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 medicineCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
School of Medicine | Department of Family and Community MedicineDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Liaison Committee on Medical Education
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
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% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
2 yearsAccreditation
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.