The Baltimore Sun’s latest special section on education highlights several UMBC programs designed to prepare students to start or advance careers in new areas that combine the most recent innovations of different fields.
In UMBC’s master of professional studies program in biotechnology, students explore the intersections of science and business, preparing for a rapidly growing biotech job market as well as tech-focused entrepreneurial careers. “The program is a hybrid between an M.S. and an M.B.A.,” explains Sheldon Broedel, assistant graduate program director and instructor in the program.
Stephen Miller, associate professor of biological sciences and director of the biotechnology M.P.S. program, says it is particularly well-designed to prepare professionals who previously studied the sciences to commercialize technologies, start biotech enterprises, or contribute to the growth of existing biotech employers.
“We want their background in science to be a bridge to business,” he says, “and we work to get them placed where they gain experience.” The UMBC Career Center works with current students and recent graduates in their job searches and preparing for interviews.
The Division of Professional Studies continues to expand its degree offerings, with plans to launch additional programs in fall 2017. A new M.P.S. program in technical management is designed for professionals with 3 – 5 years of experience who want to develop strong leadership and communications skills.
UMBC’s media and communications studies (MCS) program, highlighted in another Sun article in the issue, also focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to a field experiencing rapid technological advancement. MCS exposes students to current expertise in journalism, multimedia production, public relations, marketing, and even theater.
Donald Snyder, senior lecturer of MCS, notes, “We believe that flexibility is key to any interdisciplinary major, so we focus on larger debates and theories in mass communication and then bridge those ideas to practical applications.”
Snyder explains that all students majoring in media and communications studies must also complete an internship. He helped Giselle Nakpil ‘19, MCS, find an internship with the Institute for Public Accuracy, which gave her a window into media and communications related to politics and policy, new areas for her.
Yao Adantor ‘14, industrial psychology, was also featured in The Baltimore Sun’s special section on education, discussing his current M.P.S. program at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Read the full articles in The Baltimore Sun’s special section on education.
Image: UMBC library. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.
Tags: Biology, COEIT, MCS, Psychology
