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Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology

What Is This Program?

Have you ever pictured your life ten years in the future? Maybe you’re a practicing physician on your way to becoming a partner at a private practice. Perhaps you recently completed your surgical residency and just signed a contract as a general surgeon. Wherever your medical ambitions take you, many begin in the same place: building your knowledge base and resume.

You’ll build all of the above and more with UF's Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology. Offered through the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, our program consists of 9 to 14 credits offered entirely online and completed at your convenience.

If you choose to complete only 9 credit hours, you can earn your graduate certificate in as little as one semester. If you opt to complete all 14 credits, you can complete it in two. We accept students throughout the year, offer courses year-round and have no GRE submission requirements to apply.

Why a Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology?

From internal medicine to neurology and everything in between, this graduate certificate provides the necessary tools to gain practical knowledge for a multitude of careers in the medical field. While it is a postgraduate program (meaning students must have a bachelor’s degree before applying), its focus is on medical or graduate school prep — and you can finish it in as little as one semester. After that, you’ll feel prepared to take the MCAT, attend graduate school or whatever your next step might be.

The Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology is made up of six courses. The 1-credit course Fundamentals of Medical Physiology is required and must be taken first. The other five courses are electives, so you can choose the courses that suit your interest and professional ambitions.

While you only need 9 credits to complete the program, you may choose to take all five courses for a total of 14 credits. Elective courses can be taken in any order.

Who Is This Program For?

This graduate certificate can benefit:

  • Medical professionals, such as nurses and physician assistants.
  • Students preparing for the MCAT or other standardized tests.
  • Medical school applicants.
  • Nursing school applicants.
  • Physician assistant school applicants.
  • High school biology teachers or community college professors.
  • Biomedical professionals.
  • Medical technology professionals.

Why Medical Physiology?

You don’t need to know exactly where your career path lies to earn a graduate certificate in medical physiology. If you know you want to pursue a career in medicine, our program’s coursework provides a broad scope of knowledge that’ll prepare you for your future, whether you decide to become a dentist, veterinarian, physician’s assistant or something else entirely.

This exciting field of study provides a deeper understanding of human physiology at a level required for clinical medicine. As you take graduate-level courses, your experienced UF professors will help expand your knowledge of advanced anatomical and physiological principles and give you an advantage in the competitive world of medicine.

The courses will not only help you add another impressive title to your resume, they’ll also teach you applicable skills you can take with you to medical school and beyond. In addition, you’ll feel more prepared for National Board exams, the MCAT and other standardized tests — without the hassle of adding more studying to your full educational, professional and personal load.

GMS 6440 Fundamentals of Medical Physiology
This is an introductory course that teaches the basic functions of the human body. Students explore normal physiology and common diseases in each organ system. Participation in online workshops will help students understand the integration of physiology with genetics, genomics, molecular biology and cellular physiology as a basis for understanding human disease.

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GMS 6401 Medical Renal Physiology
This course teaches the functions of the renal system of the human body at a level required for clinical medicine and basic research in medical physiology. Students will explore how systems act in an integrated manner to regulate overall body functions and how the failure of these normal physiologic functions and integrations are associated with some diseases.

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GMS 6402 Medical Respiration Physiology
This course teaches the functions of the pulmonary system of the human body, including the uptake, transport and utilization of oxygen and other blood gases. Students will discover acid-base physiology and the mechanisms for controlling pulmonary function and gain an understanding of how the pulmonary system works with other systems.

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GMS 6419 Medical Endocrinology and Reproduction
This course teaches the functions of the endocrine and reproductive systems of the human body. Students will gain an understanding of hormone function, including the hormonal control of reproduction, how the hormonal systems work with other human systems to regulate body functions and the diseases associated with the failure of the endocrine and reproductive systems.

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GMS6474 Medical Cardiovascular and Muscle Physiology
This course teaches the functions and regulation of the muscle and the cardiovascular system. Students will learn adaptations that occur in response to exercise, the environment and disease and apply their knowledge of these systems to identify when a cardiovascular system may fail when associated with some diseases.

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GMS6479 Medical Gastrointestinal Physiology
This course teaches the functions of the digestive system of human body. Students will explore how the endocrine and neural mechanisms control the gastrointestinal systems and gain an understanding of how the systems act in an integrated manner to regulate overall body functions.

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At a Glance