Top 5 Online Master’s in Clinical Research of 2021

Grad School Hub’s 5 Best Online Masters’ in Clinical Research prepares graduates to conduct research studies that contribute to a healthy human race.

Successful clinical research requires scientific precision as well as a grasp of ethical and legal regulations. Clinical research education examines the many steps and details of a research study, from proposals to data management and beyond.

Curious what a master’s in clinical research will teach you? Clinical research is a field that involves patient-oriented medical research and clinical trials. The goal of clinical research is to improve public healthcare by conducting clinical trials and studies, testing drugs and equipment, developing health programs, writing research proposals, and completing other health and medicine-focused tasks. 

Clinical researchers generally work in office and laboratory environments. As part of their day to day tasks, researchers conduct investigations with the universal goal to improve human health. Typical duties may include creating and testing medtech devices, designing and conducting studies, preparing and analyzing samples, regulating drug processes, and writing proposals. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professionals in the field earned a median wage of about $91,510 per year as of 2020, and the field is expected to grow quickly. If you’re interested in a career in this field, you may want to start your research with a look at the best online master’s in clinical research programs.

The 5 Best Master’s in Clinical Research for 2021

What to Expect From an Online Master’s in Clinical Research

Before you apply for a clinical research master’s program, it’s important to understand just what you’re getting yourself into. 

In general, these programs often require about two years of coursework inorder to graduate. Luckily, many programs can be completed online and on a part-time basis. As a result, you can plan your education around your career and other activities. 

Most programs also offer a full-time option, which allows you to expedite the completion of your degree. Some master’s programs may also require a thesis or internship to graduate.

Admission Requirements for a Degree in Clinical Research

While admission requirements will vary from one school or program to the next, most have the same basic set of guidelines for being admitted to a clinical research master’s program. These include:

• A bachelor’s degree: No matter which school you apply to, you’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree to be admitted — preferably one in a related field.
• Minimum GPA: Most schools will expect applicants to have an undergraduate GPA of at least a 2.5 to 3.0 to qualify for admittance into the program.
• Professional experience: While the experience requirements vary from school to school, some programs require several years of professional experience before you’re eligible to apply.
• Letters of recommendation: When you apply for a clinical research master’s program, you’ll likely have to provide several professional letters of recommendation.
• Personal statement: Schools generally require that you submit a personal statement, in which you discuss your qualifications, professional goals, and why you’re applying to the program.
• Test scores: You may also have to take the GRE or GMAT to be admitted to a clinical research master’s program.
• Professional resume: Most schools ask that you submitted a resume or curriculum vitae that summarizes your academic and professional experience. 

Common Courses for an Online Master’s in Clinical Research

After you earn a master’s degree in clinical research, you’re likely to pursue a career focused on patient-oriented research in the medical field. As a result, many of the courses you take will reflect the skills necessary for those jobs. Some of the common courses in this master’s program include:

• Epidemiology: Epidemiology is the field of medicine that studies the distribution, determinants, and patterns of diseases. It’s an important part of public health and a central focus of clinical research.
• Designing Clinical Research: Many clinical research graduates go on to work in clinical studies. As a result, you must learn to design and manage clinical research in the field. You’ll also learn about what goes into an effective clinical trial.
• Data Management: In the clinical research field, you must learn to compile and maintain data. In a data management course, you’ll learn appropriate ways to collect data, as well as how to manage it.
• Statistical Analysis: One of the most important parts of a clinical trial is analyzing the results. For that, you’ll need training in statistical analysis.
• Ethics and Law: There’s plenty of ethics and policies that regulate the field of clinical research. It’s one of the topics you’ll learn about in your master’s program.