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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health

Curriculum

The Musculoskeletal Health Sciences PhD curriculum was designed to provide in depth study of the musculoskeletal system with the flexibility of tailoring coursework and other aspects of training to the student’s career goals.

Degree requirements include 90 credits of which at least 30 are from coursework and 45–60 are research (MSHS-B815). The minimum 30 course credits required for the PhD degree are composed of 14 credits from courses required for the major, 4 credits of approved electives and 12 credits that comprise an approved minor.

Required Coursework for the Major (14 credits)

GRAD-505 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 cr)

GRAD-507 Reagent Validation as a Means for Enhanced Research Reproducibility (1 cr)

GRAD-G801 Cell Biology of the Neuromusculoskeletal System (4 cr)

GRAD-G819 Basic Bone Biology (3 cr)

GRAD-G855 Experimental Design and Biostatistics (1 cr)

MSHS-B842 Musculoskeletal Disease and Injury (3 cr)

Science communication requirement – Students will complete one of the following:

  • COMM-C524 Distilling Your Message (1 cr)
  • COMM-C533 Improvisation for Scientists (1 cr)
  • ENG-W533 Science Writing (1 cr)

Musculoskeletal Health Course Descriptions

Cell Biology of the Neuromusculoskeletal System is a four credit hour course designed to present the fundamentals of neuromusculoskeletal cell biology. The course objectives are designed to provide learners with a solid framework for understanding mechanisms, diseases, and treatments associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system as they advance in their education and training. The course is team-taught by experts in neuroscience, skeletal muscle, and bone biology.

Musculoskeletal Disease & Injury is a three credit hour course on musculoskeletal diseases and injuries that covers pathologies associated with the musculoskeletal system and their impacts on the human population. This course is designed to prepare graduate students to perform innovative and clinically relevant research in the field of musculoskeletal health. The rational for the course is based in a need for graduate students specializing in biomedical research on clinically relevant topics to have a strong foundational knowledge in the musculoskeletal diseases and traumatic and activity-related injuries to joints, bones, and muscle. 

Basic Bone Biology is a three credit hour course that provides an introduction to basic bone biology. Topics include: bone morphology, composition, and physiology; cell biology of bone cells; measurement techniques; adaption to the mechanical and metabolic environments; regulatory factors and mineral homeostasis; and growth and development. 

(variable credits)

Skeletal Muscle in Health and Disease is a new course that is expected to be offered in the next year. 

Minors

Explore PhD minors