MS Clinical Research

The Case School of Dental Medicine, in collaboration with the School of Medicine, presents a dual-degree program made possible by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service (T32) Training Grant. The objective for the five-year joint DMD and Master in Clinical Research Training (DMD-MCRT) at the School of Dental Medicine is to train dental scholars for an academic career and for utilizing scientific advances to solve clinical problems. Part of this goal is training in clinical research so that the dental graduate may promote progress in biomedical research and develop innovative and effective strategies for the oral health needs of the population.CurriculumThe DMD curriculum consists of 141.5 credit hours and the MCRT curriculum consists of 36 credit hours. The MCRT curriculum consists of 15 graded hours of core curriculum, 6 graded hours of DMD coursework, 3-6 graded hours of elective course(s), participation in a seminar series, and 9-12 graded hours of research work culminating in a thesis project. Components of the dental curriculum are equivalent to clinical research material that is taught at the graduate level. Thus a total of 6 credits will be applied from the dental curriculum to the master s degree.A full year of research is a requirement. The student will be required to take one year off (either between the 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th DMD years or immediately after DMD completion) for fulfillment of the master's program. The one-year research training can also be accomplished in 2-3 month blocks between DMD years. A successful passing of the oral defense of the master s research thesis is also required.