Biomedicine and Law MS
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Semester
Minimum Required Credits: 36.0
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 26.9999
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-1020; 23-2000
About the Program
The online Master of Science in Biomedicine and Law provides comprehensive training in technical and practical aspects of science and innovation as well as in the legal aspects related to new biomedical product development, entrepreneurship and regulatory compliance. This program is geared toward individuals interested in careers focused on technology development.
Graduates will be prepared to progress into more advanced graduate studies in science and/or careers in scientifically oriented management jobs in the public or private sector (e.g., technology commercialization offices, patent agencies). These individuals will also be competitive law school applicants if they chose to continue their professional studies — even though credits for their legal coursework in this program will not be transferable for law school credits.
Curriculum
This is an interdisciplinary online program offered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies within the College of Medicine. The science courses, which are offered online, are taught by faculty from Drexel University College of Medicine. Faculty from Drexel University's Kline School of Law teach the law courses.
- Non-thesis program (36.0 semester credits needed to graduate)
- No thesis requirement
- Required and elective courses in each discipline
- Flexible internship elective (experiential learning)
- Customizable plan of study
Format
- Online (select courses in both disciplines are offered face to face on-campus)
- New students admitted each fall and spring semesters
- Classes taught throughout the year (fall, spring, and summer)
- Accelerated: 1-year MS (full-time) or 1.5 years (part-time)
Full-Time and Part-Time Options
Students may meet the degree requirements on either a full-time (at least 9.0 credits per semester) or part-time basis. Full-time students generally complete the program in one year. Part-time students must complete the program within four years. Students must enroll in at least 4.5 semester credits of College of Medicine courses to qualify for financial aid. For information regarding financial aid, please visit Drexel Central.
Additional Information
For questions about the curriculum and program goals, please email Program Director Sujata Bhatia, MD, PhD, at skb322@drexel.edu.
For questions about how to apply to the program, please contact an enrollment counselor at duonline@drexel.edu.
Admission Requirements
New students are admitted every fall and spring semester.
Post-college applicants must have completed a four-year degree program. An undergraduate degree in science is preferred but not required; although a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is strongly preferred.
Applicants must also fulfill the following requirements for consideration:
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Essay/personal statement
- Resume
- References from at least three instructors or professionals.
Official test scores from graduate admission exams, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), are optional but highly desirable.
Three letters of recommendation are required. If you received your degree within the last five years, it is strongly recommended that at least one letter of recommendation be provided by someone familiar with your academic qualifications and potential (e.g., your undergraduate advisor, a course instructor, or your research mentor). If you are requesting a letter from someone at your place of employment, the recommendation should be provided by a supervisor (or another more senior manager) with direct knowledge of your work and should address your scientific aptitude as well as your work ethic.
International applicants (non-United States citizens) must meet the same requirements for admission as students from the United States. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate the ability to speak, write, and understand the English language by submitting an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). IELTS scores may be submitted in lieu of TOEFL scores. An evaluation by World Education Services (WES) is required for transcripts from institutions outside the United States.
- TOEFL score needs to be at least 90 with at least a 27 in both the reading and writing sections
- IELTS score needs to be above 7
Online applications are accepted all year-round for consideration for either fall or spring admission. Students may defer admission by one year. All admission decisions are made at the College of Medicine.
Additional Information
For questions about the curriculum and program goals, please contact Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
For information regarding financial aid, please visit Drexel Central.
For questions about how to apply to the program, please contact an enrollment counselor at duonline@drexel.edu.
Degree Requirements
There are several ways to customize the experiential learning component (2.0 - 6.0 semester credits) so that it satisfies both the degree requirements and, especially, the student’s own personal situation. The duration of the internship may vary. Shorter rotations may require that the student enroll in elective courses to meet the semester credit requirements for degree.
| Required Courses | ||
| Science Requirements (Semester credits) | ||
| MIIM 503S | Biomedical Ethics | 2.0 |
| or IDPT 500S | Responsible Conduct of Research | |
| or LAW 783S | Bioethics | |
| MIIM 518S | Foundations of Applied Biomedicine * | 3.0 |
| MIIM 519S | Commercialization of Biomedical Technology ** | 3.0 |
| MIIM 631S | Biomedical Innovation Development and Management | 5.0 |
| Law Requirements (Credits shown have been converted to semester and courses will be listed on the transcript as RCIP versions) *** | 5.0 | |
| Introduction to the Legal System | ||
| Patients and Privacy: HIPAA and Related Regulations | ||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 18.0 | |
| Students must complete at least one program-specific Science elective and at least two Law electives, as well as additional electives. The overall number of electives depends on other courses selected. *** | ||
| Science, Program-Specific (Required to pick at least one course, but more than one is recommended) | ||
| Applied Statistics for Biomedical Sciences | ||
or IDPT 501S | Biostatistics I | |
| Biomedicine Seminar | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Biomedical Career Explorations | ||
| Special Topics in Microbiology & Immunology | ||
| Science, Clinical Research | ||
| Emerging Trends in Medical Device Regulation | ||
| The History of Misconduct in Biomedical Research | ||
| World Wide Regulatory Submissions | ||
| Intro to Clinical Trials | ||
| Scientific Writing and Medical Literature | ||
| Current Federal Regulatory Issues in Biomedical Research | ||
| Pharmaceutical Law | ||
| Compliance & Monitoring Issues | ||
| Designing the Clinical Trial | ||
| Science, Basic Science & Research | ||
| Fundamentals of Molecular Medicine I | ||
or MIIM 515S | Concepts in Biomedicine I | |
| Fundamentals of Molecular Medicine II | ||
or MIIM 516S | Concepts in Biomedicine II | |
| Vaccines and Vaccine Development | ||
| Principles of Biocontainment | ||
| Molecular Medicine Journal Club II | ||
| Molecular Medicine Journal Club I | ||
| Biotechniques I: Molecular and Genomic Methods | ||
| Biotechniques II: Immunological Methods | ||
| Immunology, Immunopathology and Infectious Diseases | ||
| Viruses and Viral Infections | ||
| Bacteria and Bacterial Infections | ||
| Mycology and Fungal Infections | ||
| Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases | ||
| Introduction to Infectious Diseases | ||
| Microbiology and Immunology Seminar | ||
| Emerging Infectious Diseases | ||
| Clinical Correlations in Infectious Disease | ||
| Law (Required to pick at least two courses) LSTU courses are offered on the Quarter Calendar but courses will be listed on the transcript as RCIP versions. *** | ||
| Reproductive Rights & Justice | ||
| Health Care Fraud and Abuse | ||
| Health Care Quality Regulation | ||
| Health Care Business Regulation | ||
| Health Policy Colloquium | ||
| Health Care Finance | ||
| Legal Regulation of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Research and Development | ||
| Legal Regulation of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Sales and Marketing Practices | ||
| Law of Medical Malpractice | ||
| Food and Drug Law | ||
| Health Law Legal Research | ||
| Compliance Skills: Auditing, Investigation & Reporting | ||
| Risk Assessment and Management | ||
| Health Care Rules and Regulations | ||
| Health Care Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management | ||
| Total Credits | 36.0 | |
- *
Substitutions: MIIM 515S and MIIM 516S OR MIIM 530S OR MIIM 531S
- **
- ***
Science and law courses with the LAW prefix are offered on a semester basis, and law courses with the LSTU prefix are offered on a quarter basis. Semesters and quarters overlap, and 3.0 quarter credits = 2.0 semester and 4.0 quarter credits = 2.6 semester credits. This program requires a minimum of 36.0 semester credits to meet the degree requirements. If a minor is added to the curriculum, the required number of credits to complete the program is 42.0 semester credits.
To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 semester credits per term.
Additional Information
For more information, please email Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
Sample Plans of Study
These are samples of customizable plans of study. Variations may occur depending on course availability and each student's interest. Science courses are offered on a semester basis; some Law courses (LSTU) are offered on a quarter basis. Semesters and quarters overlap. Credits shown for LSTU courses are quarter credits (3.0 quarter credits = 2.0 semester credits). This program requires a minimum of 36.0 semester credits to meet the degree requirements. If a minor is added to the curriculum, the required number of credits to complete the program is 42.0 semester credits.
Students must enroll in at least 4.5 semester credits to qualify for financial aid.
Full-time, Fall Start
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| LSTU 550 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | LSTU 602 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 9.0 |
| MIIM 518S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | MIIM 519S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | ||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 3.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 3.0 | ||
| 8.5 | 8.5 | 9 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | ||||
| MIIM 503S (Semester Course) | 2.0 | ||||
| MIIM 631S (Semester Course) | 5.0 | ||||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 3.0 | ||||
| 10 | |||||
| Total Credits 36 | |||||
Full-time, Spring Start
To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 semester credits per term.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits | ||
| LSTU 602 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | LSTU 550 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | ||
| MIIM 503S (Semester Course) | 2.0 | MIIM 518S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | ||
| MIIM 519S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 4.0 | ||
| 7.5 | 9.5 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 9.0 | MIIM 631S (Semester Course) | 5.0 | ||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 5.0 | ||||
| 9 | 10 | ||||
| Total Credits 36 | |||||
Full-time, Summer Start
To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 semester credits per term.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Credits | ||||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 10.0 | ||||
| 10 | |||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| LSTU 550 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | LSTU 602 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | MIIM 631S (Semester Course) | 5.0 |
| MIIM 518S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | MIIM 503S (Semester Course) | 2.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 4.0 |
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 4.0 | MIIM 519S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | ||
| 9.5 | 7.5 | 9 | |||
| Total Credits 36 | |||||
Part-time, Fall Start
To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 semester credits per term.
| First Year (Part-Time) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| LSTU 550 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | LSTU 602 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 10.0 |
| MIIM 518S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | MIIM 519S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | ||
| 5.5 | 5.5 | 10 | |||
| Second Year (Part-Time) | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| MIIM 503S (Semester Course) | 2.0 | MIIM 631S (Semester Course) | 5.0 | ||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 5.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 3.0 | ||
| 7 | 8 | ||||
| Total Credits 36 | |||||
Part-time, Spring Start
To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 semester credits per term.
| First Year (Part-Time) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits | ||
| LSTU 602 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | LSTU 550 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | ||
| MIIM 519S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | MIIM 518S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | ||
| 5.5 | 5.5 | ||||
| Second Year (Part-Time) | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| MIIM 503S (Semester Course) | 2.0 | MIIM 631S (Semester Course) | 5.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 9.0 |
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 6.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 3.0 | ||
| 8 | 8 | 9 | |||
| Total Credits 36 | |||||
Part-time, Summer Start
To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 semester credits per term.
| First Year (Part-Time) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Credits | ||||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 9.0 | ||||
| 9 | |||||
| Second Year (Part-Time) | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| LSTU 550 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | LSTU 602 (Quarter Course; Credits shown have been converted to semester.) | 2.5 | MIIM 631S (Semester Course) | 5.0 |
| MIIM 518S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | MIIM 519S (Semester Course) | 3.0 | Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 4.0 |
| 5.5 | 5.5 | 9 | |||
| Third Year (Part-Time) | |||||
| Fall | Credits | ||||
| Electives - Can be mix of Quarter and Semester courses, but credits are shown as semester | 7.0 | ||||
| 7 | |||||
| Total Credits 36 | |||||
Additional Information
To learn more about part-time options, please contact Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
Program Goals
Upon completion of the degree requirements for this MS program, students will have developed:
- A broad core knowledge in biological sciences and legal aspects of biomedical innovation
- More in-depth analytical, research, and critical thinking skills
- An advanced understanding of professional ethics
- Graduate-level communication and leadership skills
- Other "work readiness" soft skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, knowledge of career opportunities, and networking
Drexel Student Learning Priorities (DSLPs)
In the course of meeting these program-level goals, students would have also made progress in all of Drexel’s Student Learning Priorities (DSLPs) to help them build their future:
Core Intellectual and Practical Skills:
- Communication
- Creative and critical thinking
- Ethical reasoning
- Information literacy
- Self-directed learning
Experiential and Applied Learning:
- Global competence
- Leadership
- Professional practice
- Research, scholarship, and creative expression
- Responsible citizenship
Additional Information
For questions about the curriculum and program goals, please email Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
