Biomedical Sciences (MS)

Admissions

Admissions Criteria:

• The BMP welcomes candidates who are U.S. Citizens, non-citizen nationals, or lawfully admitted permanent residents of the U.S., or individuals who already hold a J-1, H1-B, or F1 transfer visa.
• The program is designed for applicants with long-term goals of entering careers in the health sciences, particularly by successful application to MD, DMD, and PhD degree programs.
• Candidates must have distinguished personal qualifications of past academic ability, research efforts or publications, and references. Application requirements include a bachelor’s degree with a 3.2 or better GPA and completion of courses required for application to a professional degree program. MCAT, DAT, PCAT, or GRE scores will be considered as well in the prioritization process. Candidates with community service, physician or dentist shadowing, patient volunteering, clinical or basic research  experiences will be viewed very favorably.
• Applicants who are citizens of countries where English is not the official language (and the Province of Quebec in Canada) are required to submit evidence of English Language proficiency by submitting the official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A minimum TOEFL score of 600 (paper) or 100 (iBT), or IELTS score of at least 7.00 is required for admission to the Program. We actively seek qualified applicants from underrepresented minorities and students with disabilities.

Application Process:

• The online application process starts October 1st and closes on June 1st the following year. Admissions is conducted on a rolling basis until the class is full, or the final responses deadline of June 15th, whichever is first. Students matriculate for the beginning of the fall semesters. A strong focus on promoting diversity of successful applicants will be employed in the admissions process.
• Admissions are based upon the student’s academic record, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, previous professional or research experience, written statement of interest, and a personal online interview.
• The online application is available at: https://admissions.gradbiomed.pitt.edu

Financial Assistance

Financial guidance is available through the University of Pittsburgh Office of Admissions and Financial Aid: http://oafa.pitt.edu/learn-about-aid/.  All students are responsible for their own tuition.

Degree Requirements

All requirements detailed in the Regulations Governing Graduate Study at the University of Pittsburgh will be met.  The MS in Biomedical Sciences requires the completion of a minimum of 32 credits with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Maximum credits allowed per term will be 15, and a typical course load will be 12-15 credits for the fall and spring terms and 6-8 credits for the summer term.

Foundational Components:

The Curriculum.  The BMP employs science-based instruction designed to improve student preparation for professional degree programs in medicine, dentistry, research, and is appropriate for students seeking a career in related health sciences.  The BMP, by emphasizing understanding and how to think in addition to what to know, promotes the development of study habits that enable our students to excel and thrive in the first two years of these demanding professional degree programs.  These goals will be achieved through an integrated series of required core courses and elective courses and experiential training opportunities together with dedicated one-on-one advising and mentorship that will enable students to successfully apply to and perform well in his or her chosen professional school.

Experiential Training.  The BMP affords opportunities for experiential training specifically tailored to the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student.  The areas selected correspond to the typical aspects considered in the review of standard professional school applications: community service, patient volunteering, physician or dentist shadowing, and research training.

Mentoring.  The BMP provides a three tiered mentoring model to all students.  Each student will initially meet with their assigned advisor during the initial phase of the program in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of the previous training received by the student.  The student and advisor will prepare a preliminary set of career goals, identifying areas that require special attention for success in medical school.  Periodic assessments of each student’s progress towards these goals will follow.  Each student receives mentorship through the career development coursework in the BMP. This includes group and one-on-one mentoring facilitated by the course instructor, and takes place in the classroom and in one-on-one environments. Each student receives access to an International Coaching Federation career coach. This provides further personal and professional development. The students will also receive mentoring during the preparation of applications to professional and graduate schools, emphasizing standardized test preparation, personal statement writing, identifying most meaningful experiences, and honing interviewing skills.

Expanding on these three components, the BMP enables the student to differentiate with elective courses, experiential opportunities and mentoring to focus on specialized interests. These Areas of Concentration (AOCs) are in Medicine, Dentistry, or Biomedical Research. The AOCs are designed to individualize the program for students seeking future professional programs leading to the MD, DMD, or PhD degree, respectively.

Successful completion of the BMP results in conferral by the University of Pittsburgh of the Master of Science (MS) degree in the major of Biomedical Sciences. The BMP can be completed in one year or in a more flexible two-year option, but must be completed within two years.
 

Curriculum

The BMP curriculum includes three major components: core, electives, and experiential activities.  A common “core” has been designed to provide the foundational sciences for students who have a minimal level of basic science training as well as advanced education in health science thinking skills to serve students well into the first two years of professional degree programs.  These courses are complemented by electives and experiential activities that are chosen on the basis of each student’s interests in his/her AOC.

Core Courses: Biochemistry and Physiology; Cell Biology Pathways in the Treatment of Disease; Method and Logic in Biomedicine; Cell Signaling and Pharmacology; Comprehensive Analysis of Disease; Foundations of Successful Career Planning and Development 1 and 2, Professionalism and Non-cognitive Development 1 and 2.

Elective Courses: Human Anatomy; Histology and Cell Function in Health and Disease;  Cell Biology Pathways in Treatment of Disease; Organ Systems Physiology.

Additional Elective Courses: Additional courses are available through the School of Medicine Molecular Pharmacology and Cell Biology & Molecular Physiology Graduate Programs, and the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Experiential Courses: The BMP will provide ample pre-clinical opportunities in community service, hospital volunteering, and physician shadowing.  Available opportunities are matched each term to optimize the experiential benefit for all students during their tenure in the program.  Research training experiences are also available in a wide range of biomedical and clinical research laboratories.  Students are expected to take the initiative, guided by their faculty advisor, to find suitable matches and schedule experiential education and training sessions during the Fall, Spring, and/or Summer terms.

Training in Ethics: Ethical conduct and scientific integrity is an essential aspect of the health sciences. The BMP program instructs students on the significance and practice of ethical conduct in an annual workshop.

Academic Standards

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.  In addition, a minimum of a B grade must be earned in each of the required courses and in each of the program core courses.