Biotechnology PSM Bioinformatics PSM Regulatory Science PSM Marine Biology PSM
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Why Biotechnology?
An unparalleled boom in biotechnology and pharmaceutical science has created a strong national and regional demand for scientists and engineers with expertise in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and regulatory science. In Massachusetts alone there are over 400 biotechnology companies employing nearly 50 thousand workers and generating an annual payroll of over $5 billion. The vibrancy of the biopharmaceutical industry nationally is illustrated by the predicted growth in jobs for chemical scientists in the decade ahead. This growth more than offsets predicted declines in the other fields in which chemists have traditionally been employed:
2006-16 National Employment Matrix, 2007, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C. ( http://www.bls.gov/emp/empoils.htm).
Why Biotechnology at Northeastern?
Technical careers in this biotech industry require interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that are not normally acquired in standard undergraduate or graduate programs in the sciences and engineering. Northeastern has responded to this requirement by creating a set of interdisciplinary Professional Science Master's (PSM) Programs. The first, in bioinformatics, was launched with seed funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2001. Students in this program acquire the ability to integrate concepts from biology, computer science, and mathematics as they prepare for positions in biotechnology and in medicine and in the life and health sciences.
Success of the Bioinformatics PSM coupled with growing workforce needs inspired Northeastern's Biotechnology Industrial Advisory Board to recommend our launching a set of three PSMs in biotechnology with specializations in molecular biotechnology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, and process development. Starting in September, 2010 a fifth PSM specialty in Biopharmaceutical Regulatory Science will provide an additional educational option for those pursuing careers in biotechnology.
All of these programs address the workforce needs of the biotech industry through rigorous, interdisciplinary training that includes both course and lab work coupled with industrial co-op experiences. The newest PSM in Biopharmaceutical Regulatory Science anticipates the needs of corporate and FDA scientists and administrators who must contribute to, or regulate, the production of the next generation of biopharmaceuticals, also called “follow-on” biologics or “bio-similars”, that will come to market as first-generation biologics come off patent.
Why a Professional Science Master's Degree?
The Professional Science Master's degree is an innovative graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training and excel in science while simultaneously developing highly-valued business skills without acquiring a PhD or MBA. PSM programs are characterized by instruction in advanced science or mathematics, business courses, and a graduate co-op providing a "real world" work experience. Graduates are referred to as "T-shaped" professionals with both deep knowledge of a specific discipline and broad knowledge of the communications and relational skills necessary to excel in any business and adapt to a changing workplace. The PSM is a non-thesis degree.
Read about the Professional Science Master's degree in the Massachusetts Life Science Talent Initiative's recent report — Growing Talent: Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Industry.
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