Pre-Health Track
The Pre-Health Track prepares students for admission into graduate healthcare programs, including Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, physician assistant/associate programs, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and other healthcare professions.
Students combine graduate-level science coursework with research, clinical, community, public health, biotechnology, industry, and professional experiences through thesis, capstone, or related applied learning opportunities.
Students in the Pre-Health Track may choose from any of the six MS concentrations. Optional concentration pairings for students pursuing healthcare professions may include Clinical Research, Community Medicine, Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Translational Research, or Biotechnology, depending on the student’s interests and goals.
Pre-Health Entry Pathway
Direct Admission Into the MS Program
Students may apply directly to the MS in Applied Life Sciences and select the Pre-Health Track. Direct-admit MS students interested in PDEV 5400 Pre-Medical Professional Development may request permission from the course instructor. Enrollment is subject to instructor approval.
Admission Into PPC or PPA Followed by Transition into MS
Students admitted into the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate or Postbaccalaureate Pre-Physician Assistant Certificate programs may, with guidance from the PPC/PPA Program Director, transition into the MS Pre-Health Track. Students entering through this pathway retain access to PPC/PPA professional development opportunities, including PDEV 5400. Access to PDEV 5400 remains subject to current course eligibility and instructor approval.
Completion of PPC or PPA Followed by MS Enrollment
Students who complete the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate or Postbaccalaureate Pre-Physician Assistant Certificate program may subsequently enroll in the MS program to continue strengthening academic preparation and gain additional thesis, capstone, clinical, community, public health, research, or industry experience. Students entering through this pathway retain access to PPC/PPA professional development opportunities, including PDEV 5400. Access to PDEV 5400 remains subject to current course eligibility and instructor approval.
Research Track
The Research Track provides specialized training for students interested in pursuing doctoral degrees or research careers in biomedical, healthcare, translational, clinical, or related scientific fields. Students may enroll in independent research or study during the first year to acquire hands-on experience and build foundational research skills.
Students in the Research Track may choose from any of the six MS concentrations. Optional concentration pairings may include Clinical Research, Infectious Diseases, Translational Research, Biotechnology, Public Health, or Community Medicine, depending on the student’s research interests and goals.
Representative areas include biomedical research, translational research, infectious disease research, computational biology, neuroscience, clinical research, and academic research.
Industry Track
The Industry Track equips students with versatile skills for research and development in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, clinical research, regulatory, quality, and healthcare innovation sectors.
Students in the Industry Track may choose from any of the six MS concentrations based on their interests and professional goals. Optional concentration pairings may include Biotechnology, Clinical Research, Infectious Diseases, Translational Research, Public Health, or Community Medicine, depending on the student’s professional interests and goals.
Students pursuing the Biotechnology concentration within the Industry Track complete a Team Master’s Project as their capstone experience. Through the Team Master’s Project, students collaborate with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, medical device, and healthcare organizations to address real-world industry challenges.
Concentrations
Life sciences is a diverse field that connects healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, clinical research, public health, community medicine, translational science, infectious diseases, and industry. Students in any track may choose from any of the six concentrations based on their academic interests, professional goals, and planned thesis, capstone, or Team Master’s Project experience.
Biotechnology
Students pursuing the Biotechnology concentration within the Industry Track complete a Team Master’s Project as their capstone experience. The Team Master’s Project connects students with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, medical device, food technology, healthcare, and related organizations to address real-world industry challenges.
Through direct engagement with industry-sponsored projects, students gain practical experience in scientific analysis, product development, market assessment, technology evaluation, commercialization strategy, regulatory considerations, teamwork, communication, leadership, and project management.
Clinical Research
Prepares students for clinical research, patient outcomes research, healthcare delivery, clinical operations, clinical research coordination, and advanced healthcare pathways.
Community Medicine
Prepares students for community health, health equity, outreach, prevention, education, healthcare access, and work with underserved populations.
Infectious Diseases
Prepares students for infectious disease research, emerging pathogens, vaccine-related topics, public health applications, molecular analysis, and biomedical research.
Public Health
Prepares students for population health, prevention, health systems, public health research, health disparities, policy-related questions, and health equity initiatives.
Translational Research
Prepares students for laboratory, biomedical, therapeutic, computational, clinical, and translational research linking scientific discovery to health applications.