Therapeutics Sciences I. Background and Overview of Program The MMSc in Therapeutics Sciences (MMSc TS) is a 64-credit, research-focused degree program. The MMSc TS program will train students to become professional experimentalists in drug discovery and pursue careers in for-profit and nonprofit institutions, such as pharmaceutical and biotech companies, academic labs, and research institutes, or further education in graduate and/or medical schools. The Program will provide its graduates with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to excel as laboratory research scientists in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, and assay development. Our students will learn to put their conceptual knowledge into practice by designing and conducting experiments, acquiring, analyzing, interpreting, and visualizing data, and communicating their scientific findings. Under the mentorship of a Harvard Medical School faculty member, students will complete an in-depth thesis research project over three semesters, while also developing professional skills needed to perform at a high level. Upon successful completion of the Program, students will be equipped with: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
A strong scienNfic background in biochemistry, enzymology, protein science, and molecular interacNons, especially as they relate to therapeuNc sciences Deep understanding of experimental design principles, including assay development, validaNon, and relevant technologies and instrumentaNon Data literacy, tools and strategies to evaluate the quality of datasets, generate testable hypotheses, and perform staNsNcal analyses Tools for searching, reading, and discussing scienNfic literature and extracNng relevant informaNon, methods, and protocols for experimental implementaNon Develop data visualizaNon, presentaNon and communicaNon skills to effecNvely prepare progress reports, protocols, execuNve summaries, and manuscripts Professional skills, including Nme, project and people management, teamwork, collaboraNon, and networking Proficiency in rigorous, reproducible, and responsible conduct of research, accurate record-keeping, and the use of electronic laboratory notebooks Experience in conducNng independent research, including assembling a final thesis and presenNng key findings in a public forum
The MMSc TS curriculum is listed in section V below. II.
Degree(s) Offered
The Master of Medical Science in Therapeutic Sciences is a 64-credit full-time program to be completed in person. See Section 2.06 for definitions of full-time. III.
Prerequisites for Admission