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Clinical Trials Design and Management
Certificate Program

Clinical Trials Design and Management

Building safety into innovation

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certificate Description

Learn the entire clinical trial process

Phase I to III clinical trials

As you study with leaders in the global biopharmaceutical and medical device industries, many of whom are discovering new treatments and health products every day, you’ll gain a practical understanding of the scientific principles, current regulations, and ethical issues underlying clinical research.

You will gain an understanding of how to bring a new drug to market approval—from the discovery of a potential drug molecule and evaluation in the laboratory to clinical trials with human volunteers and FDA oversight processes, including the principles of Good Clinical Practice.

Comprehensive curriculum
  • The impact of drug patents on pharmaceutical pricing for new drugs
  • The underlying science that drives clinical trial design
  • Statistical considerations and the kind of information obtained from trials
  • FDA regulations that govern clinical trials
  • Bioethics related to the treatment of human subjects participating in clinical trials
  • Basic concepts related to drug safety

Clinical Trials Design and Management certificate learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the mechanics and key regulatory requirements of conducting a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an investigational drug in human volunteers.
  • Have an awareness and rudimentary understanding of the technologies that biopharmaceutical companies employ to discover and evaluate the pharmacological activities of potential new drug molecules.
  • Know the key players involved in drug discovery and development:
    • Biopharmaceutical companies;
    • Contract research organizations; and
    • Clinical sites conducting Phase I through Phase III studies.
  • Understand the role of key oversight organizations
    • U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the context of Good Clinical Practice;
    • Relevant Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations; and
    • International Conference of Harmonization Guidelines in the conduct of clinical studies.
  • Assess how clinical trials are designed specific to different therapeutic areas.
  • Identify the role biostatistics plays in designing the clinical protocol and evaluating the resulting safety and efficacy data.

Program Overview

Estimated Cost: $4,680–$6,500 + Est. Course Materials: $1,000 (You pay only for courses you enroll in.) | International Tuition Cost
Program Requirements: 6–7 courses (minimum 16 quarter units). Take 4 courses (11.5 quarter core units) and 2–4 elective courses (minimum 4.5 quarter units). End with certificate of completion review.
Minimum Hours of Instruction: Minimum 160 hours of instruction.
Estimated Duration: A full-time student can complete this certificate in 9–12 months.
Special Programs: This program is approved for workforce students.
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Courses

Course Quarter Units Fall Winter Spring Summer
1. Required Course(s): Four Total & Equal to 11.5 Units
Clinical Statistics for Non-Statisticians 2.0 Fall Flexible Spring Flexible
Good Clinical Practices 3.0
Principles of Drug Discovery and Development 4.0
Science of Clinical Trials Design 2.5
2. Electives: At Least 4.5 Units
Clinical Data Management 2.0
Clinical Project Management 2.0 Winter Flexible
Document Preparation: Protocols, Reports, Summaries 1.5
Drug Safety and Adverse Events Reporting 1.5
Medical Writing 2.0
Preparing for FDA Inspections and Conducting Sponsor Audits-GxP None
3. Completion Review:
Clinical Trials Design and Management Certificate Completion Fee None
4. Related Course(s): These Courses Are Not Part of The Certificate Program
Biology of Cancer 2.0
Viruses, Vaccines and Antiviral Therapy 2.0

Meet Our Instructors

Aditi Sapre
Director of Biostatistics, Organon
Amanda Whalen
Senior Data Sciences Product Leader, Genentech
Clarisa A Tate
Director of Regulatory Affairs, USA & Canada, Ypsomed USA
No image for David A West
Senior Director of Medical Writing, Gilead Sciences
No image for Don  Young
Consultant in Clinical Biostatistics
Edward James Rozhon
Program Chair | Retired Sr. Manager, Clinical Operations, Genentech
Gerald  P Shabe
President, Advance Research Associates
Jeaneen C Wallis
Consultant | Instructor
Karim N Sajwani
Executive Director Clinical Operations at Telios Pharma
Narinder Singh
Pharmacy Director, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Romi Behbehanian
Sr. Director | Global Scientific Program Director. | BPharm tech
Sreenivasan Paruthiyil
Research Scientist, UCSF Medical Center
Thomas  R Pamukcu
CEO, Health Wallet

What students are saying

Certificate Inquiry Form

Contact Us

Speak to a student services representative.

Call (408) 861-3860

Envelope extension@ucsc.edu

Professional Development

Licensure and certification

Extension courses also provide credit toward other professional programs.

  • California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN)
    UCSC Silicon Valley Extension is a California Board of Registered Nursing Continuing Education Provider (License #13114).
    Completion of courses in this certificate program often counts toward continuing education units. Registered nurses are required by the California Code of Regulations, Section 1451, Article 5 to complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years, in addition to paying the renewal fee, to maintain an active license.

Please see our Licensure and Certification Policy to learn more.

Requisite Knowledge

Familiarity with medical terminology is required. We strongly recommend that students without a medical background take Human Physiology in Health and Disease early in their studies.

Advisory Board

EDWARD ROZHON, Ph.D., chair of the Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, and Clinical Trials Design and Management programs.

Program Chair

EDWARD ROZHON, Ph.D., chair of the Biotechnology and Clinical Trials Design and Management programs, has had a long career in the biopharmaceutical industry as a contributor to the development of drugs to treat viral and autoimmune diseases, as well as several types of cancer.
Learn more.

Certificate Advisory Board

ALYSON FALWELL, M.P.H.
Clinical Research Operations Manager
Stanford Children’s Health 

AHMED HAMDY, M.D.
Head, Early Stage Clinical Development
Acerta Pharma

MICHAEL HUSTON, M.B.A., RAC
Huston Associates, LLC
Senior Director, R&D Operations, Xalud Therapeutics 

SHELDON MULLINS, M.S.B.A. 
Executive Director, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

THOMAS PAMUKCU, B.S.
Founder/CEO of Health Wallet
Instructor, UCSC Extension Silicon Valley (Clinical Trials)

NARINDER SINGH, PharmD, M.B.A. 
Director of Pharmacy, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. 
Instructor, UCSC Extension Silicon Valley (Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs)

Establish Candidacy

Grade Requirements

Please note that only letter grades of C or higher may be applied to a certificate, and in some programs, students may have more stringent requirements. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development, as well as international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to meet their requirements. Personal Financial Planning students have additional grade requirements for individual courses to attain a certificate.

See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.