Master of Science – Mayo Employees  

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Sciences for Mayo employees is designed to develop the individual’s information base in a basic science field and to enable the individual to become competent in acquiring knowledge independently. This Master’s program emphasizes course work and a final project and does not include a research thesis.

The Master’s program provides the Mayo employee with an organized plan of study to enhance their professional development. The Master’s degree is the culmination of this educational program and documents the acquisition of a high level of knowledge in a particular area of science. 

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) – Employee-Professional Masters
• Biomedical Engineering and Physiology (BMEP) – Employee-Professional Masters
• Immunology (IMM) – Employee-Professional Masters
• Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (MPET) – Employee-Professional Masters
• Neuroscience (NSC) – Employee-Professional Masters
• Virology and Gene Therapy (VGT) - Employee-Professional Masters

Application

Candidates must complete an Employee Master’s Degree Application form. This form is available on the MCGSBS Master’s Programs intranet site. Supporting documents include transcripts from previous colleges and three letters of recommendation - one preferred from your direct supervisor/manager.  

Eligibility

Applicants must have a current Mayo Clinic appointment. Although more common for allied health staff, it is open to all employees.  Enrollment is restricted to permanent Mayo employees and is available at all three sites: Arizona, Florida, and Rochester. Temporary roles are not eligible if you were hired with an appointment end date, e.g. visiting clinicians and research trainees are not eligible.  

Applicants must have received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, must have taken appropriate undergraduate science courses to adequately prepare for the Master’s program, must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average that demonstrates a record of academic excellence. The employee's supervisor must endorse in writing the application of the employee and commit to allowing time to attend scheduled coursework.

Time Requirement

Time to completion can vary by student, but all requirements for the Master’s degree must be completed within five years. The five-year period begins on the start date of the term the student is appointed to. Permanent Mayo employees whose Mayo employment terminates are required to notify MCGSBS; their MCGSBS appointments will also end.

Registration Requirement 

At least 75% of the coursework for the Master’s degree must be completed in MCGSBS.

Minimum Credit Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 45 credits, including MGS 6000 Responsible Conduct of Research. Six of the credits in the track must be didactic credits. The selection of the courses to be used to meet these requirements will be determined by the student and the track program director.

Transfer Credits

A total of 9 didactic credits may be transferred into the Employee Master’s Program.  For more details, see the Credit Transfer Policy on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.  

Students are expected to make continuous and successful academic and professional progress toward graduation requirements for the M.S. degree. The concept of satisfactory progress mandates monitoring of a students’ academic and professional performance through items including, but not limited to:

• Register for at least one course all terms throughout training
• Complete Degree Planning Tool (DPT)
• Mentor Selection (required within 6 months of program start)
• Pass Written Qualifying Exam
• Advisory Committee Selection
• Final Oral Exam/Thesis Defense
• Meet any program specific competencies as defined by track

Full details are included in the Academic Progress and Graduation Requirements for Masters Programs Policy on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site. 

Minimum Grade Requirements

Students are expected to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in didactic course work. Students whose performance falls below this standard in a given quarter will be placed on academic probation, as described in the Deficiencies and Unsatisfactory Progress Policy and Warning, Probation, Dismissal and Appeal Policy outlined on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site. 

 Degree Planning Tool 

The use of a Degree Planning Tool (DPT) is required and allows students to list the course work to fulfill degree requirements, including transfer credits.  The DPT must be completed during the first academic year and should be updated as courses are completed throughout the training program.  A final completed DPT must be submitted to the school when a tentative defense date has been determined to be cleared to graduate.  The DPT is available on the MCGSBS intranet site under For Students/General Forms/Resources/Masters Forms. 

Mentor Selection

A Master’s degree mentor must be chosen from within Mayo Clinic and must have MCGSBS Full or Master’s graduate faculty privileges.  This must be completed within six months of start date.  A list of Faculty with Privileges can be found on the MCGSBS intranet site.

Written Qualifying Examination

The written qualifying examination will test the breadth of biomedical knowledge, and analytic and critical reasoning skills. The content and format of the examination is determined by each track.  The written qualifying examination must be passed before the Master’s final project review may be scheduled.

For more details, see the Written Qualifying Exam Procedure on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.

Employee Master’s Advisory Committee

The composition of the Master’s Advisory Committee  is determined collaboratively between student and student’s mentor and requires approval of the program director and the school.  The requested committee membership is submitted on the Employee Master’s Advisory Committee form available on the MCGSBS intranet site.  All members must have graduate faculty privileges and the chair must have a minimum of Master’s graduate faculty privileges.  The committee must consist of:

• Four members, including the student's mentor
• Mentor serves as the chair of the committee
• Any additional members beyond four will be designated as ex-officio and will have voting rights
• No more than two members may have Teaching/Examining Privileges (TE).

Some tracks may define more specific criteria.

Master's Project Review 

At the completion of the Master’s scholarly review article (final project), students must review their document with the Employee Master’s Advisory Committee. MCGSBS must be informed of the date at least three weeks in advance so that the Master’s Final Project Review Report Form can be sent to the Employee Master’s Advisory Committee chair. Members of the Employee Master’s Advisory Committee should receive copies of the scholarly review article (final project) at least three weeks prior to the final review.

Scholarly Review Article (Final Project) 

Master’s degree tracks will specify the requirements for a scholarly review article (final project) to be completed as a required component of the degree program. This scholarly review article (final project) needs to be under the supervision of a faculty member with graduate faculty privileges. The scholarly review article (final project) needs to be approved by the track Program Director.

Final Project Corrections

After the student has completed the final project presentation the student has no more than 30 days from the presentation date to complete all graduation requirements, including any requested corrections to the final project.

Cost

Mayo Clinic employees accepted into the Master’s program continue to receive the salary from their primary appointment and do not receive a stipend from MCGSBS. 

Program Fees are charged for many Master’s programs to cover administrative costs, due upon admission.  The cost is covered by Mayo Clinic funds, either by the candidate’s home department or lab.