Program Requirements
- Overview
- Seminars
- Coursework
- Mentored Clinical Research
- Thesis or Substantive Research Project
- Summary of Program Requirements
Overview
The CSTP requirements include mandatory seminar and workshop attendance, maintenance of a B average in coursework for the Master of Science (MS) or Certificate in Clinical Research, including a B or higher in all required courses, and completion of mentored clinical research with an NIH-funded University of Pittsburgh investigator. Certificate students' clinical research must produce one first-author manuscript prepared for peer-reviewed journals. MS students' research must produce a thesis or substantive research project. All research products and progress reports should be warehoused in the Zone, in compliance with scholarly project and CSTP requirements. Formal CSTP performance reviews will be conducted annually.
Seminars
MS-I
- CLRES 2073: An Orientation to Mentored Clinical Research: Medical Student Introductory Seminar. This seminar meets once a month and provides an overview of clinical research. CLRES 2073 includes some activities outside of class, such as certification in research integrity, human subjects research, conflict of interest, and HIPAA researcher privacy requirements (click here to complete research and practice fundamentals modules) and an institutional review board (IRB) practicum. Full (100%) attendance is expected. Students whose attendance falls below 66.7% will lose their CSTP scholarship.
- CLRES 2074: Seminar for Understanding Principles and Practices of Research Techniques (SUPPORT): Medical Student Longitudinal Seminar. This seminar meets at least three times a month and provides each CSTP student with the opportunity to present his or her research in progress. The student's research mentor is expected to attend each of the student's presentations. Full (100%) attendance is expected. Students whose attendance falls below 66.7% will lose their CSTP scholarship.
- Survival Skills and Ethics Workshops. Students should register for 1 Saturday workshop (register for workshops here).
- Mentor-Mentee Workshop.
MS-II
- CLRES 2074. Full (100%) attendance is expected. Students whose attendance falls below 66.7% will lose their CSTP scholarship.
- Survival Skills and Ethics Workshops. Students should register for 1 Saturday workshop (register for workshops here).
MS-III
- No required CSTP seminars.
CSTP Research Year
- CLRES 2074. Full (100%) attendance is expected. Students whose attendance falls below 66.7% will lose their CSTP scholarship.
- Office of Academic Career Development Workshops. Students should register for 2 workshops (click here to register for workshops).
MS-IV
- CLRES 2074. Attendance required during elective research months.
Coursework
All students in the CSTP complete the core curriculum. Certificate students take an additional 4 units of elective coursework that can be drawn from any of the approved courses. MS students take an additional 19 units, including required and elective courses in their chosen specialty track and mentored thesis research units, as described here.
Mentored Clinical Research
Students must identify their clinical research mentor by the end of February of the MS-I year, in time to apply to the Dean's Summer Research Program for stipend support (apply through the Zone). All students are required to do clinical research during the summer between MS-I and MS-II and during the CSTP year. Approved mentors must have current NIH funding and be willing to sign a mentoring contract.
Thesis or Substantive Research Project
Certificate students must produce one first-author manuscript prepared for peer-reviewed journals. MS students must defend a formal thesis, which most commonly takes the form of two first-author manuscripts prepared for peer-reviewed journals. CSTP students typically defend their MS thesis no later than February of MS-IV. For more information about the thesis or substantive research project, click here.
Summary of Program Requirements
To download the PDF version, click here.
