Graduate Degrees in Clinical Trial Management

<p>Both online and campus-based graduate certificate programs are available in clinical trial management. Master's degree programs are available in clinical trial sciences and clinical research management. To be eligible for one of these programs, you must have a bachelor's degree. Most schools require that the undergraduate degree is in nursing or in one of the sciences. For some of the certificates, you must be registered as a graduate student in the sciences, nursing or quality assurance and regulatory affairs. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td><b>Program Levels</b></td><td> Master's degree, graduate certificate (both available online)</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Skills Learned</b></td><td> Graduate certificate: Clinical trial management, statistical analysis, participant protection, drug testing and development, boundary creation for safety <br /> Master's degree: Drug and product development, clinical trial regulation, data handling, product promotion</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Possible Careers</b></td><td> Clinical development assistant, FDA agent, pharmaceutical researcher</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Median Salary (2020)</b></td><td> $85,290 (<i>for biological scientists, all other</i>)*</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Job Outlook (2019-2029)</b></td><td> 2% growth (<i>for biological scientists, all other</i>)*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---WhatWillILearnThroughAGraduateCertificateProgram">What Will I Learn Through a Graduate Certificate Program?</h3> <p>Through a graduate certificate program in clinical trial management, you'll study the drug regulations and clinical processes approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). This involves exploring methods for developing products and procedures for managing trials. Other courses deal with the regulation of medical and pharmaceutical products. You'll organize clinical research efforts and study techniques for structuring the clinical trials, including setting up a control group. Through these graduate certificates you should also learn to: </p> <ul><li>Manage clinical trials in an ethical manner </li><li>Test and study development of new drugs </li><li>Set up boundaries to protect and ensure the trial outcomes </li><li>Protect people participating in clinical trials </li><li>Apply statistics to analyze the results of the trial </li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatSkillsWillIAcquireThroughAMasterSDegree">What Skills Will I Acquire Through a Master's Degree?</h3> <p>As you would in a related graduate certificate program, you'll study FDA regulations in a master's degree program in clinical research management or clinical trial sciences. This involves setting up clinical trials and drug development in accordance with their rules. Other topics of study include international product development, regulations and testing. Some programs will have you studying laws and ethics in food and drug development as well as developing techniques for advertising and promoting the finished products. With this training, you should be able to do the following: </p> <ul><li>Correctly handle data related to trials </li><li>Keep up-to-date on trends in clinical research </li><li>Regulate clinical trials </li><li>Determine how much of a sample to use for product testing </li><li>Identify disease processes </li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatCareerOpportunitiesAreAvailable">What Career Opportunities Are Available?</h3> <p>With a graduate certificate or a master's degree in clinical trial management or clinical research, you could find a job with the FDA. You could work on the regulatory counsel, which involves developing and implementing statutes pertaining to human drug production and administration. You could also find careers in the pharmaceutical industry, researching and developing new drugs. Other possible careers include becoming a clinical development assistant or manager.</p>