Master of Science in Clinical Research: Content Specialization

Trainees pursuing the Master of Science in Clinical Research must choose a specialty track and may also choose to further focus their research by taking 6 credits of coursework for an optional content specialization and submitting a research paper in that area. Three content specializations are currently available:

Content Specialization in Healthcare Disparities and Underserved Community Research

This content specialization is designed to provide advanced training in health services research that focuses on underserved populations and healthcare disparities. Courses chosen from the following list will provide trainees with skills and analytic methods that are appropriate for disparities and community-based research and will help trainees identify and address problems facing underserved communities.

Required Courses
Course number Course title Credits Term
CLRES 2200 Introduction to Research on Disparities in Healthcare 2 Fall
MEDEDU 2240 Cultural Competence in Medical Education 1 Spring (Feb-Mar)
Suggested Elective Courses
Course number Course title Credits Term
CLRES 2100 Outcomes and Effectiveness Research Methods 2 Spring (Mar-Apr)
CLRES 2400 Qualitative Research Methods 1 Spring (Jan-Feb)
BCHS 2504 Overview of Health Communications 3 Fall
BCHS 2520 Theories of Health Behavior and Health Education 3 Fall
BCHS 2524 Overview of Minority Health and Health Disparities 3 Spring
BCHS 2526 Health Disparities Research: Methods and Interventions 3 Spring
BCHS 2528 Integrative Seminar in Minority Health and Health Disparities 1 Spring
BCHS 2559 Community Development Approaches to Public Health 3 Fall
BCHS 2568 Human Diversity and Public Health Policy, Research, and Practice 2 Summer
BCHS 2598 Social Inequities in Health 3 Summer
EPIDEM 2173 Culture Diversity in Epidemiological Research 2 Fall
EPIDEM 2400 Psychosocial Factors in Disease 2 Spring
EPIDEM 2710 Epidemiology of Women's Health 2 Spring
HPM 2065 Health Policy and Development 3 Spring
HPM 2072 Health Reform in the U.S.: Past, Present and Future 2 Spring
HPM 2130 Health Law and Ethics 2 Fall
HPM 2135 Health Policy 2 Fall
HPM 2142 Managing the Health Populations 3 Fall
LAW 5959 Global Health and Human Rights Seminar 3 Fall
SOC 2426 Historical/Sociological Perspectives in of Public Health 3 Spring
SOC 2429 Women in Society 3 Fall
SWINT 2096 Clinical Social Work with African-American Families 3 Spring
SWBEH 2008 Human Behavior: Urban Environment 3 Spring
SWCOSA 2087 Special Topics: Community-Based Participatory Research 1-3 Spring
SWWEL 2035 Global Perspectives in Social Work 3 Spring
SWWEL 2051 Economics and Social Work 3 Spring

Content Specialization in Palliative Care Research

This content specialization is designed to provide trainees with the following: didactic training in a broad spectrum of research methodologies, technologies, and tools; exposure to multidisciplinary research teams, hands-on mentored experience in conducting patient-oriented research; and the conceptual and writing skills necessary to submit competitive grant applications for successful, long-term patient-oriented research careers.

Required Courses
Course number Course title Credits Term
CLRES 2601 Principles and Practices in Palliative Care Part I 1 Fall
CLRES 2602 Principles and Practices in Palliative Care Part II 1 Spring
CLRES 2610 Research Methods in Palliative Care 1 Spring
Suggested Elective Courses
Course number Course title Credits Term
BCHS 3002 Health Survey Methods 3 Spring
BCHS 3007 Ethnographic and Qualitative Methods 3 Spring
BIOETH 2658 Philosophy of Medicine 3 Fall
BIOETH 2661 Theoretical Foundations 3 Fall
BIOETH 2664 Bioethics 3  
CLRES 2100 Outcomes and Effectiveness Research Methods 2 Spring (Mar-Apr)
CLRES 2120 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis 1 Fall (Sept)
CLRES 2121 Clinical Decision Analysis 1 Fall (Oct)
NUR 1829 Contemporary Issues in Cross-Cultural Care 3 Spring
NUR 2350 Crisis Intervention 3  
SOC 2406 Medical Sociology 3  
SOC 2426 Historical/Sociological Perspectives of Public Health 3 Spring

Content Specialization in Aging and Chronic Disease Research

This content specialization is designed to provide trainees with advanced knowledge and skills related to patient-oriented research on aging and chronic disease. Courses will address conceptual and pragmatic issues concerning research in populations of older patients who may have multiple disorders and functional limitations. Topics include how research is adapted to deal with special challenges of sampling, recruitment, retention, respondent medical burden, nonresponse, comorbidity, combined interventions, competing events, and analysis with censored data. Trainees will become familiar with research approaches in various settings (e.g., long-term care, home care, life care, rehabilitation, emergency services, hospitals, and intensive care units), the design and implementation of clinical trials in elderly populations, and the application of new diagnostic technology to problems of aging and chronic disease.

Required Courses
Course number Course title Credits Term
CLRES 2500 Introduction to Patient-Oriented Research in Aging and Chronic Disease 3 Fall (Sept-Dec)
CLRES 2510 Aging Research in Special Settings 1 Spring (Feb)
CLRES 2520 Special Issues in Clinical Trials in Older Populations 1 Spring (Apr-May)
CLRES 2530 New and Emerging Techniques in Research on Aging 1  
Suggested Elective Courses
Course number Course title Credits Term
BCHS 2532 Dimensions of Aging: Culture and Health 2 Spring
BCHS 2533 Issues in Long-Term Care Services 3  
EPIDEM 2150 Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases 2 Spring
EPIDEM 2171 Cancer Epidemiology 2 Summer (May-Jun)
EPIDEM 2900 Epidemiology of Aging 2 Spring
LAW 5347 Elderly and the Law 3 Spring
SWBEH 2077 Adult Development and Aging 3 Spring