Acquiring Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Designation for Online Degree Programs

1. Acquiring Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Designation for Online Degree Programs Irena Bojanova, Ph.D., Program DirectorTelecommunications Management, Information Technology Infrastructure Rana Khan, Ph.D., Program Director, Biotechnology Studies Graduate School of Management and Technology University of Maryland University College

2. Agenda • What is PSM? • Features • Advantages • Statistics • UMUC’s PSM Programs • Guidelines for PSM Designation • Alignment of UMUC Programs to PSM • UMUC’s Internship Model • BIOT • TLMN • Lessons Learned

3. Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Innovative graduate degree: • Careers in active science • Study in science with professional skills development • Communication, leadership, and team-building • Wider variety of career options Technical leadership development: • Technical depth & leadership skills • Needs increase with complexity • PSMs produce technically knowledgeable leaders

4. PSM Uniqueness • Self-contained degree—not MS to or from PhD • More science than MBA • More informatics/computation than science degree • More professional skills than PhD • Industry group projects versus theses • Awareness of industrial trends • Prepares for entrepreneurship • Curriculum developed in concert with industry

5. PSM Win, Win, Win: Win #1: Universities • Interdisciplinary nature • Another career option for students • Increase in enrollments • Help solve community workforce needs • Increased visibility—sciencemasters.com • More credibility—PSM name & logo • Strong advocacy group • Support of states • Federal grants

6. PSM Win, Win, WinWin #2: Students • PSM Programs are for … • Students who want to work in: • Non-academic sectors • Interdisciplinary careers • Team oriented environments • Managerial level positions • Emerging areas of science and scientific discovery • Students who are looking for: • Alternative ways to remain in science without PhD • Career advancement • Gaining a competitive edge • Refining professional/ technical skills • Career growth.

7. PSM Win, Win, WinWin #3: Employers • Need PhDs, but not in large numbers • Need of advanced science skills—BS not enough • Potential employees with desirable skills • Interdisciplinary background • Project management • Team-building skills • Computational skills • Communication ability • Basic business skills • Ethics, legal issues

8. National Statistics on PSM Programs • First PSM program in 1997 • Currently: • 169 PSM programs  200 in 2010 • 86 PSM-affiliated institutions  100 in 2010 • 25 states and DC, Canada and U.K. • 10 Fields of Study: • Biology/Biotechnology • Chemistry • Computational MolecularBiology/Bioinformatics • Computational Sciences • Environmental Sciences • Forensic Sciences • Mathematics and Statistics • Medical-Related Sciences • National Defense • Physics and Geological Sciences • Source: PSM

9. The number of PSM programs grew by 30% in 2009 alone. Growth in PSM Programs • National Statistics on PSM Graduates: • Over 1,300 students enrolment/year • ~ 50% women! • ~ 50% attending part-time • Over 500 degrees awarded each year • Over 2,700 graduates since 1997 • 85% US citizens • 54% women! • Source: CGS

10. PSM Programs at UMUC: • Biotechnology Studies: Dr. Rana Khan • Environmental Management: Dr. Robert Beauchamp • Information Assurance: Dr. Jim Chen • Software Engineering: Dr. HasanSayani • Telecommunications Management: Dr. Irena Bojanova Expectations for 2010: More than 200 programs at over 100 institutions. PSM Programs Locations

11. Guidelines for PSM Recognition Established by CGS guidelines—sciencemasters.com: • Quality and comparability • Accepted and recognizable standards • Total credits as for MS degree • Coursework in science/ math • Professional skills component • Program quality assurance • Industry advisory board • Track enrollment/ employment • Use PSM name and logo • Apply to CGS for recognition

12. Alignment of UMUC programs to PSM

13. UMUC’s Innovative Internship Model Breaking new ground: • Online Capstone courses: • Integrating virtual internships • Industry sponsored projects • Application of knowledge / skills • Technology use: • Cloud Computing:WebEx Connect, Google Docs • Web 2.0:Tweeter/Twibes, Google Wave • Virtual worlds:Second Life

14. Capstone Course

15. Group Project Structure

16. Example of Detailed TLMN Project Milestones and Deliverables

17. BIOT Capstone Project Examples

18. TLMN Capstone Project Examples

19. Testimonials • Students: • Great way to tie in the entire program and apply what we've learned • Hands on and exposure to real business world application • Developed a better understanding of what real world businesses are contemplating when it comes to new product development and marketing • Found it extremely rewarding to work with a biotech company CEO • Course is intellectually challenging and improves ones knowledge and interaction with other people • Industry sponsored capstones are more credible and legit. The also provide industry insights, which is important • Companies: • Students had all of the information/skills they needed for the project • They did very well in addressing the goals of the project • Students skills and interests were very complementary to one another • Teams did an excellent job providing highly valuable & pertinent content

20. Lessons Learned • Network of companies for projects • Class set up before semester start • Clear instructions on activities and expectations • Simple syllabus, but providing details as needed • Timeliness and accountability from students and team leads • Realistic scope of projects • Clear project descriptions

21. Further Information Irena Bojanova: ibojanova@umuc.edu Rana Khan: rkhan@umuc.edu BIOT: http://www.umuc.edu/programs/grad/biotech_studies/index.shtml TLMN: http://www.umuc.edu/programs/grad/msit/telecommunications_management.shtml PSM: sciencemasters.com NPSMA: http://npsma.org

22. Questions and Answers