PULLMAN – In fall 2010, Washington State University will offer the state’s first Professional Science Master’s, a graduate-level program designed to help science students transition into high-paying careers.
The new interdisciplinary option in molecular biosciences will be available both online and on the Pullman campus through the School of Molecular Biosciences (SMB). It will benefit recent graduates, as well as professionals seeking career advancement and those re-entering the workforce.
“The PSM combines science with crucial training in ethics and business,” said Norah McCabe, clinical associate professor of molecular biosciences. “This option bridges the gap between academia and the workplace by providing science graduates with interdisciplinary training .”
The PSM is often compared to the Masters in Business Administration, in that it trains students to be leaders and managers in a professional environment. The PSM, for example, requires an internship with a business rather than a thesis.
“We’ve already had a lot of interest from businesses, including seven in the Pullman-Moscow community,” McCabe said. “There’s a shortage of scientists in the area, and an even greater shortage of scientists with managerial and business training.”
The other core course components of the 32-credit PSM are five molecular biosciences courses, an entrepreneurship course, and a philosophy course in bioethics. Students also choose three electives from a list that includes statistics, advanced bioethics, marketing, international business and innovation management.
SMB at WSU also offers two online and on-campus certificates in molecular biosciences. The graduate certificate requires nine credits of core courses and one elective. All of the core courses can be applied to PSM requirements. The undergraduate certificate requires 18 credits.
For more information about the PSM, please visit online.wsu.edu/psm or contact McCabe at 509-335-1134, or nrmccabe@wsu.edu.