Biomedical Research (MS)

A flexible program designed to improve students’ academic foundation in the biomedical sciences.

Biomedical Research (BMR) offers a Master of Science and is designed for students with high academic credentials, but insufficient research experience to be competitive for PhD programs or MS-level academia or industry jobs.

It is not uncommon for students to be unsure about committing to a PhD career without prior lab experience, or to realize that they have a passion for research late in their undergraduate career. Additionally, some colleges and universities have limited resources for students to gain lab-based research experience. That experience is critical to pursue a research career, and doctoral research programs typically consider “strong prior research experience” as one of the primary indicators of subsequent success in PhD programs. Students may also wish to obtain a MS degree to increase their education in the biomedical sciences and improve their marketability for industry research positions.

If you’ve discovered your passion for research late in your undergraduate timeline, if you are unsure about committing to a PhD program without much prior research experience, or if your undergraduate institution lacks adequate opportunities to gain the research experience essential to be a competitive applicant to PhD programs or to secure an industry job, Wake Forest offers this MS degree program, designed to help you bridge this specific gap.

Upon completion of the BMR MS degree, you’ll be a more competitive candidate for biomedical PhD programs or employment opportunities that draw on the depth in the biomedical sciences that you’ll acquire through the program.

Consider some key features of the program:

Core curriculum that mirrors significant proportions of the first-year coursework in biomedical PhD programs
Two primary content area emphases: molecular/cellular or organs/systems/behavioral
Two degree options (Thesis and Research Internship), with plans of study aligned to your long-term goals
Opportunities to develop close relationships with Wake Forest University School of Medicine-based research faculty
Possibility for off-cycle admission into a Wake Forest biomedical PhD program, for those gaining acceptance and remaining in the same laboratory in which the MS was completed

The program’s primary location in Innovation Quarter, alongside the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, draws on research environments in Biotech Place, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 525@Vine, One Technology Place, and Piedmont Triad Community Research Center. In addition, you may join research groups at the Clarkson campus.

Recent graduates of the MS program have enrolled, and successfully completed PhDs, in Wake Forest biomedical programs, including Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Cancer Biology, Integrative Physiology & Pharmacology, and Molecular Medicine & Translational Science. Others have joined PhD programs at other universities.

Recent graduates choosing to pursue employment have secured positions in a variety of roles at companies like BioLegend, BlueSphere Bio, Curative, KBI Biopharma, LabCorp, Pfizer, PRA Health Sciences, Q2 Solutions, Resilience, Syneos Health, and Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Medical Research, Precision for Medicine to name just a few.

Admissions

Our program invites domestic and international applicants who have completed, or are scheduled to complete, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution based in the United States. The program is open to all applicants meeting this criteria. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds, including students that the National Institutes of Health defines as under-represented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields or medical practice.

Our process for application reviews is holistic, designed to evaluate your full potential. For example, students with less competitive GPAs (e.g., <3.0) are encouraged to describe any special circumstances that may have contributed to their lower grades. Since we target applicants with little to no research experience, prior research experience is not a requirement. Our goal is to identify candidates that, through the completion of our program, can successfully gain admission to a PhD program of their choice, or secure employment in an entry-level, biomedical science-related career. The program allows enrollment in the fall term.

The written Personal Statement of the application includes three prompts, all of which should be answered:

Why you feel that Biomedical Research is the appropriate program for you
A key example of your intellectual curiosity in action
A description of your plans and goals after finishing the degree

Students should plan for 3-6 academic terms of enrollment, with variability dependent on the degree option selected and, in the case of the Thesis plan, the completion of satisfactory thesis research.

Competitive Applicants

While there are no application minimums for review by the program, competitive applicants generally have many of the following attributes:

An overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above
An undergraduate science GPA of 3.0 or above
If taken, a GRE (combined verbal/quantitative) score >300
Strong letters of recommendation
A Personal Statement that addresses all prompts and reflects a strong desire to pursue one of the program’s outcomes

Curriculum

In general, the program’s curriculum is designed to aid students that have previously completed foundational coursework in the biological sciences, but desire or need an opportunity to expand their knowledge base through practical, hands-on research. The research experience you’ll gain at Wake Forest will be enhanced through formal coursework in the biomedical sciences, including molecular & cellular biology, organs and systems, behavior, and journal clubs, as driven by your specific interests. Students typically complete the program in one to two calendar years, reliant on the student’s chosen plan of study.

What makes our curriculum special?

Consider some of the key attributes that help our program stand apart from others:

All coursework taught by biomedical research faculty of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, all of whom also teach and mentor students in the PhD curriculum
Two degree options that offer you the flexibility to customize your degree to your desired outcome:

Assistance arranging industry internships for those selecting the Internship degree option
Research assistant positions in academia or accelerated pathway to the PhD for those who complete a thesis and are accepted to a biomedical PhD program at Wake Forest

Curriculum Requirements

A specific curriculum will be recommended to students, but students have flexibility to modify their plan of study and add electives that will enhance their opportunities. Graduation from the program requires formal training in ethics and a cumulative 3.0 GPA across all Wake Forest coursework. Finally, successful completion of the program requires students to complete the requirements for one of the two degree options (Thesis or Research Internship) offered by the program.

For those students in the Thesis track, they will select the laboratory of their choice among research faculty, who are also involved with numerous PhD programs (e.g., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Molecular Medicine and Translational Sciences, Microbiology and Immunology, Translational Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine) to complete their thesis. Students will write and defend their thesis before a committee of faculty to obtain the MS degree.

For the Internship track, students complete all of the required coursework in the Fall and Spring terms, and work with the Internship Director during that time to identify an internship that meets the student’s expectations. During the summer term, students work entirely as an Intern, and graduate at the end of the summer.

Leadership and Faculty

Led by Tim Howard, PhD, the program faculty are research, clinical, and biomedical teaching faculty from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, as well as select faculty from outside the institution.

Timothy David Howard, PhD

Professor, Biochemistry

Rita Pilar Cervera-Juanes, PhD

Associate Professor, Translational Neuroscience

More Resources

These degree programs are administered by Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and located on the Bowman Gray Campus alongside Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Technology Transfer and Commercialization

Research Focus Areas

Translation to Care

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Biomedical Research (MS)

Admissions

Competitive Applicants

Curriculum

Curriculum Requirements

Leadership and Faculty

Timothy David Howard, PhD

Rita Pilar Cervera-Juanes, PhD

More Resources