What Alumni Have To Say About The Program:

1. Why did you choose this program?

"I thought it would provide me with knowledge that would allow me to assist investigators at my institution, design studies, submit grant applications, analyze data, and submit manuscripts."

"I wanted to develop skills to be an independent PI."

"To improve my competitiveness for grants and improve my authorship skills."

"Enhance research activity"

"I really wanted to move away from laboratory work."

"To systematically learn how to do clinical research. To find a way to use research to get answers to the questions I had."

"I conduct pre-clinical research and wanted to transition into the clinical arena. The MAS-Clinical program gave me a strong foundation with which to make this transition as well as gave me a more comprehensive knowledge of how pre-clinical research correlates with the investigation of clinical drug candidates."

"I wanted to help bridge the gap between basic science and what was going on in the clinic. I was first interested in the MD/PhD, but I soon realized that I could achieve my goal by doing clinical research/translational research."

"To open up more career options."

"It's what I wanted to do (and am doing), clinical research."

"Improve clinical research skills."

"I intended to be a clinical/educational researcher in my academic career."

"Career opportunity"

"I wanted to receive formal training on designing and conducting clinical trials. I also thought my career could benefit from meeting the professors and other MAS candidates for future networking opportunities."

"I wanted to explore and learn more about the clinical field. It really appealed to me."

"It is more practical than an MPH. I see many people with an MPH not using them for anything."

"I felt that the MAS degree would expand my abilities within my current job as well as provide me with new opportunities outside my current role."

"I wanted a practical degree."

 

2. What are some of the best types of jobs for graduates of the program?

 

Clinical Research Associate

Clinical Monitor

Senior Research Associate

Clinical Department or Project Manager

Scientist

Application of clinical research skills as a translational researcher/academic

 

Some career paths of graduates:

Pharmacist Specialist to Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy

Med school student to Medical resident

Research Associate III to QC Scientist

Medical adviser in a pharmaceutical company to a PhD student

Resident to Fellow to Associate Professor to Assistant Professor

IT Manager and Research to VP Engineering

HIV Product Manager (sales and marketing) to Clinical Trial Assistant

ICU RN to Nursing Education

 

3. What did you like best about the program and how has it helped you in your career?

"The program covers a broad array of research related topics. This makes the program extremely helpful for clinicians who want to combine clinical practice with research."

"The MAS program helped my career transition from laboratory work to a quality based career in the pharmaceutical industry."

"This program really opened up my career. Not only techniques to do research but also passions and missions that we learned in the courses. I also made life-long friends."

"Opportunities to work through the process of developing a clinical research project was extremely beneficial."

"The core curriculum was outstanding. I learned a great deal about disease and illness in general from the epidemiology series. I gained deeper insight into the ethical considerations surrounding the treatment of human subjects in patient oriented research. In the biostatistics series I learned how valuable a tool statistical significance is and how important it is to use it correctly."

"I thought my interaction with the faculty and other students was invaluable. Every time I went to class, I learned more about myself and was challenged. I love to be challenged, so I honestly loved going to class."

"I found the ISP process to be the most beneficial. I appreciated the extra guidance and input and especially the encouragement that my mentor gave me."

"The ethics content of the program has enabled me to better deal with investigators when there are sticky issues. I am better able to identify potential conflicts of interest. I have used what I learned about designing data collection forms a lot, and my professor's frequent advice to back up data has paid off numerous times."

"The program helped me make a career change from Pharmaceutical sales to research which is much more interesting to me. "

"I am confident in guiding PIs in GCP guidelines, educating study team members, and ensuring proper conduct of clinical research. I feel I have an overall idea about research in a Healthcare Organization and therefore able to give my inputs at every phase, from its inception to completion."

"My job is centered around clinical research. The MAS was a perfect fit and provided a jump start for me (years worth of experience achieved in a small number of courses.)"

"It gave me a thorough understanding of the clinical research process, which gave me valuable knowledge for many different roles within the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, it would provide additional opportunities should I choose to return to clinical practice."

"I now know that I want to be a part of clinical research, not basic science. It helped me figure out my career goals."

"A masters degree was required for my current job. The ability to write project proposals and grants is important to my job."