• Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico, M.D., Program Director 
• Taro Hitosugi, Ph.D., Associate Program Director

Application

Candidates must complete a formal application. More details are available on the MCGSBS Master’s Programs web page. Additional details specific to the CTS Master’s Program can be found here. Applicants must be approved by the track program director and admission endorsed by MCGSBS. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be employed at Mayo Clinic.  The employment appointment, as documented at the time of application, must be greater in length than the time required for completion of all requirements of the program.  Eligible roles include: Any Mayo Clinic physician, scientist, fellow or resident with a doctoral degree in a discipline applicable to clinical research or medical student who plans to have a research career. Visiting clinicians, research trainees and research collaborators are not eligible.

Time Requirement

Applicants must have adequate protected time to complete course and research requirements within designated program length. Applications with inadequate protected time to complete the program will not be accepted. Time to completion can vary by program and Mayo Clinic role from two to five years.  All scholars must be in their program a minimum of 1 year in order to meet the MCGSBS residency requirement. Scholars must complete all program requirements within 5 years. 

Students must have dedicated time for their program commitments and abide by course attendance requirements as defined in course syllabi.  Students must be appropriately engaged in their program and demonstrate continued progress towards graduation. 

Registration Requirement 

At least 75% of the coursework for the Master’s degree must be completed in MCGSBS.  It is expected that a minimum of one year will be devoted to research.  Students must be enrolled in a minimum of one course per term. If students are not registered for courses, they will be considered inactive to some reporting agencies and subject to any implications of the inactive status, e.g. eligibility for student loan deferral if applicable.

Minimum Credit Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 45 credits, which can include a maximum of 16 Research credits. (See individual specialty track descriptions for specific course requirements.) 

Transfer Credits

A total of 6 didactic credits may be transferred into the program. For more details, see the Credit Transfer Policy on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.  

The Master’s degree track in Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics offers a Master’s degree within the Biomedical Sciences Program. This track is only open to residents and research fellows in the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. 

Course Requirements

The curriculum for the Basic Science Master’s degree consists of 45 credits, which can include a maximum of 16 Research credits.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MGS Requirements
Students are expected to complete 12 credits of introductory Biomedical Sciences courses chosen from the core curriculum. 1		12
Track Requirements
MPET 5900	Molecular Pharmacology and Receptor Signaling	3
MPET 5808	Introduction to Molecular Pharmacology	4
MPET 6805	Drug Metabolism and Pharmacogenomics	2
Track Tutorials
Select 3 credits or 2 courses of the following:		3
MPET 6400	Introduction to Principles of Pharmacokinetics
MPET 6655	Mechanisms of Cell Growth and Death
MPET 6811	Tutorial Cardiovascular Pharm.
MPET 6813	Tutorial in Systems Pharm.
MPET 6814	Cellular Pharmacology of Agents that Target Cancer
MPET 6815	Neurobehavioral Pharmacology
Advanced Coursework
Select any courses approved for graduate credit; select in consultation with your mentor.		2
Research
MGS 6100	Master's Thesis Proposal	3
MGS 6840	Master's Research (4 cr/qtr - 4 qtrs required)	16
Total Hours		45

¹

These 12 credits must include MGS 6000 Responsible Conduct of Research.

Research

Students will identify a research mentor on entry into the degree program. It is assumed that the equivalent of 12 months will be spent in full-time academic work, which will consist primarily of research, but will also involve advanced course work.