Frequently Asked Questions

For further information about the IMHS Program and making an appointment to visit our office, you may contact the IMHS Program Coordinator at imhsprogram@georgetown.edu.

Each year the Georgetown Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) has a table at many graduate school fairs around the country where you can also ask about our program. For more information, see Meet with BGE.

We currently do not offer a PhD program. 

Currently the program starts only in the Fall semester. 

Due the pandemic and lockdown, the program is being offered in a live virtual instructional format.

Currently, we do not offer evening or weekend courses. Ours is a full-time weekday Masters’s program with classes offered during the day on weekdays.

Opportunities to audit classes are limited by restrictions on class size and also your heavy course load. Permissions from your academic advisor and course director are required. We expect students auditing classes to complete the assignments and participate in class discussions.

There are no TAships, RAships, or work-student options available in our department. However, it is possible to find TAships in undergraduate science courses on the main campus, although most of those positions go to graduate students in the particular department affiliated with the class or to PhD students. Because of the rigorous curriculum of our program, such outside activities are discouraged.

The IMHS program is an 11 month program for full time students. The academic year begins at the end of August and end by the beginning of May followed by a short final exam period. Students must then complete a Practicum for a minimum of eight weeks during the summer months following the Spring semester.

The IMHS program currently does not have a formal academic linkage to the Georgetown Medical school. However, over the years many of our graduates have applied and been accepted to GUSOM.

Yes, we help students find a part-time volunteer lab research position on the Georgetown main campus or the Medical Center. These positions are unpaid. The host laboratory will receive a small amount of funding from the IMHS Program to cover supplies a small amount of funding from IMHS Program to cover supplies for those students who take the “IMHS Research Techniques” elective course for credits. We advise students to do research in the Spring semester and not in the Fall semester, during which students should concentrate on the required 14 credit science course load.

Yes, we work with many clinics that accept our students for shadowing/observing experiences. 

Yes, students who perform research in the “IMHS Research Techniques” or “IMHS Literature Research” courses, and students who perform research as part of their Practicum have opportunities for publication. Many students have been published in the past. 

The Co-Directors will be teaching courses and acting as academic advisors and mentors and will write a joint recommendation letter. Although not the same as a Committee Letter, in exceptional cases the directors may request academic instructors to contribute to a recommendation letter.

The Co-Directors and academic support staff work with students and alumni on an individual basis to provide strong advising and support for professional school admissions and job applications. 

The BGE Office of Career Strategy & Professional Development also offers career development programs, workshops and career counseling. Students can also utilize the Cawley Career Education Center on the undergraduate campus.