Professional Science Master’s (PSM) -
What is it?A new kind of degree that: Prepares graduates for work - outside
academia - involved in active science. Combines technical competencies with
workforce skills, e.g. management, policy, communications, law - “Science Plus!”
Leads to a wider variety of career options than provided by traditional graduate programs – jobs in business, government, non-profit sectors.
What else is it? Technical Leadership
Development Technical depth and leadership skills are hard to find in one person, but essential in many employment areas (director/manager in technical and financial fields).
PSMs produce technically knowledgeable leaders.
Needs for such people increase with complexity.
This is vital for US global competitiveness.
Professional Science Master’s Degree - Why?
Odd Gap in U.S. Science Graduate Education • Strong: Bachelors, PhDs in science.• But BA/BS insufficient for science career.• Master’s considered merely as entry to (or
exit from) the PhD.• But PhD too long, with uncertain prospects.• Attractiveness of PhD declining among
domestic students; < 20% of majors continue in science/math graduate programs.
Doctoral S&E Degrees by World Region
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004
S & E Ph.D. Degrees
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
U.S. Citizens and Perm Res
USA Europe Asia % US Citizens
All U.S
Europe
Asia
U.S. Citizen
© Council of Graduate Schools, 2007Source: National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2004
Many need PhDs, but not in large numbers PLUS…
• Interdisciplinary teamwork, flexibility• Project management• Computational skills • Communication ability• Basic business skills• Ethics• Legal and regulatory issues
PSM – Why? Employers Views:
PSM – Why? Workforce Projections
Globalizing, off-shoring, rapid change
Many expect demand for graduate skills
Ramp-ups in competition: China, India
Needed: more flexibility, nimbleness in graduate science education
PSM Programs Are For:
Students who want to work in: Non-academic sectors Interdisciplinary careers Team oriented environments Managerial or other professional level positions Emerging areas of science and scientific discoveryStudents who are: Seeking career advancement in government,
industry, and technology, Looking to gain a competitive edge in the job market, Re-entering the workforce looking to refine
professional and technical skills, Seeking career growth
How is the PSM Different?
More science (or mathematics) than MBA More informatics/computation than
science degree More professional skills (business, law,
communication) than PhD Connections with potential employers Project or team experience vs. thesis: real
world experience
How is the PSM Different?
Curriculum developed in concert with employers and designed to dovetail into present and future vocational opportunities.
Based on analysis of demand for graduates, including collection of information from potential employers.
How Do Employers Help?
Advise PSM faculty Mentor PSM students Tuition for employees Internships Prospective employers Champions re: regional economic
development
Who Hires PSM Graduates?
Applied Biosciences Eli Lilly 3-Dimension Pharmaceuticals (J&J) The Institute for Human Genome Therapy Health Sciences, Inc. Glaxo SmithKline Purdue Pharma Novartis Texas Department of Public Safety Johnson & Johnson
Who Hires PSM Graduates?
Financial, Industrial Math & Statistics First Federal Bank Digital Credit Co. Putnam Investments Watson-Wyatt Chevron Lockheed-Martin G.E. Capital Department of Agriculture American Automobile Association
Starting Salaries for PSM Graduates
Private Industry - $55,000 - $62,000• Boeing, Chevron, Novartis, Lockheed-Martin, G.E.
Capital, Raytheon, Pfizer, Glaxo Smith-Kline Government - $45,000 - $55,000
• NASA, EPA, USDA, National Center for Food Safety, Michigan Council of Governments
Nonprofits - $45,000 - $55,000• Mayo Clinic, Institute Human Genome Therapy, IIT,• Research Institute, Institute for Pollution Control
Comparable salaries for BS graduates: $29,000 - $36,000
(NSF data)
Declared Majors of 1999-2000 Undergraduate Students
Business/ManagementArts and HumanitiesHealth Sciences/ProfessionsSocial/Behavioral SciencesComputer/Information ScienceEducationEngineeringLife SciencesPhysical SciencesMathematicsVocational/TechnicalOther Technical/Professional
18.6%17.6%10.2% 9.2% 8.6% 8.1% 5.6% 5.2% 1.2% 0.8% 5.1%10.0%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
1975-76 1985-86 1995-96 2001-02 Change 76-02 Deg 01-02
Total Bachelor’s Degrees
925,746 987,823 1,164,792 1,291,900 39.6% 1,291,900
Eng. BS/Total BS 5.00% 9.68% 6.66% 6.06% 21.0% 78,225
Bio/Math/Phys Sci BS/Total BS
9.95% 7.83% 6.41% 6.52% -34.5% 84,179
*Social Sciences BA/Total BA
19.08% 13.61% 16.95% 15.71% -17.7% 202,939
Total Master’s Degrees
311,771 288,567 406,301 482,118 54.6% 482,118
Eng.MS/Total MS 5.24% 7.51% 6.39% 6.17% 17.7% 29,754
Bio/Math/Phys Sci MS/Total MS
5.25% 5.03% 3.49% 3.11% -40.8% 14,975
*Social Sciences MA/Total MA
8.38% 7.07% 5.64% 5.55% 33.8% 26,742
Total Ph.D. Degrees
34,064 33,653 44,652 44,160 29.6% 44,160
Eng. PhD/Total PhD
8.28% 10.13% 12.32% 13.54% 63.5% 5,979
Bio/Math/Phys Sci Ph.D. Tot PhD
22.70% 22.84% 21.76% 23.42% 3.2% 10,341
*Social Sciences Ph.D/Total PhD
21.47% 19.46% 14.76% 16.28% -24.2% 7,190
Total Masters/Total Bachelor’s
33.68% 29.21% 34.88% 37.65% 11.8%
Engineering 35.27% 22.64% 33.50% 36.80% 4.3%
Biological Sci 12.13% 13.01% 11.14% 10.11% -16.6%
Mathematics 26.43% 21.04% 27.13% 27.46% 3.9%
Physical Sci 25.46% 27.18% 31.69% 30.58% 20.1%
*Social Sci 14.78% 15.18% 11.60% 12.07% -18.4%
*Social Sciences includes Psychology and HistoryaSource: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Share of Degrees Awarded in Science, Engineering and Social Sciences 1976-2002a
• Negotiation/Consensus Building
• Financial Management
• Marketing Management
• Managerial Accounting
• Organizational Communication Skills
• Writing and Public Speaking
• Principles of Micro and Macro Economics
• The Legal Environment of Business
• Project Management
• Team Management
• Presentation Skills
• Intellectual Property Law
• Copyright Law
• Health Care Administration
• Running Clinical Trials
• Web Design
• Graphics/Publications
• Regulatory Issues
• Entrepreneurship
• Leadership Training
• Statistics
• Ethics
• Technology Transfer
• Global Understanding
• Critical Thinking / Decision Making
• Other Possible Plus Courses
SUNY PLUS Courses
Members of industry requested that PSM graduates exhibit the following skills:
• Working knowledge of business and ethics
• Solid science background • Teamwork experience • Writing skills • Communications/presentation skills • Flexible training and career perspective
Source: Professional Master’s Education: A CGS Guide to Establishing Programs, page 14-15.
PSM Learning Outcomes
These components translate into the ability of a program graduate to:
• Understand and appreciate the basic principles of business, the profit motive, and related ethical issues
• Design and execute experiments with minimal supervision
• Participate effectively as members of interdisciplinary teams
• Prepare technical reports, project plans, and regulator documents
• Prepare and present information to a wide variety of constituents, from customers to stockholders to the general public
• Apply their knowledge and skills to various areas of the company as needed during their career trajectory
Source: Professional Master’s Education: A CGS Guide to Establishing Programs, page 14-15.
PSM Learning Outcomes, cont’d
These components translate into the ability of a program graduate to:
• Understand and appreciate the basic principles of business, the profit motive, and related ethical issues
• Design and execute experiments with minimal supervision
• Participate effectively as members of interdisciplinary teams
• Prepare technical reports, project plans, and regulator documents
• Prepare and present information to a wide variety of constituents, from customers to stockholders to the general public
• Apply their knowledge and skills to various areas of the company as needed during their career trajectory
Source: Professional Master’s Education: A CGS Guide to Establishing Programs, page 14-15.
PSM Learning Outcomes, cont’d
Partners
• The State University of New York
• NYS Empire State Development Corporation
• NYS Department of Labor
• The Business Council of New York State
• NYS Economic Development Council
Chancellor John Ryan - Spring 2007“The Listening Tour”
Participants
• Invited members of the business, economic development and SUNY community
Listening Tour Sites
• Mid-Hudson - Orange Community College
• Capital Region - University at Albany
• Mohawk Valley - Institute of Technology
• North Country - Plattsburgh State College
• Southern Tier - Corning Community College
• Central New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry
• Finger Lakes - Monroe Community College
• Western New York - Buffalo State College
• Long Island - Stony Brook University
The Listening TourNext Steps for SUNY
• Educate and train students to be the highly skilled workers of tomorrow• Promote a SUNY-Wide culture that encourages and nurtures innovation and entrepreneurship• Recruit renowned faculty who will attract research funding and other activities• That result in new inventions, discoveries and innovations• Move quickly in the area of research, development and deployment (RDD) of new technologies and inventions• Establish and foster incubators, startups and other venues for entrepreneurship and innovative start-ups• Establish and cultivate university-industry partnerships• Promote and participate in partnerships for regional economic development • Develop and sustain strategic initiatives that promote economic development• Enhance the quality of life in the campus community and surrounding region
The Professional Science Master’s InitiativePurpose/Goals
• Reversing the ‘brain drain’
• Strengthen master’s level education across SUNY
• Help to solve the national shortage of domestic students in the sciences and mathematics pipeline
• Create a second center of gravity in graduate education that would articulate a distinctive purpose for more of its master’s degree programs
• Revitalizing the career potential for students who do not wish to pursue the doctorate
System-wide Adoption System-wide Adoption of the PSM:of the PSM:
The SUNY ExperienceThe SUNY Experience
NGA Policy AcademyJune 2-3, 2008
Source: "Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity, 1992 to 2022," Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Projections of High School Graduates
150,000
155,000
160,000
165,000
170,000
175,000
180,000
185,000
190,000
195,000
1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
NYS
2,400,000
2,500,000
2,600,000
2,700,000
2,800,000
2,900,000
3,000,000
3,100,000
3,200,000
3,300,000
3,400,000
New York State
United States
Getting StartedGetting Started
2006: SUNY Graduate Deans become 2006: SUNY Graduate Deans become interested in the PSM; interested in the PSM;
Discussions with Sloan and Council of Discussions with Sloan and Council of Graduate Schools representatives;Graduate Schools representatives;
Deans approach SUNY System Deans approach SUNY System Admin. for support and coordination.Admin. for support and coordination.
Getting OrganizedGetting Organized
2007: Formation of a PSM Planning 2007: Formation of a PSM Planning Group; Group;
Development of a plan for the Development of a plan for the System-wide adoption of the PSM System-wide adoption of the PSM Grant;Grant;
Support from the Sloan Foundation Support from the Sloan Foundation creates wider interest in the PSM.creates wider interest in the PSM.
Funding CampusesFunding Campuses
Western RegionWestern Region
BrockportBrockportBiological Sciences
Buffalo StateBuffalo StateApplied Health Promotion
ScienceApplied Mathematics and
Computational Science
BuffaloBuffaloBiophysicsNatural and Biomedical
Sciences
Central RegionCentral Region
BinghamtonBinghamtonGeographic Information
SystemsMaterials Science and
EngineeringIntegrated Watershed
Studies
SUNYITSUNYITApplied MathematicsAdvanced Technology
OswegoOswegoHuman Computer
InteractionChemistry
Eastern RegionEastern Region
AlbanyAlbanyComputer ScienceForensic Molecular
BiologyBiodiversity,
Conservation and Policy
PlattsburghPlattsburghAllied HealthEnvironmental Policy
PotsdamPotsdamComputational ScienceInformation Security
Getting to WorkGetting to Work
Meeting with faculty on PSM Meeting with faculty on PSM curriculum design;curriculum design;
Conducting and inventory of Plus Conducting and inventory of Plus Course Assets on SUNY campuses;Course Assets on SUNY campuses;
Meetings with regional business and Meetings with regional business and industry groups.industry groups.
Facilitating PSM program/degree Facilitating PSM program/degree approval by the NYS Education Dept.approval by the NYS Education Dept.
Exploring funding options to maintain Exploring funding options to maintain momentum beyond Sloan grant momentum beyond Sloan grant
Institutionalizing the SUNY-PSM Institutionalizing the SUNY-PSM InfrastructureInfrastructure
Next StepsNext Steps