree (MD, PhD, DNS, DDS) or be in training for a doctoral degree, and
• Be affiliated in some way (e.g., residents, fellows, faculty, research scientists) with Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI)

Potential applicants include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Fellows or other health care professional trainees who have substantial protected time for clinical research
• Junior faculty who have career awards or support from their division or department head for participation in the CITE program
• Other faculty members, who previously focused on basic research or other academic activities, but are now committed to pursuing clinical research

Mentorship component

Mentorship for a clinical research degree is an integral component of the Master of Science in Clinical Research program. We believe that the knowledge imparted through a formal curriculum is greatly enhanced by the practical skills attained in:

• designing a project,
• conducting various types of clinical research,
• collecting and analyzing data,
• presenting results at scientific meetings, and
• publishing research findings in a scientific journal.

For most participants, a mentor will be selected prior to enrollment, usually a faculty scientist from the enrollee’s own discipline and area of research interest. Together, the trainee and primary mentor will identify two faculty scientists to serve on an advisory committee, which meets five times during the trainee’s participation in the program. The advisory committee oversees the trainee’s progress, provides guidance and necessary support, evaluates the completion and quality of research and offers ongoing career advice.

Master’s Degree Sample Curriculum (two years)

Most or all of the courses will be offered on an annual basis. Generally, students will average six credit hours during both the fall and spring semesters and three credit hours during the summer semester. Most students complete their independent research during the two-year program.
The table below details a typical course sequence over a two-year period.

Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research

The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research is targeted at health care professionals who already have a doctoral degree (MD, PhD, DNS, DDS) or who are in training for a doctoral degree.
Most or all of the necessary courses will be offered on an annual basis. Generally, students will average six credit hours in both the fall and spring semesters and three credit hours in the summer semester. See the Master of Science in Clinical Research degree course list for information regarding core course selections. The certificate program requires 14 credit hours with a likely course sequence completed over a 12-18 month period.

Ph.D. Minor in Clinical Research

The 12-credit PhD Minor in Clinical Research is designed for a diverse clientele. The minor provides PhD students with an overview of clinical research by introducing them to core research concepts and skills, including clinical research methodology, clinical trials, research ethics and biostatistics. Additionally, each student will complete one elective relevant to their specific area of research interest. The Clinical Research Minor includes nine credit hours of core coursework (selected from the list below). This degree must also be approved by the minor program director in conjunction with the student’s PhD program advisor and must contain a three-credit-hour, graduate-level elective course relevant to the student’s clinical research interests.

Core coursework (choose nine credit hours):

• Clinical Research Methods (3 credit hours)
• Clinical Trials (3 credit hours)
• Research Ethics (3 credit hours)
• Introduction to Biostatistics I, or alternate biostatistics course (3 credit hours)

How to apply

All potential applicants must be pre-approved.

Please contact Patricia McGuire, MS at pcmcguir@iu.edu for information regarding the application process.