EDUCATION NRC report supports professional science master’s degree

Abstract

Congress needs to ensure that funds are directed to federal agencies to support professional science master’s (PSM) degree programs in the natural sciences, according to a report released by the National Research Council at a press briefing on July 11. Like traditional master’s programs, PSM programs offer advanced science courses, but they also include business skill components. The report, “Science Professionals: Master’s Education for a Competitive World,” notes that PSM degrees play a vital role in the 21st-century workforce and science-based industry in the U.S. “Industry, government, and nonprofits need employees who have deep scientific knowledge, as well as skills to apply that knowledge in innovative ways,” report committee Chair Rita R. Colwell, a former NSF director, said at the briefing. PSM programs provide this training (C&EN, June 16, page 65). And their importance is evidenced by the fact that graduates are being snatched up by biotech companies, Colwell tells C&EN. Currently, NSF is the ...