Clemson University, MUSC Collaborating to Reduce Student Debt, Increase High-Tech, Health-Related Workforce

Contact: Heather Woolwine
843-792-7669
woolwinh@musc.edu

April 17, 2017

CHARLESTON, SC – High-performing college students interested in health-related professions soon will be able to apply for graduate school through two innovative initiatives offered by Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina. Starting fall 2017, the collaboration will reduce student debt and increase the number of highly skilled, highly trained professionals entering South Carolina’s workforce.

Through one initiative, Clemson undergraduate students can apply for admission to nine health-related graduate programs at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), including medicine, dentistry, physical therapy and public health, and effectively shave a year off of their studies.

Another initiative is a new joint doctoral program aimed at increasing the workforce in the rapidly growing field of biomedical data science and informatics, a discipline that manages and innovates the use of health-related data leading to more informed and efficient research, clinical care and health care management. In the joint program, students will take classes at both MUSC and Clemson, and diplomas will have each school’s seal.

“Clemson and MUSC each play vital roles in providing greater opportunities for top students in South Carolina and in improving the health outcomes in the state. These groundbreaking agreements address both issues,” said Clemson President James P. Clements, Ph.D. “Clemson is proud to be the first university in the state to partner with MUSC on so many accelerated degrees and a joint Ph.D. program that is on the leading edge of health care innovation and informatics.”

The new partnership between MUSC and Clemson sends a clear signal across the state and the country: These two universities are dedicated to building the economy and improving health care in South Carolina, and they are on the forefront of changes in health-related graduate-level degree programs taking place across the country.

“The Medical University of South Carolina is incredibly excited to launch this concept with Clemson, a longtime collaborator in our research and education mission,” said MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS. “I see the launch of these opportunities as part of a new paradigm for higher education in our state. Our hope is that this partnership and its projected benefits will establish a model for more collaborative endeavors that reduce students’ debt, energize our health care workforce and the knowledge-based economy, and improve access to health care for the citizens of South Carolina.”

The programs offered through this new partnership include:

Joint Ph.D. in Biomedical Data Science and Informatics
Accelerated Pathway to the Master of Science in Cardiovascular Perfusion
Accelerated Pathway to Medical School
Accelerated Pathway to Dental School
Accelerated Pathway to Master in Health Administration
Accelerated Pathway to the Doctor of Pharmacy
Accelerated Pathway to the Doctor of Physical Therapy
Accelerated Pathway to the Master of Public Health in:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Health Behavior and Health Promotion

“Not only are these accelerated degree programs significantly reducing total student debt, which is a priority for all academic health science centers, but they also align perfectly with MUSC’s strategic pillar to foster innovative education,” said MUSC Provost, Lisa Saladin, Ph.D. “This partnership represents just one example of how we are transforming education.”

Estimated time and cost savings for students in the accelerated pathway programs could be significant. In the Master of Public Health degree programs, Clemson students will take 12 credit hours as undergraduates that count toward their MUSC graduate degrees. The other accelerated pathway programs could shorten by a year of a student’s time as an undergraduate, saving them thousands of dollars in tuition and living expenses and potentially reducing their student debt significantly.

“Some of the greatest challenges of our time are related to health care,” said Robert Jones, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Clemson. “South Carolina and the United States need more highly qualified health professionals to reduce obesity, reduce health care costs, increase access to care and discover the next generation of pharmaceuticals and other therapies. With these joint initiatives, students get the highest quality education possible through two world-class universities. In the long run, everyone will benefit from this exciting collaboration,” Jones said.

Current Clemson students can apply and find more information about the accelerated pathways program at Accelerated Pathways and the joint Ph.D. program at Bio Medical Data Science. Enrollment capacity, deadlines, and admission processes may vary by program.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state's only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. Learn more about our academic programs.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the Number 1 hospital in South Carolina. Learn more about our patient services.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.