Principal Investigator (PI) Certificate

Build the Skills. Lead the Research.

You treat patients. You observe outcomes. You ask the questions that research is designed to answer — and now you’re ready to be the one who answers them.

The Principal Investigator (PI) Certificate at Rutgers School of Health Professions is a fully online, graduate-level credential built for healthcare professionals who are ready to step into — or grow within — clinical and translational research leadership.

Designed by Rutgers faculty and industry experts, this 15-credit certificate equips you with the scientific, regulatory, and leadership skills required of a Principal Investigator. Whether you’re seeking your first sponsored study or positioning yourself for NIH-funded research, this program provides the competency framework to get you there.

Launching September 2027   |  Fully Online |   15 Credits

Program HighlightsAdmission CriteriaCurriculumFAQsDepartment Home

Program Highlights

  • Fully asynchronous and online — complete coursework on your schedule, no campus visits required
  • Curriculum built around core PI competencies: study design, regulatory compliance, data analysis, and leadership
  • Includes a dedicated course on AI Applications in Clinical Trial Management
  • Graduate-level credits that may apply toward the Rutgers MS in Clinical Research Management
  • Awarded by Rutgers School of Health Professions, part of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

Contact
Barbara Tafuto, Ph.D.
bat82@shp.rutgers.edu

Admissions Criteria

Open to licensed and credentialed healthcare professionals (e.g., PA-C, NP, MD, DO, PharmD, PsyD, PhD, DNP, DDS/DMD, DPT, OTD, AuD, DCN) and to students currently enrolled in a professional or doctoral healthcare program. Contact the program director to discuss eligibility.

Contact the program director to discuss eligibility.

Curriculum

 
Core Courses (9 credits — all required)

  • BPHE 5310 · Scientific Concepts and Research Design (Fall)
  • BPHE 7830 · Executive Leadership in Clinical Research (Spring)
  • BPHE 7010 · AI Applications in Clinical Trial Management (Summer)

Electives — Choose Two (6 credits)

  • BPHE 5521 · Regulatory and Ethical Requirements in Clinical Investigations (Fall)
  • BPHE 6500 · Regulatory Writing for Submission and Publications (Fall)
  • BPHE 7005 · Pharmacoinformatics (Fall)
  • BPHE 7620 · Scientific Writing for the Translation of Medicine (Spring)
  • BPHE 7600 · Analyzing Clinical Data for Adverse Events (Spring)

Total: 15 credits

FAQs

The individual responsible for the design, conduct, and reporting of a clinical research study, accountable to sponsors and regulatory agencies for scientific and ethical integrity.

PI credentials open doors across multiple sectors. Academics pursue funded research labs and faculty positions, where PI status is often required for promotion and tenure. In clinical and hospital settings, PIs lead department-level studies and trials at major health systems. Federal agencies — including the NIH, VA, CDC, and DoD — all employ PIs in intramural and collaborative research roles.
 
In industry, pharmaceutical and biotech companies recruit site PIs for sponsored clinical trials, and many physicians, pharmacists, and advanced practice providers serve as PIs through Contract Research Organizations (CROs). Even clinicians in private practice increasingly take on PI roles as industry sponsors expand into community-based research sites.

Students pursuing degrees and licensed healthcare professionals — clinicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, and therapists pursuing or having a doctoral or medical degree — who are working in or moving toward clinical research leadership.

 Yes.

Yes. All coursework is asynchronous through Rutgers Canvas. No on-campus requirements.

Applications are open now.

Approximately one academic year (three semesters): two courses in fall, two in spring, and one in summer.

Courses may be eligible for transfer into the Rutgers MS in Clinical Research Management, subject to program approval.

It provides the competency foundation sponsors and institutions look for. PI eligibility on any specific study is determined by the sponsor and your institution.

Barbara Tafuto, Ph.D. | bat82@shp.rutgers.edu