The School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Graduate School of Nursing each fulfill the federal definition of a credit hour. Each school determines the appropriate number of credit hours for each course, consistent with the federal definition. Students must be enrolled for a minimum of nine credit hours each semester to be considered a fulltime student.

The programs within the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences train students in their selected specialty area and emphasize a broad background in the basic medical sciences, in preparation for research with direct relevance to human disease. 

Doctoral Degree Programs

Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology
Cancer Biology
Clinical & Population Health Research
Immunology & Microbiology
Interdisciplinary
MD/PhD
Millennium PhD
Neuroscience
Translational Science

Master of Science Degree Program

Clinical Investigation

Preparatory Programs 

Health Sciences Preparatory Program
Pathway to Graduate Study

Outreach Programs

Summer Undergraduate Research Program 
High School Health Careers Program
Summer Enrichment Program
Worcester Pipeline Collaborative

Program Review Procedures

GSBS Program Review.pdf

Program design varies by program. Please explore your program of interest to learn more about its structure.

All courses of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences are listed on the GSBS website. Alternatively, you can view courses offered within each program by exploring individual Programs of Study.

Degree and graduation requirements vary by program. Please explore your program of interest to learn more about its requirements. Additionally, you may review the Student Handbook.

In addition to the overarching learning objectives of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, each program has its own individualized objectives. To learn more about program objectives, explore your program of interest.

For more information about grading and assessment please refer to the Student Handbook under the section entitled, Classroom Courses, Research Courses and Grades. 

Students of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences are promoted as outlined by their particular program of study's requirements. For more information, please review schedule information for the program of your interest. More detailed information can be found the Student Handbook.

Students may participate in sample collection, training and research experiences, teaching opportunities and conference attendance at non-UMMS locations when approved by their thesis advisor and the GSBS dean.

Students may participate in sample collection, training and research experiences, teaching opportunities and conference attendance at non UMMS locations when approved by their Thesis Advisor and the GSBS Dean.

Doctoral students must accumulate 90 credits from classroom and research courses.

Students in the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation must accumulate 36 credits.

For more detail on required courses and program schedules, explore the program of your interest.