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Mississippi College’s Master of Science in Biology-Medical Sciences is a clinical laboratory science degree program that prepares students for research careers or to apply to professional schools such as medical, dental, optometry, physician assistant and pharmacy schools. Our flexible course structure permits students to finish their master’s program in one year and we offer the resources of a full cadaver lab as well as shelf exam preparation. This medical sciences program does not have a thesis component.

Medical Science Program Timeline

At Mississippi College, the Medical Sciences program can be completed in one calendar year. Unlike many medical science masters programs, most courses are offered both fall and spring, enabling students to mix and match course loads each semester, giving them great flexibility in designing the class sequence. With the one-year timeline, this master’s degree aligns seamlessly with the application cycle for medical and other professional schools.

Students typically take about 12 semester hours both fall and spring terms and complete the 33-hour requirement the following summer term. While most students complete the Medical Sciences master’s program in 12 months, the program may be extended beyond that time frame.

Other graduate Biological Science degrees offered at Mississippi College include an M.Ed and a Master of Science in Biology with a thesis option. 

M.S. in Biology-Medical Sciences Courses

Mississippi College’s M.S. in Biology-Medical Sciences program offers the following courses that closely align with what is taught in the first-year of medical school:

• Human Gross Anatomy
• Medical Physiology
• Histology
• Human Neuroanatomy
• Human Embryology

Two, five-hour Pharmacology courses are taught each summer, covering approximately what is covered in a typical Pharmacology course. Our program offers a unique opportunity for students to take courses taught at the medical school level as a way to prepare for medical school while earning a formal master’s degree. 

State-of-the-Art Clinical Research Facilities

At Mississippi College, our Medical Sciences program has facilities similar to a medical school that offer sophisticated clinical laboratory experiences as part of the master’s degree curriculum. Our state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot medical science facility includes a 4,800-square-foot gross anatomy laboratory, two large classrooms, a histology laboratory and 2,700 square feet of office and research space. In particular, the size of our gross anatomy laboratory allows for our Human Gross Anatomy courses to be a full-body cadaver dissection class. This is a unique opportunity for pre-medical school students to have access to cadaver material for an immersive learning experience. Additionally, students learn to read basic X-rays, CAT Scans and MRIs.
 

National Board Subject Exams (Shelf Exams)

What is a Shelf Exam?

At the end of each medical school course—for instance, Gross Anatomy—many medical schools give their students a comprehensive national exam, commonly called a shelf exam. Formally known as Subject Examinations, the exams are sent to the National Board of Medical Examiners to be scored. The results are sent back to the medical schools which in turn give each student his or her score. Scores are ranked by percentile so that the student can compare his or her score on that particular Gross Anatomy exam to all of the other medical students in the country.

Shelf Exams at Mississippi College

Our Medical Sciences master’s students have the opportunity to take the National Board of Medical Examiners Subject Examinations for Gross Anatomy, Cell Biology and Histology, Neuroscience, Physiology, Microbiology and Pharmacology. Some of our graduate students do substantially better on the shelf exams than the average medical student taking the same course in medical school. Our high score on the Gross Anatomy shelf exam was in the 99th percentile, which means that the student performed better than 99 percent of medical students who took that exam. The shelf exams are optional; students can take any of the shelf exams they wish or none at all.