About Our Curriculum
Our Biomedical Sciences – MS curriculum at Rutgers University School of Graduate Studies is rigorous, having been pulled directly from our medical school courses and taught by our esteemed faculty. This will allow students to demonstrate their ability to handle medical school coursework while benefiting from additional knowledge acquisition that will assist in the transition to a full medical school curriculum.
- 30 credits are required to graduate
- 24 credits Didactive courses + 6 credits Research course
- Didactive courses consist of 6 required core courses and 2 electives
- 3 required core courses are offered each semester
- One elective can be taken each semester
- Research courses consists of 6 credits of the Capstone Project I&II (MBS) or 6 credits of the Master's Thesis Research (MSBS)
- MSBS students are also required to take a 1 credit Ethics elective
All the course materials are "Property of MBS course directors and should NOT be publicly posted or distributed, unauthorized upload of an instructor’s and/or students created documents could violate the University Integrity Policy and subject the student to disciplinary action."
| Fall Required Courses | Course Number | Credits |
| Cellular Structure and Function | MSBS 5065S | 3 |
| Medical Biochemistry | MSBS 5020S | 3 |
| Physiological Basis of Disease | MSBS 5025S | 3 |
| Capstone Project 1 | MBS 5040S | 3 |
| Capstone Project 2 | MBS 5041S | 3 |
| Masters Thesis Research | MBS 5000S | 3 |
| Fall Electives | ||
| Clinical Drug Development | MSBS 5120S | 2 |
| Effective Communication | MSBS 5145S | 2 |
| Humanism and Medicine | MSBS 5015S | 2 Not offered Fall 2024 |
| Neurobiology of Addiction | MSBS 5135S | 2 Not offered Fall 2024 |
| From Neurons to Neighborhoods | MSBS 5095S | 2 |
| Behavioral Science | MSBS 5070S | 3 |
| Primer on Global Health | MSBS 5080S | 2 |
| Regenerative Medicine | MSBS 5085S | 2 |
| Environmental Health | MSBS 5050S | 3 |
*The Capstone Project is a total of six credit hours of one-on-one or small group instruction in an area of clinical or research interest, chosen by the student. No thesis is required.
** Masters Thesis Research Project is a total of six credit hours of thesis work and a one-credit Ethics course offered in the spring semester required for the MSBS students.
| Spring Required Courses | Course Number | Credits |
| Gross Anatomy | MBS 5010S | 4 |
| Microbiology & Immunology | MBS 5055S | 3 |
| Pharmacotherapeutics | MBS 5045S | 3 |
| Capstone Project 1 | MBS 5040S | 3 |
| Capstone Project 2 | MBS 5041S | 3 |
| Masters Thesis Research | MBS 5000S | 3 |
| Spring Electives | ||
| Behavioral Science | MSBS 5070S | 3 Not offered Spring 2024 |
| Biomedical Aspects of Aging | MSBS 5140S | 3 |
| Clinical Pharmacology Small Group | MSBS 5620S | 3 |
| Embryology | MSBS 5075S | 3 Not offered Spring 2024 |
| Environmental Health | MSBS 5050S | 3 |
| Human Physiology in Medicine | MSBS 5081S | 3 |
| Neuroscience | MSBS 5060S | 3 |
| Neurobiology of Addiction | MSBS 5135S | 2 |
| Regenerative Medicine | MSBS 5085S | 2 |
| Statistics in Biomedical Science | CTSC 5103S | 3 |
| Clinical Trials Design | CTSC 5102S | 3 |
*The Capstone Project is a total of six credit hours of one-on-one or small group instruction in an area of clinical or research interest, chosen by the student. No thesis is required.
** Masters Thesis Research Project is a total of six credit hours of thesis work and a one-credit Ethics course offered in the spring semester required for the MSBS students.
Withdrawal Policy
Students submitting a completed withdrawal form within 10 days of the start of the course will receive a full-tuition refund and the course will not appear on their official transcript.
Students withdrawing from a course between 11 – 15 academic days after the course begins will receive an 80% tuition refund. No tuition will be refunded beyond 15 academic days after the course has begun. Withdrawals beyond 10 days after the course begins will be noted as "W" on the official transcript.
Withdrawals generally will NOT be granted during the final third of a course.
Note: The SGS will not confer a grade of WF at any time, so withdrawal past the deadline will result in a failing grade.
Maximum Credit Allowance:
Graduation from the MSBS or MBS Program requires the completion of 30 credits with a grade point average of 3.0 (B-average) or better. When necessary to complete the Master's degree requirements, a student may be eligible to complete up to a maximum of 36 credits. To register for courses exceeding a total of 30 credits requires permission from the Program Directors. If a student attempts to complete more than 36 credits, the student will be required to drop or withdraw from those courses added without permission.