PhD in Clinical and Translational Science

The University requires the successful fulfillment of a minimum of 74 credits for awarding a PhD in Clinical and Translational Science.  To receive the PhD in Clinical and Translational Science, trainees must complete the Core Curriculum, Advanced “Selectives,” Research Specialization, completion and successful defense of a Comprehensive Examination, completion of the Doctoral Prospectus and defense of the Doctoral. A minimum “B” grade is required in all graduate courses.

Credit Requirements:

Core Curriculum Courses: Required courses include 19 credits of coursework, including: CLRES 2005 Computer methods for Clinical Research, CLRES 2010 Clinical Research Methods, CLRES 2020 Biostatistics, CLRES 2040 Measurement in Clinical Research, CLRES 2050 Ethics and Regulation of Clinical Research, CLRES 2071 and CLRES 2072 Research Design and Development Seminar (Parts I and II), 2 credits of coursework in Laboratory Methods and 2 credits of coursework in Translational Research.

Advanced “Selective” Courses: Advanced “Selective” courses focus on advancing methodological or analytic tops that will be most useful to the student’s chosen area of research. At least 6 credits must be in advanced analytic methods (i.e. statistics or epidemiology) and at least 4 credits must be in research methods (i.e. clinical trial design, imaging methodology, or pharmacogenomics)

Research Specialization Courses: Research Specialization courses focus on making the student flexible in selecting training experiences in areas specific to their research area. Research Specialization courses should total 24 credits, and may either be directed research credits or coursework selected by the student and mentor.

Comprehensive Examination: Individuals pursuing the PhD in Clinical and Translational Science are required to complete a Comprehensive exam. This exam consists of a written examination in the form of an NIH R01-style proposal (including, at a minimum, specific research aims, background and significance, and research methods) and an oral defense of the written portion.

Doctoral Prospectus and Dissertation: Individuals pursuing the PhD in Clinical and Translational Science must complete both a Doctoral Prospectus and successfully complete and defend a Doctoral Dissertation.

• Dissertation Prospectus Meeting – Individuals must prepare a dissertation proposal for presentation to a doctoral dissertation committee at a formal dissertation overview meeting. At this meeting, the dissertation committee members will provide guidance in shaping the conceptualization and methodology for the individual’s Doctoral Dissertation.
  
  
• Doctoral Dissertation – The proposal, writing, and defense of a culminating research project. The written work must conform to the University of Pittsburgh style manual (www.pitt.edu/~graduate/etd/formatguidelineshtml.html) The Final Oral Defense is a public defense of the Doctoral Dissertation. The entirety of the dissertation committee must be in attendance at the Final Oral Defense.