Hybrid master’s degree - GI Bill, Tuition Assistance, Veterans Education Benefits, Military College Credit, Military to Civilian Transitions - Navy Times

Hybrid master’s degree

It used to be that if you majored in a science, your job choices were limited to research or academia. Enter the professional science master’s, or PSM, a relatively new degree that’s attracting attention from employers in a variety of science and technology industries.

The PSM, which has been around since 1997, is a hybrid degree that marries graduate-level coursework in science, technology and engineering with classes in business, communication and ethics, said Carol Lynch, co-director of PSM initiatives for the Council of Graduate Schools.

The PSM is the equivalent of a usual master’s in length, taking 18 months to two years of full-time study to complete. Course content varies by program, but students can expect about a 70/30 ratio of science to other disciplines, said Dagmar Beck, president of the National Professional Science Master’s Association.

“The idea [behind the PSM] is to train people and enhance their science background but also create more business-minded professionals that industry is looking for,” Beck said.

Benefits for students

There were more than 240 PSM programs worldwide as of press time — most of them in the U.S., Lynch said. Programs vary in focus from biology, biotechnology and medical-related sciences to nanoscience, mathematics, statistics, physics and geological sciences.

“It’s all over the map,” Lynch said. “Pick any science field, and you can have a PSM.”

Beyond the fact that a PSM opens more doors, it also gives students more flexibility in building and shaping their academic tracks, Beck said.

“If they want to focus on sustainability, for example, they would take a certain number of core courses, but then they have a wide selection of electives to pursue,” Beck said.

Career opportunities for those with a PSM also are varied, with jobs available in the military and all levels of government, in health care, at nonprofits and in many types of industry, such as oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology — and connecting students with employers is often a priority.

A hallmark of PSM programs is early outreach to potential employer bases, Lynch said. Many schools work closely with an employer board to develop programs that will meet the needs of local economies. Connecticut employers might want to focus on patent law, for example, while West Coast employers may be more interested in programs that emphasize finance.

Benefits for employers

Before the PSM, employers struggled to find the “total package.” Hiring someone with a science background often meant other skills were lacking.

“I’ve had employers tell me that when they hired a good engineer, they’d have to send them for some business classes to teach them how to write and speak,” Lynch said. Likewise, “MBAs don’t have a technical background. How can they make decisions in a technology business if they don’t understand the technology the company provides?” Beck said.

The versatility of PSM graduates — that combination of science skills and business and management know-how — translates into very high employment, with competitive salaries, even in today’s tough economic climate.

Indeed, 82 percent of PSM graduates had jobs soon after receiving their degrees, according to a recent survey by the Council of Graduate Schools. The survey also found that more than 55 percent of those employed earned $50,000 or more annually — although Lynch adds that some grads start at more than $100,000. Among those who were in new jobs, 38 percent said they got those jobs at a result of PSM internship.

Recruiting military

As interest in the PSM grows, the degree is being adopted across entire state university systems, Beck said. The California State University system, for example, currently offers 22 PSM programs on 17 campuses. Some schools are specifically targeting service members and veterans. The CSU system has a veterans initiative designed to prepare military members for PSM careers in the private sector.

Elsewhere, online-only PSM programs are being developed or tweaked with an eye toward becoming more military friendly.

University of Maryland University College currently offers seven online PSMs, for example, and the Illinois Institute of Technology has five online-only PSMs.

“The word is spreading,” Beck said. “It’s definitely in demand out there. Industry and business recognize the versatility of the students from PSM programs. It makes them a lot more desirable for hiring and a lot more useful in business.”

Majors offered

Categories and numbers of professional science master’s degree programs:

* Biology-biotechnology (75)

* Environmental sciences (51)

* Mathematics and statistics (23)

* Computational sciences (22)

* Computational molecular biology (19)

* Physics and geological sciences (17)

* Medical-related sciences (14)

* Chemistry (12)

* Forensic sciences (5)

* Nanoscience (3)

Source: National Professional Science Master’s Association

Job possibilities

Want to know how many PSM jobs get posted in your area? Search for the following:

* Laboratory manager

* Military analyst

* Patent law officer

* Project scientist

* Quality assurance analyst

* Statistician

* Financial analyst

* Portfolio manager

* Project manager

* Researcher

* Government regulator