The Professional Science Masters Degree: A Challenge to U'S' Higher Education Today

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The Professional Science Masters Degree A
Challenge to U.S. Higher Education Today

• Dr. Mark Novak
• Associate Vice President
• International and Extended Studies
• San Jose State University
• San Jose, California, USA
• June 12, 2009

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Goals of this Talk

• Understand the need for a Professional Science
  Masters (PSM) degree.
• Understand the structure and function of PSM
  degree programs.
• Describe the changes needed in university
  policies to create innovative programs like the
  PSM degree.

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Why the Need for a Professional Science Masters
(PSM) Degree?
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The Challenge of Innovation

• Innovation is now the driver of growth in the
  economy.
• A survey of 650 US and European business in 2007
  innovation accounted for 34 of revenues
  compared to 21 in 1998 (Deloitte Touche,
  2005).

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The Challenge of Innovation

• Universities will need to modify graduate
  programs to meet the emerging needs of industry
  and the demands of students for high-level
  training.
• Graduates will need to succeed in world of new
  products, new ways of doing business, and new
  industries.

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Workforce Development Need

• The need for a new type of knowledge worker.
• Experience in industry
• Scientific training
• Multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary knowledge

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II. What is the Professional Science Masters
Degree (PSM)?
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The Professional Science Masters Degree (PSM)

• MBA-MSc in Engineering
• Medical Product Development Management
• Biotechnology
• Biostatistics
• Bioinformatics (computer tech and biology for
  gene based drug discovery)
• Regulatory Affairs

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New type of highly educated person new pathway
in higher education

• Non-PhD
• Non-researcher
• Non-theoretical
• Fast-to-market trained person
• The super-educated worker

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Types of degrees

• PSM for entrepreneurship in a choice of
  chemistry, physics or mathematics -- Case
  Western University in Cleveland, Ohio.
• PSM in nanoscale physics -- Rice University in
  Houston, Texas.
• PSM degrees in forensic chemistry -- California
  State-Fresno and Temple University.
• Source Del Jones, USA TODAY July 19, 2004 (1B).

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Medical Products Development Management Curriculum

• Management of the Total Enterprise
• Project Management
• Financial Accounting and Financial Aspects of
  Medical Product Development
• Managing Medical Product Development
• Biotechnology and Medical Device Industries
• Introduction to Food and Drug Law
• Informatics in Drug and Device Development 
• Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
• Clinical Development I II
• Special Topics in Clinical Trials I and II
• Source http//www.medproddev.sjsu.edu/curriculum
  /

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Emergence of a unique program structure

• Practical
• Applied
• Industry and function specific
• Industry responsive
• Industry advisory boards
• Industry internships

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Professional Science Masters Program Data

• In U.S.
• First program in 1997
• 130 PSM programs 50 in biosciences
• 67 institutions offer these degrees in 25 states
  plus DC
• 2700 graduates as of 2008
• In California
• 16 PSM programs on 14 California State University
  campuses
• Plan fo r30 programs on 20 campuses in the
  future
• 330 students enrolled in 2009-10 75 in
  biosciences

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III. The Challenge of PSM to Higher Education
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The Challenge to Higher Education

• Typical dept structure not equipped to meet
  these needs for example, no dept expertise
  exists to teach a PSM degree.
• Multi-disciplinary programs create conflicts.
  Cross college collaboration a challenge.

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The Challenge to Higher Education

• Silos of traditional disciplines
• PSM programs have strong links to industry,
  industry involved in curriculum design.
• University needs to be customer focused.

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The Challenge to Higher Education

• Normal public university funding schemes
  standard tuition, lack of start-up funds may
  not support these programs.
• Funding may come from industry with
  expectations and demands

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The Challenge to Higher Education

• University approval mechanisms slow to meet this
  demand, industry impatient for workers in these
  fields.
• Interdisciplinary programs a challenge cutting
  across boundaries. Research universities may
  have little interest in this kind of cross
  disciplinary education.

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The Challenge to Higher Education

• Distance education, online education an option
  for these programs for dispersed audience not
  always concentrated in one region CE often the
  campus leader here.
• Online options offer the co-development of
  programs among campuses (e.g. Regulatory Affairs
  course).

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The Challenge to Higher Education

• Campus Campus collaboration
• Draws on large faculty base
• Draws on technical resources for delivery
• Expands offering to more students in wider
  geographic area
• Avoids costly duplication of content

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The Future of PSMs and Workforce Development

• The California State University supports a
  statewide PSM Initiative.
• Executive Board exists with high level industry
  advisors from major corporations
• Business/Industry University Government
  partnerships called triple helix.

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U.S. Federal Government Interest in PSM
Training
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Federal Funding for Professional Science Masters
Degree
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Interest in PSM Training

• National Science Foundation in U.S. supports
  Professional Science and Engineering programs
  e.g. biomedical engineering thrust on
  interdisciplinarity

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Innovation The Key to Economic Recovery

• Management guru Peter Drucker defines innovation
  as the ability to bring products to market.
• National Academy of Sciences report on the need
  for innovation in higher education

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Innovation The Key to Economic Recovery

• This will require the skill of this newly
  trained worker.
• Programs like the PSM degree meet this need.

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Challenges to Innovation

• The University A 1000 year old institution
  unaffected by change.
• Complex approval process
• Slow approval process
• Lack of external accountability
• Accrediting body regulations
• Funding issues

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Thank You

• Online copy of this presentation
  www.ies.sjsu.edu
• Personal contact mark.novak_at_sjsu.edu