Clinical Scientist Training Program Requirements

All students must annually submit an updated biosketch of grant submission and awards, and submitted and published manuscripts generated as a result of participation in the program.

Credits
Baylor College of Medicine requires 180 term-hours of credit. The hours are made up of formal course credits, together with research time. Students earn 12 hours of credit per term and there are 5 terms per academic year. Included in the 180 credit hours are the 30 hours of required, selective, and elective graded courses.

CSTP requirements include writing and submitting a K23 or other career development grant proposal.

Qualifying Examination and Research
The purpose of the Qualifying Examination (QE) is to determine the student's ability to identify a significant and testable research question, design and prepare a research proposal outlining the goals, knowledge gap, experimental and alternative approaches, and to orally defend the written research proposal. The student will be examined for general and specific knowledge covered by the coursework and in the field of study to determine, in part, eligibility for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.

The QE format is the presentation and defense of a proposed thesis project in clinical research, including clinical trials, health services research, or translational research. The Qualifying Examination Committee will understand that the proposed aims could change as the student’s thesis project proceeds. Hence, the significance, feasibility, creativity and rationality of the research design and relationship of the proposal to the literature will be important criteria for evaluation in the Qualifying Examination outcome.

After passing the qualifying exam and obtaining the 30 didactic credit hours, the student is "admitted to candidacy" for the degree. This means that the student is focused fully on research to complete their proposed project.

Thesis
Students must submit a thesis, which may be constructed from their unpublished, published and submitted manuscripts (in accordance with Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences policies), with appropriate introduction and concluding sections, to the Thesis Advisory Committee. The CSTP program will recommend all students who are successful in defending their thesis to the GSBS to be conferred the Ph.D. degree.

Credits
Baylor College of Medicine requires 84 term-hours of credit. The hours are made up of formal course credits, together with research time. Students earn 12 hours of credit per term and there are 5 terms per academic year. Included in the 84 credit hours are the 30 hours of required, selective, and elective graded courses.

Grant Proposal
Students write a K23 or similar career development grant proposal during the CICS course series.

Quantifying Progress Review
The goal of the Quantifying Progress Review (QPR) is to determine the student's progress in acquiring an ability to identify a significant and testable research question, design and prepare a research proposal outlining the goals, knowledge gap, experimental and alternative approaches, and to orally present the written research proposal.

The trainee will present their proposed research, which was developed during the first year of the program . The trainee is expected to answer questions and defend his or her research, focusing on the broad understanding and specific knowledge in the field of study and from the courses taken. The review is usually conducted at the start of the second year after enrollment in the CSTP. After completing the QPR, the review the student is ready to complete the research as the foundation for writing a thesis.

Thesis
Students must submit a thesis, which may be constructed from the student's unpublished, published and submitted manuscripts (in accordance with Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences policies), with appropriate introduction and concluding sections, to their thesis advisory committee.

Courses
Students complete seven required courses: the Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation (FCI), Responsible Conduct of Research for the Clinical Investigator (RCRCI), and the Clinical Investigation for the Career Scientist (CICS) 5-course series.

Grant Proposal
Students must write a K23 or similar career development grant proposal as part of the requirement for the CICS course.