The aim of the new PSM degree programs is
to produce graduates with in depth knowledge of science
coupled with strong business skills for careers in the
bioscience industry, from pharmaceutical development to
biofuels research, where the need for such highly trained
professionals is in demand.
“The University of Delaware is investing
in the development of professional education programs
that are excellent, unique, of high pay-off to the student,
and of high impact to society,” University Provost Tom
Apple said.
According to the Talent Gap Analysis
Report: Preparing Our Workforce for the Evolving Life
Science Industry published by the Delaware Valley
Innovation Network in 2008 and updated in December 2009,
in spite of the current economic downturn, the outlook
for the region’s life science industry “remains bright,”
with an anticipated job growth of 6.6 percent, or 4,200
high-tech jobs, over the next five years.
The University’s new PSM degrees will give
students the rigorous science and math of a traditional
graduate science degree at UD, a major research institution,
but also provide courses in business and project management,
communications, policy and law, and team-building, which
are essential for successful careers in industry, according
to John Sawyer, associate provost for professional education.
Sawyer, who is also a professor of business
administration in UD’s Alfred
Lerner College of Business and Economics, worked with
Melinda Duncan, professor of biological sciences, and
Cathy Wu, Edward G. Jefferson Chair of Bioinformatics
and Computational Biology, to gain input from the biosciences
industry cluster in Delaware and the collaboration of
deans and department chairs throughout the University
to develop these programs, which recently were certified
by the Council of Graduate Schools and approved by the
UD Faculty Senate.
Students spend their last six months of
the PSM working in an industry internship or can take
a half-time internship while completing the last half
of the program. UD
has internship commitments from such leading companies
as Adesis, Air Liquide, ANP Technologies, AstraZeneca,
DuPont, Strategic Diagnostics Inc., and more are in development,
Sawyer noted.
Mid-career professionals can complete the
programs part-time while continuing their employment and
conducting a professional project within their company.
“The real driver of these programs is meeting
the business and economic needs of the region,” Sawyer
said. “Industry involvement is crucial. We have strong
industry partnerships and are grateful to the participation
of our Industry
Advisory Boards and the Delaware
Bioscience Association, which will provide ongoing
input to these programs.”
“UD has the potential to be a leader in
this area,” Sawyer said. “We have the challenge of educating
the nation as a whole about these programs, which industry
says they want and need. That’s one of the exciting things—not
everyone knows what they are now, but soon everyone will
know about them.”
