Master of Clinical Research

Students enrolled in the Master of Clinical Research will:

• Learn the fundamental concepts required to undertake research in a clinical setting
• Plan and implement a clinical research program
• Translate their research into clinical practice
• Develop critical research networks and opportunities.
• Undertake a research project that finds an evidence-based answer to a real issue in your workplace, or undertake an industry project in clinical research.

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Through small classes, intense, focused study, and teaching from the best research minds, you’ll graduate with the skills necessary to build your career in Clinical Research - including the fundamentals of clinical research methodology, ethical responsibilities, project management and knowledge translation.

Research thesis pathway or industry project pathway

Your final year will be dedicated to conducting an independent clinical research project and thesis or an industry project in clinical research, allowing you to focus on an area of interest with the support and supervision of some of the best researchers from around the world. Students can either complete Clinical Research Thesis (CLRS90004), or both Industry Project in Clinical Research (MEED90002) and Advanced Clinical Trial Design (CLRS90082).

Partner organisations

You’ll work with our world-class partner health organisations and research institutions, including:

• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
• Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• Royal Children’s Hospital
• Royal Melbourne Hospital
• Melbourne Brain Centre
• Florey Institute of Neuroscience
• Royal Women’s Hospital
• St Vincent’s
• Western Health
• Northern Health
• Peter Doherty Institute
• Epworth Health
• Austin Health.

Hear from Master of Clinical Research alumni

Below is quote from Kai Zhang, senior physiotherapist and team leader, describing his experience of the final year pathway.

“The flexibility to choose between an industry project and a thesis project was a major strength. This allowed students to tailor their final project to their own career goals. During my internship, working closely with my supervisor to meet project objectives provided me with invaluable experience and unique learning opportunities that I believe will benefit my professional development for years to come. I completed the Clinical Research Thesis. This project was a valuable learning experience, allowing me to apply advanced statistical methods, propensity score adjustment, and logistic regression to real clinical trial data. It strengthened my skills in research design, critical analysis, and scientific writing."

Good Clinical Practice accreditation

On completion of the Graduate Certificate (the first year of this course) you will also be accredited with a Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification. The GCP is an internationally accepted standard for the designing, conducting, recording and reporting of clinical trials and mandated within many health organisations for principal investigators on clinical trials.

Course structure

To gain the Master of Clinical Research, you must complete 125 points of core subjects and 25 points of elective subjects. The course is to be completed over one and a half years full-time. You can also choose to study part-time, depending on your commitments and goals.

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