The UNC School of Medicine recently announced its new Masters of Science in Cell Biology and Physiology, with the program's first cohort set to begin coursework in the fall 2025 semester.
The nine month, 30 credit hour curriculum is planned to give graduate students an intensive research experience by dividing the nine months into blocks, covering different areas in biomedical science and human physiology.
According to the program's website, accepted students will gain hands-on laboratory experience and receive multidisciplinary mentorship.
Kathleen Caron, distinguished professor and department chair in the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, said that every morning, students in the program will attend courses that largely cover topics students may experience in the first year of medical school or a nursing curriculum.
“It's a really very deliberate focus on blending together research and how research then ties into medical care in the context of disease,” she said.
Caron said the program’s leadership is going to be intentional in matching students with scientists that share their scientific interests or career aspirations. In the afternoons, she said students will attend practicum — hands-on laboratory research — with the scientist they were paired with.
Additionally, students will attend a professional development course that covers interview and presentation skills, as well as a Care and Research Enhancement Seminar, which will be taught by academic and industry investigators.
Assistant Director of Research Communications and Media for the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology Tiffany Garbutt said the professional development course will allow students to preview some careers they can pursue with their degrees.
“It's kind of like, let's help you find what gives you energy, what makes you happy and let's try to best support you in that way, to get you to what you want to do with your scientific degree,” Garbutt said.
