Master of Science in Comparative and Experimental Medicine

Comparative and Experimental Medicine, an intercollegiate program, serves to prepare students for teaching and/or research careers in the health sciences. This program emphasizes the comparative approach to the study of biomedical science. For the student with an undergraduate biological science background, the Comparative and Experimental Medicine program provides an unusual opportunity to study disease processes common in humans and animals from a multidisciplinary perspective. The scope of this intercollegiate program, which pools faculty resources from both veterinary and human medicine, is broadened by faculty members representing public health and numerous areas of the life sciences. The interdisciplinary training environment includes such diverse support as facilities and personnel at the Veterinary Medical Center, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center at Knoxville, life sciences departments, Herbert College of Agriculture, Tickle College of Engineering, and the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. Participating departments from the Graduate School of Medicine include Anesthesia, Dentistry, Medicine, Medical Genetics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pathology, Radiology, and Surgery. Participating departments from the College of Veterinary Medicine include Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and Small Animal Clinical Sciences.

All applicants must furnish three letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with their scholastic or professional performance.
Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree with coursework in chemistry through organic, mathematics through calculus, physics, and basic biology. More advanced study in biology such as biochemistry, mammalian anatomy, histology, cell biology, or other appropriate biomedical courses from an accredited university is recommended.
For some students without such a background, prerequisite or concurrent coursework will likely be necessary to succeed in the course of study.
Applicants for admission to the Master of Science degree program (1) whose backgrounds include no formal training in the biomedical field beyond the baccalaureate degree or (2) who do not have a professional degree in one of the medical sciences (e.g., MD, DDS, DVM, or equivalent) from an accredited institution will be required to score at least 300 for the quantitative and verbal sections of the Graduate Record Examination. The GRE results, if required, must be from within the previous 5 years.

For admission to a graduate program, an international student must have an equivalent 4-year bachelor's degree with at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale on all previous coursework or a 3.30 on a 4.00 scale on all previous graduate work. Grading systems other than the 4.00 scale are evaluated, upon receipt of transcripts, in accordance with standard practice. Programs may require a higher average GPA for admission. Applicants with work experience or who are entering graduate study after a number of years away from an educational institution, usually five years, will be given consideration with greater flexibility relative to GPA.

Minimum score requirements for admission to the Graduate School are:
a total score of 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT),
a total score of 550 or equivalent on the paper-based TOEFL (PBT), or
a 6.5 overall band score on the IELTS.