Skip to content

Dual Degree: BSHS/MSHS in Clinical Research Administration

Take a giant leap into your health care career.

Accelerate your career with the George Washington University’s (GW) Dual Degree: BSHS/MSHS in Clinical Research Administration program. Combine the work of earning your BSHS and MSHS and save time on your path to a career in health care.

With the skills you’ll gain in this online clinical research administration program, you’ll be ready to participate in clinical trial conduct that protects patients through addressing ethical and legal considerations in product development and contribute to innovative medical research.

Learn More Today

Complete the form to learn more about this program.

Note, 45 transferrable credits required to apply for BSHS and BSHS/MSHS dual degree programs.

Quick Facts

87*

total credits

100% online

4-5 years

average duration

Accreditation and Rankings

  • Fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
  • #62 Best National University*
  • #15 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs*
  • #8 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans*

* The U.S. News & World Report – 2023 Rankings

Program Highlights

  • 100% online, no campus visits are required
  • Both degrees are conferred sequentially
  • Transfer in 45-60 total credits from a regionally accredited institution into the undergraduate portion of the program
  • Nine credits of the MSHS in Clinical Research Administration are completed in the undergraduate portion of the program and charged at the undergraduate per credit cost

Curriculum: Learn to Ensure Quality and Compliant Clinical Research Conduct, Partnerships with Human Subjects and Leadership Skills

In coursework for the dual BSHS in Clinical Research Administration / MSHS in Clinical Research Administration, you’ll study processes of clinical research, good clinical practices, health equity, bioethics, medicines development, risk management, partnerships with human subjects and leadership. Due to its rigor, this dual degree program is designed for motivated, high-performing students. This program is ideal for students that would like to take a leadership role in clinical research administration.

By completing the BSHS in Clinical Research Administration, you’ll satisfy 1,500 hours of professional experience towards the 3,000 professional experience hour requirement for the following certifications through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP):

  • CCRA® (Certified Clinical Research Associate)
  • CCRC® (Certified Clinical Research Coordinator)
  • CPI® (Certified Principal Investigator)
  • ACRP-CP® (ACRP Certified Professional)

You will also satisfy one year of the two-year full-time work experience requirement for the Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP®) certification through the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA).

Why Choose a Dual Degree?

By completing nine credits of graduate coursework as part of the BSHS in Clinical Research Administration, you can then complete your MSHS in Clinical and Translational Research in around four and a half semesters rather than six.

You’ll also save money because the nine credit hours of graduate coursework that are part of the program will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate instead of the graduate tuition rate.

Program Outcomes

Program outcomes for the BSHS in Clinical Research Administration:

  • Integrate scientific, medical, regulatory, and commercial requirements to create clinical development plan (CDP) sections that provide for benefit and risk assessments in the development of a new investigational product.
  • Analyze strategies to address ethical and cultural considerations for effective and compliant clinical trial conduct in national and international settings.
  • Compare clinical, regulatory, and business requirements in the planning and conduct of a clinical trial, including data integrity and documentation.
  • Communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, individually and in group settings, using verbal, written, and electronic modes of communication.
  • Explain structural determinants adversely impacting the health of socially disadvantaged groups from diverse perspectives.

Program outcomes for the MSHS in Clinical Research Administration :

  • Evaluate research design principles through assessment of scientific, medical, regulatory, and commercial aspects required to formulate a clinical development plan for a new investigational product at a deeper level.
  • Recommend effective leadership practices and management skills for successful interdisciplinary teamwork and project outcomes.
  • Formulate additional strategies to address ethical and cultural considerations to ensure compliant national and international clinical trial conduct in relation to key areas such as Good Clinical Practices, subject recruitment and retention, and risk assessment.
  • Integrate the required clinical, regulatory and business aspects in the planning and conduct of a clinical trial.
  • Examine the importance of assuring data integrity in a clinical trial and in preparation of various clinical regulatory documents.

Who Is the Ideal Student for This Program?

This program is designed for anyone interested in joining the thriving clinical trials industry or a seasoned professional who wants to move up the career ladder. If you’re interested in helping advance the development, investigation and approval of new medications, products, and therapeutic treatments, this program could be for you. To succeed, you should be self-disciplined, self-directed, and ready to collaborate with faculty and diverse, fellow learners in online formats.

Career Outlook

With the skills gained in our dual-degree program in clinical research administration, you will be ready to enter a variety of jobs throughout the clinical research industry:

  • Clinical Research Manager, $78,205 median salary1
  • Clinical Operations Manager, $83,155 median salary2 
  • Clinical Trial Manager, $99,251 median salary3

Admission Requirements

To be accepted to this program, you must have:

  • Completed application and $80 application fee.
  • 3.3 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale
  • Resume/CV
  • Personal statement of 250-500 words that includes reasons for pursuing this degree, any qualifications, accomplishments or honors, and career goals
  • Two letters of recommendation from a previous instructor or employer
  • Prerequisite Coursework: Applicants must have completed 45-60 credits of college-level coursework at a regionally accredited institution of higher education. These completed courses should contain the following General Education courses (students who are missing one or two of these courses may be admitted but must complete them at another college or university and transfer them in to GW before they will be able to graduate from GW).
  • 6 credits in English composition
  • 3 credits in college mathematics (college algebra, statistics, or above)
  • 3 to 4 credits in natural or physical science with a lab
  • 6 credits in social sciences
  • 3 credits in humanities

If you have an associate degree from a participating D.C., Maryland, Virginia community college, you may be eligible for guaranteed admission to this program. Review the list of participating institutions or complete this form to speak with an Online Admissions Advisor for more details.

See All Requirements

Tuition Details

The dual degree: BSHS/MSHS in Clinical Research Administration program at GW consists of 87 credit hours. Please find the cost per credit hour and total estimated program costs here.

Note: Tuition rates are subject to change and additional fees may vary by program. Please call at (844) 386-7323 for more information.

Get Tuition Details

Meet the Program Director

GW’s experienced faculty provide you with the rich, practical knowledge and support needed for you to succeed in the program and in your career.

Kathleen Thoma, EdD, CCRP, CPH

Assistant Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership

Dr. Thoma is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership. She has over 20 years of experience in clinical research, health services research and educational research. Before coming to the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, she was the director of research and a clinical research specialist at the University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Service (UF CARES) where she managed many NIH and industry-sponsored clinical trials during her tenure. Her particular expertise involved working with NIH-sponsored trials through the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network and the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) network. She has also held positions as research project manager for the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) Network at the American Academy of Pediatrics, director of educational research at Florida State College at Jacksonville, and research project coordinator at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Medicine/School of Public Health. She earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership with a cognate in Public Health from the University of North Florida. She is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) through the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) and holds the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential from the National Board of Public Health Examiners. In addition to clinical research, her interests include HIV/AIDS, health literacy, health disparities, the psycho-social determinants of health and health behavior, and patient-centered outcomes research.

Frequently Asked Questions

As you explore an online program at the George Washington University, our dedicated staff is here to support you. If you have a question we don’t cover here, request more information or call 844-386-7323.

Visit our FAQ page

Sources:

  1. Payscale.com. (2020). Clinical research manager. Retrieved October 6, 2020 from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Clinical_Research_Manager/Salary  
  2. Payscale.com. (2020). Clinical operations manager. Retrieved October 6, 2020 from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Clinical_Operations_Manager/Salary  
  3. Payscale.com. (2020). Clinical trial manager. Retrieved October 6, 2020 from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Clinical_Trial_Manager/Salary 

*The total number of credits and program duration depend on the number of transferred credits.