MSCI Curriculum

MSCI students must complete 10 credits to receive their degrees. These include five core credits, three elective credits, and two research project credits. Details, as well as information on our research project and independent study options, are listed below.

Core Curriculum

Course Listing and Name	Description	Credits	Term Offered	Instructor
MSCI 321 - Biostatistics for Clinical Investigators 1	This course focuses on applications and interpretations of the general linear model, including t-tests, regression and ANOVA. Additionally, logistic regression and other categorical data analysis techniques are explored. The use of R is a course requirement.	1.0	Fall TH 6:00- 9:00pm	Sanjib Basu
MSCI 322 - Introduction to Epidemiology	This course is an introduction to the field of epidemiology and its application. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of disease and determinants of disease in human populations. The most commonly used study designs in epidemiology are observational rather than experimental.	1.0	Winter W 5:30 - 8:30pm	Ravi Kalhan
MSCI 421 - Biostatistics for Clinical Investigators 2	This course builds upon the material learned in Intermediate Biostatistics. Specifically, this course will focus on model-building techniques, including linear regression, logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards regression, generalized estimating equations and other special topics. Prerequisites: MSCI 321 or PH 302 Introduction to Biostatistics.	1.0	Spring TH 6:00- 9:00pm	Sanjib Basu
MSCI 440 - Antiracist Strategies for Clinical and Translational Research	This course provides an overview of how racism, especially anti-Black racism, affects health and health care, focusing on avoiding scientific errors and the perpetuation of inequities in the design and conduct of clinical and translational research.	1.0	Summer M 5:30 - 8:30 pm	Susanna McColley and Nia J. Heard-Garris
MSCI 499 - Research Project:	Development and presentation of a research project while participating in the program. Students present a seminar on the project, prepare a grant application and submit a manuscript for publication.	2.0	-	-
*One of the following two courses (MSCI 445 OR MSCI 331)
*MSCI 311 - Clinical Research, Design, Methods, and Grant Writing	This multidisciplinary course will introduce MSCI students to scientific methods used for clinical translational research as well as provide a framework for the other courses required for completing the MSCI degree. The course will stress the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to solving clinical questions and will incorporate examples of research discoveries that were advanced through multidisciplinary collaborations.	1.0	Spring W 5:30 - 8:30 pm	Brian Hitsman
*MSCI 445 - Writing and Peer Reviewing for Publication	This is an intensive, hands-on, advanced course in writing for publication in biomedical journals and how to be a successful peer reviewer. The student will be expected to prepare an article, respond to two peer review cycles, and, at the conclusion of the course, to be ready to submit to a journal. Prerequisites: MSCI 321 Introduction to Biostatistics and PH 304 Introduction to Epidemiology.	1.0	Spring T 5:30 - 8:30 pm	Denise Drane

Research Projects

MSCI 499 - Research Project: Development and presentation of a research project while participating in the program. Students present a seminar on the project, prepare a grant application and submit a manuscript for publication.

Elective Curriculum

Three electives are required. Electives may be chosen from the offerings here or be selected from courses offered through The Graduate School (TGS). Typically, students who fulfill electives requirements through TGS choose courses in the Public Health program. Courses taken through TGS must be approved by the MSCI adviser.

See TGS course listings for more information about offerings outside MSCI.

Course Listing and Name	Description	Credits	Term Offered	Instructor
MSCI 350- Community Engagement	Explores the role of community engagement in clinical investigation, including its merits and challenges. Students learn the history and principles of community-engaged research (CER), including the philosophical orientations that underlie CER such as critical consciousness and feminism, its various manifestations as participatory/action research, its application through an array of community-based participatory methods and its delivery through community-academic partnerships.	1.0	Fall 2024, Wednesdays from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.	Gregory Phillips II, PhD, MS, and Pedro A. Serrano, MPH, CPH
MSCI 330: Electronic Health Record Data as a Foundation for Clinical Research	This course will introduce electronic health records as a data source, considerations for working with protected health information and integration of health record data with other data sources and will explore clinical and research applications of medical records and discuss methods and tools for data validation and analysis.	1.0	Fall Wednesdays from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.	Abel Kho
MSCI 335 - Clinical Trials	Students will learn the ethics, principles and conduct of clinical trials for medical research. The protection of study participants and the need for equipoise will be covered, including regulatory restrictions and the latest patient privacy regulations for the dissemination and use of data associated with the participants in clinical trials.	1.0	Winter T 5:30 - 8:30 pm	Anju Peters
MSCI 490 - Independent Research	MSCI 490 - Independent Research	MSCI 490 - Independent Research	MSCI 490 - Independent Research	MSCI 490 - Independent Research
MSCI 514- MSCI Concurrent Clinical and Research Responsibilities	MSCI -Specific Placeholder Course	0	All	Ravi Kalhan

Research Project

The MSCI research project serves as a capstone for the degree. Students enroll at or near the end of their coursework, so it signifies the culmination of a project that they have been working on throughout their time in the program. This is not a traditional classroom course but follows an independent study approach. Research must be data-driven and of publishable quality. Clinical case studies or IRB submissions are not acceptable. Submitting research for publication is a degree requirement.

The following requirements apply to the body of research tied to the research project. Each requirement is usually met by the time of enrollment in the course, though there is variability based on projects and graduation timelines. Please contact the MSCI administrator with questions.

Identified research mentor
One or more published manuscripts
Grant application
Abstract(s)/presentation(s) at regional or national meeting
One-page research proposal with two or more paragraphs addressing background/significance, followed by the aims for your research (download a sample proposal in Word).

Upon providing evidence of the requirements above and sending them to the MSCI administrator, the student should meet with Ravi Kalhan, MD, to discuss their research and obtain an enrollment permission number.

Accommodations for meeting research project requirements can be made for international students visiting Northwestern University on an individual basis.

Independent Study

The independent study course is a great way to move forward with a smaller, more compact research project that is distinct from your main body of work. All independent studies must be of quantitative and/or scientific merit with predefined hypotheses and measures. Suitable independent study items include literature reviews or papers of a data-driven nature. Clinical case studies or IRB submissions are not acceptable.

Your independent study proposal must be of publishable quality:

Sample one-credit project: Systematic Literature review that is at least 3,000 words, first-authored manuscript

To apply, you must:

Identify the project.
Make sure the scope is reasonable for a quarter of work.
Select goals and outcome measures (about three). Scientific objectives must be observable and quantifiable. Stating that one wishes to "learn about" a specific item will not meet enrollment qualifications.
Complete a one-page research proposal. Please include a couple of paragraphs that provide background and significance followed by what the aims of your independent study will be. View an example one-credit Independent Study Proposal.
Identify a mentor.

Once the above criteria has been met, send the MSCI administrator your proposal. He will then arrange a time for you to meet with the MSCI student adviser to discuss your project in greater detail. Upon approval of your project, you will need to request a permission number from the program administrator for registration purposes.