Academic medicine

University of Missouri-Columbia
Master of science
Medical professionals.
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Master of science

The United States is facing a growing shortage of physicians, with rural and underserved communities hit the hardest. This trend influences health care quality and access, becomes a determinant of population health and contributes to lower quality of life overall. As a board-certified or board-eligible physician or someone adjacent to the field, prepare to reverse this pattern with an online master of science in academic medicine from the University of Missouri (Mizzou).

As the first online degree of its type in the nation, the master’s in academic medicine equips existing clinical leaders to train and evaluate future generations of physicians. These students then go forth to serve patients locally and across the globe through evidence-based care and scholarly research. The online structure means you can continue promoting positive health outcomes in your current role while adding skills in health professions education to your arsenal.

About the online master’s in academic medicine

Graduating a new group of doctors and medical researchers starts with educational delivery. Meaningful classroom instruction and clinical experiences sparked your interest in the medical field and directed you to where you are now.

As you think about how you can shape health care delivery outside of hospitals and laboratories, the online master’s in academic medicine helps you pivot to the classroom without losing sight of the important work you do. A mix of online instruction, independent research and supervised teaching experiences translate your clinical knowledge to teaching medicine, developing curricula and mentoring future students:

  • Understand how to improve health care delivery from the classroom
  • Build or expand your pedagogical knowledge base while continuing to assist patients
  • Pursue your own research while preparing to train future students in the quantitative and qualitative techniques used in the medical field
  • See how to engage medical students through lessons, curriculum plans and technology integration
  • Learn to evaluate students’ retention and application of classroom concepts through assessments and practicum experiences

Quick facts

Official name

Master of science in academic medicine

Campus

University of Missouri-Columbia

Program type

Master's degree

Academic home

School of Medicine | Department of Family and Community Medicine

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission, Liaison Committee on Medical Education

*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

An academic medicine professional.

Career prospects

The Department of Family and Community Medicine designed the online master’s in academic medicine for two groups of students: board-certified and board-eligible physicians interested in tackling the shortage of qualified medical professionals directly from the classroom and candidates holding an MPH, MSW, PhD or EdD who seek a faculty position in academic medicine.

No matter your background, you’ll build your skills as a classroom instructor and researcher in academic medical settings. Job titles held by recent graduates include:

  • Clinical research faculty
  • College dean
  • Department chair
  • Organizational president
  • Program director
  • Research professor
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
3.99%
Employment growth
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
$74,000
Median salary

Program structure

The online master’s in academic medicine requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. Students select from two formats — teaching/administration or research — and complete a combination of fully online courses, supervised teaching assignments and their own research.

The program uses a semester-based structure and does not require students to attend in-person classes or sessions. Students typically finish the program in two years.

Course work covers

Course work in both the teaching/administration and research formats explores:

  • Designing, reviewing and implementing clinical research
  • Statistical methods used in health science research
  • The principles of epidemiology for assessing population health
  • The structure of the U.S. health care system and current issues
  • Reviewing and publishing evidence-based medical research

Review all requirements for the online master’s in academic medicine.

Delivery

100% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

2 years

Accreditation

The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

This program is administered by the Department of Family and Community Medicine