Want a crash course on physiology, biochemistry, genetics or immunology? Now you can take one through one of the country’s most prestigious medical schools.
Boston, Massachusetts-based Harvard Medical School is offering four courses as part of its new online certificate program called HMX Fundamentals.
But the courses come at a price. First there’s a $35 non-refundable application fee. After that, each course costs $800. But you can save by taking two courses for $1,000 or all four courses for $1,800.
Each course culminates in a final exam. Although students do not receive letter grades, they are regularly assessed through quizzes and can earn a Certificate of Achievement PDF or a Certificate of Completion PDF based on their performance. Harvard Medical School doesn’t offer academic credit for the courses.
Harvard Medical School faculty members and other experts teach all the lessons. HMS says the courses include conceptual videos and interactive components rather than lectures. The courses also include real-life medical scenarios filmed in Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Additionally, students can download notetaking guides and participate in question-asking forums.
HMX Fundamental courses cover a broad range of topics. For example, the genetics course includes lessons with titles like “The Genetics of Cancer” and “Genetics and Precision Medicine.” The biochemistry course’s lessons include “How Cells Compartmentalize” and “The Chemistry of Life.”
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The HMX courses are open to anyone, including prospective medical students, budding healthcare professionals and even curious high school students. But Harvard recommends students have a basic knowledge of chemistry, physics and biology before participating. And if you’re taking the courses solo (rather than through another academic institution), you have to fill out an application.
In a statement, HMS Associate Dean for Online Learning and HMX Faculty Director Michael Parker said:
It is part of our mission as healthcare professionals and physician-educators to encourage the passion and intellect of those considering a medical career but who may not be quite ready yet to commit to medical school. Whether you’re a recent college graduate, a highly motivated high school student or an established professional considering a mid-career change, we’ve designed this program to offer depth and rigor to give learners a head start on their career paths.
The next course period runs from June 20 to September 1, 2017. Applications close May 30.
HMS has launched HMX Fundamentals at a time when medical schools across the nation are moving toward a lecture-free curriculum. The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, for example, has pledged to get rid of all lectures by 2019, according to The Boston Globe. Perhaps HMX Fundamentals will be the start of a new kind of learning at HMS.
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