USF MS in Medical Sciences vs. FAU MS in Biomedical Science

[FutureDoctor127]

I was accepted to both USF & FAU's master's programs, but I'm not sure which program to choose. I've read a lot of feedback on USF's program, but haven't come across too much on FAU's.

USF's program is 32 credits, whereas FAU's is 30, so not a big difference. While USF has a set course schedule, FAU allows you to pick which classes you'd like to take (as long as they're offered that semester). Also, USF has you taking 4 classes per semester (12 credits), while the advisor at FAU mentioned to me that they only recommend taking 9 credits per semester (only 3 classes). I'm not sure if that's because of how rigorous the classes are? Does anyone know how difficult these programs/classes really are?

I have absolutely no idea which route to go. The only thing is that FAU seems much cheaper because I could receive a tuition waiver for being a GA or TA. Basically, if anyone has any feedback on either or both of these programs, please let me know! I have to decide soon and I just keep going back and forth. Thanks so much!

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[FutureDoctor127]

Has anyone attended FAU's MS program or know someone who has?

 

[kingjaxn2013]

Has anyone attended FAU's MS program or know someone who has?

I've had friends at USF. and have myself been accepted to their MS in Medical Sciences for this fall. I have no idea what FSU is like but I do know that USF is indeed a 12 credit 4 class semester dedicated to straight lecture heavy classes(only 1 lab offered and even it is optional). I've known of people who have done the USF program and have been accepted into Dental and Medical schools. What did you personally like about FSU other than the freedom to choose classes and the 9 semester hours? Oh yeah, and about your idea about being a TA/GA, I've had 4-5 people from USF tell me that it is safer to not have too much of a job while in the program although I have heard of students shadowing and doing research and pulling a 3.7

 

[GainesvilleOwl]

I graduated from the FAU program and can absolutely recommend it, especially since it helped me and my friends get into medical school.

Some points:

- I was able to secure a T.A. position which dramatically offset my tuition costs although like any college the Ph.D. students get first dibs on available teaching positions before the M.S. students do.

- It was very common to take three grad classes instead of four. I was told that was "full-time" for a graduate student. I suppose you could take four but it's only 30 credits and this probably isn't the kind of thing you want to rush through at the expense of your GPA.

- You can pick and choose classes to some degree; like undergrad, some classes are only offered once a year or once every two years depending on how busy the professor is (everybody's doing research there and/or teaching medical school classes as well). So usually I had to choose three classes from 4-6 available that semester.

- You should know that there's not a lot of overlap with M1/D1 classes so it's not like you're taking Gross Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry, etc.

- Instead you'll take classes like Macromolecular Structure and Function, Mechanisms and Therapy of Brain Disease, Host Defense and Inflammation, etc. We'd have 30-40 people in a class, three tests (sometimes the classes are taught by 2-3 different professors) and a 10-30 minute presentation on an assigned topic.

- There's a thesis and a non-thesis option. The thesis obviously tacks on another year or so for research and that's really more for people who want to continue on and do a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science. Non-thesis is the more common route for pre-health students: you choose three professors, they give you a prompt and you go off and write a paper by a prescribed deadline. Then they approve it or give you one chance to go back and edit it. Simple as that.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[FutureDoctor127]

GainesvilleOwl, thanks! Did you complete this program in 1 year, or did it take you 2 years? Thing is - I already submitted primaries for the Fall 2012 Med School App Cycle & already submitted a secondary for NSU-COM as well. I was hoping to be done with my Master's in August so this could work out.