The Master of Health Sciences degree is a professional degree designed to give the graduate strong research methodology skills that can be applied to their academic and clinical interests. The program is restricted to applicants who have an MD or equivalent (e.g., dentistry or veterinary medicine). The academic requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies apply to all students. The program consists of 30 academic credits, a comprehensive exam and a major paper.  However the student may elect for full-time or part-time enrollment. Full-time students must enroll for at least one calendar year (September to August). The degree granted will read MHSc (Clinical Epidemiology).  At graduation the student will be able to carry out clinical research in their area of specialization, as an independent researcher or a member of a research team.

Students pursue course work in clinical research skills. These skills will include survey and questionnaire design and analysis, systematic reviews, clinical trial design, data analysis and presentation.  Qualitative as well as program and economic evaluation methodology courses are available. The underlying precepts for all courses are critical thinking skills. There will be an opportunity to explore health policy and population health concepts but not in depth due to the limited number of credits needed to graduate. However, if greater flexibility is desired by the student, the program of study can be modified in consultation with the program director. All students are expected to participate in the ongoing evaluation of courses and programs. Students' experiences and suggestions are an important part of ongoing quality improvement.

Applicants: Please see MHSc Admissions

For those taking the MHSc as residents or fellows, it is expected that ongoing contact with their programs will continue. Where possible, courses are offered from Monday to Thursday. Residents and fellows may have academic responsibilities on Friday and weekends. For MHSc students, School Rounds on Friday are recommended but not required. MHSc students are welcome and are encouraged to participate in any School activities that may be scheduled during their enrollment in the program.

The major essay is a 10-15 page paper demonstrating the integration of the course content and the student's familiarity with the concepts taught. It is recommended that the student find a supervisor for the major paper. The Program Director is available for consultation on content and/or a possible supervisor. Students are expected to present a one page summary of what they intend to do to the Program Manager who will forward it to the Program Director. The summary will include the signature of the principal advisor attesting to adherence of the criteria below.

Each paper is given a pass/fail grade by two readers. The student must receive a pass from both readers. The Program Director is the first reader. The second reader may be from any department in the Faculty of Medicine and serves as a second reader for the project. The criteria for determining the suitability of the final major paper for the MHSc are:

• Demonstrate epidemiological and statistical principles as they relate to the clinical, public health, health services, environmental and occupational health domains.
• Originality. It is understood that in today's world collaboration is necessary. However, the submitted paper must be work done by the student and not collaborators. The student, as well as the advisor, must be comfortable in stating that the student was responsible for at least 80% of the work.
• The paper must be of sufficient quality that, if submitted to a peer reviewed journal, it would be published, or if submitted to a granting agency, it would be reviewed favourably.

The paper must be submitted one month prior to the University deadline for submission of names of students fulfilling the requirements for graduation. Check the University calendar for exact dates as they do vary from year to year.