Master of Science in

Pain Medicine and Pain Science

Our joint programs between two prestigious USC schools, Keck School of Medicine of USC and Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, are suitable for practicing health professionals from a wide variety of fields, including physicians, dentists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, and more. Our world renowned faculty are thrilled to provide a unique opportunity to practicing professionals to learn pain medicine. Our mission is to leverage our research and education to advance and share knowledge of pain medicine and treating pain.

The PAIN Master’s is a 3-year program, with courses outlined by trimester.  To learn more please visit the Keck School of Medicine of USC Pain Medicine page.

Application Deadlines

Fall – July 15th
Spring – November 15th

Download a Digital Brochure

Accreditations

We are accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the University Committee of Academic Review (UCAR). We are not accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). We do not provide stipends nor is this a clinical training program.

Questions? Speak to Admissions

Program Details

Program Length*	36 months (estimated)
Courses / Units	29 Courses / 36 Units
Program Director	Steven H. Richeimer, MD
Rolling Admission	Fall, Spring, Summer
Prerequisites	Health Professionals, MD, DDS, MS, BA / BS
Student Type	US / International
Program Type	Part-Time
Delivery Format	100% online learning
Typical Week	5-6 hours of video lectures and 5-6 hours of live, interactive video conferencing
Employment Impact	Able to work full-time with courses
In-Person Bootcamp	n/a
Capstone Project	Prepare and present research paper with systematic review on a related topic
Estimated Tuition**	$2354 per unit

*Following the approved program of study. Actual completion times vary depending on the length of time required to complete all of the program courses.
**Tuition adjusted annually

Master Curriculum

This program is part of an alliance between the Keck School of Medicine and the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry. Pain Medicine Online degrees are suitable both for practicing health professionals and non-clinicians from a wide variety of fields, including physicians, dentists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, business, public policy, law, social or natural sciences and more.

To learn more please visit the Keck School of Medicine of USC Pain Medicine page.

Online Courses

Fall Trimester

Spring Trimester

Online Courses

Fall Trimester

Spring Trimester

Online Courses

Fall Trimester

Spring Trimester

Ostrow Online for Professional Advancement

Want to try courses that apply toward our programs? At Ostrow, we have options available every semester for professionals looking to advance their career. If you’re interested, watch this faculty video and contact admissions today!

See Courses

Pain 701	2 units	Melissa Durham, PharmD, MACM	Pharmacotherapeutics for Pain This course provides an introduction into the complex area of treatment with opioids, as well as the many other pharmacological options.
Pain 702	2 units	Reed Levine, MD	Pain Classification and Diagnosis – Part 1 This course provides an introduction of pain classification and diagnosis to familiarize the student with a standardized approach to painful conditions.
Pain 703	2 units	Faye Weinstein, PhD	Psychological Aspects of the Pain Experience: Individual and Family This course explores the psychological and social perspectives that influence chronic pain, reinforcing the need to look beyond the initial physical diagnosis.

Pain 704	1 unit	Alexis M Coulourides Kogan, PhD, MS	Pain and Society: Epidemiology and Cultural issues This course explores the societal issues related to pain, including the role of culture, ethnicity, caregiving, social and psychological factors related to pain and pain management.
Pain 705	1 unit	Shahin Sadik, MD	Pain Assessment: History and Physical Examination This course is designed to assist in evaluation of patients suffering from pain, distinguishing between types of pain that may be acute or chronic.
Pain 706	2 units	Kathryn Havens, PhD, MS	Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Pathology This course is an anatomical survey of the human musculoskeletal system, focused on common pathologies that generate pain.
Pain 707	2 units	Glenn T. Clark, DDS, MS	Pain Neuroscience This course focus on anatomy of peripheral and central nociceptors, molecular mechanisms that underlie primary responses, neural networks, and neural mechanisms involved in hyperalgesia and allodynia.

Pain 711	2 units		Research Methodology The purpose of this course is to understand how to conduct a systematic review, research question, searching the literature, summarizing the evidence and interpreting the findings.
Pain 713a,b,c,d	0.5 units	Steven H. Richeimer, MD, Glenn T. Clark, DDS, MS	Case Studies This course has multiple elements including weekly online discussions of cases; learning need assignments; defense of an 18 cases or scenarios e-Portfolio.
Pain 712a,b,c,d	0.5 units	Steven H. Richeimer, MD, Mariela Padilla, DDS, M.Ed	Pain Medicine Capstone The capstone project includes a collaborative research project or a supervised internship (practicum) incorporating a service learning approach.
Pain 710	1 unit	Jack Berger, MS, MD, PhD	Advanced Pain Physiology and Neuroscience This course discusses advanced neurophysiology of pain including immunology and epigenetics, neuropathic pain, inflammation, with a series of lectures and sessions to analyze clinical cases.
Pain 709	2 units	Jonathan Lee, MD, MSC	Pain Classification and Diagnosis – Part 2 During this course, the student will gain knowledge and ability to recognize as well as ability to recognize fine differences in various common pain conditions.
Pain 715	1 unit	William Spalding, MD	History of Pain: Theory and Treatment In this course we will trace through history our collective understanding of pain by examining the people, theories, and technologies which have brought us to our modern understanding.

Pain 714	1 unit	Harry Nelson, J.D.	Public policy and Legal issues This courses discus Public Policy and Legal Issues in Pain Medicine including the California Medical Board Guidelines for Pain Medication, CURES, and legislation related with the discipline.
Pain 717	2 units	Faye Weinstein, PhD	Psychological Aspects of Chronic Pain Information and demonstration on specific psychological treatments to decrease pain levels and manage pain flares.
Pain 716	1 unit	Kevin Kohan, DO, QME	Neuropathic pain This course will focus on pain caused by nervous system dysfunction with focus on assessment, physiology, diagnoses and treatment.
Pain 708	1 unit	Melissa Durham, PharmD, MACM	Opioids This course explores opioid therapeutics including proper use, dosing, side effects and its management, use in special populations, and legal/ethical considerations for prescribers and dispensers.

Pain 722	1 unit	Anette Vistoso Monreal DDS, MS, DABOP	Elective 1 Palliative Care in end of life This course presents key concepts in palliative medicine and hospice care, ranging from management of common symptoms, to best practices in communication with patients and their families.
Pain 719	1 unit	Faye Weinstein, PhD, Steven H. Richeimer, MD, Yogi Matharu, PT, DPT, OCS	Elective 1 Building a practice: Institutional or private This course discusses aspects related with building and managing a Pain Practice. Considering this is an interdisciplinary program, specific discipline issues will be addressed.
Pain 713a,b,c,d	0.5 units	Steven H. Richeimer, MD, Glenn T. Clark, DDS, MS	Case Studies This course has multiple elements including weekly online discussions of cases; learning need assignments; defense of an 18 cases or scenarios e-Portfolio.
Pain 712a,b,c,d	0.5 units	Steven H. Richeimer, MD, Mariela Padilla, DDS, M.Ed	Pain Medicine Capstone The capstone project includes a collaborative research project or a supervised internship (practicum) incorporating a service learning approach.
Pain 718	2 units		Complementary Approaches The purpose of this course is to educate on treatment options in pain management by providing framework for integrative models of care.

Master of Science in

Pain Medicine and Pain Science

Program Details

Master Curriculum

Online Courses

Fall Trimester

Spring Trimester

Online Courses

Fall Trimester

Spring Trimester

Online Courses

Fall Trimester

Spring Trimester

Ostrow Online for Professional Advancement

HERMAN OSTROW SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY OF USC

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