Clarkson University to Offer New Master’s Program in Interdisciplinary Bioscience & Biotechnology

Newswise — Beginning in the fall of 2018, Clarkson University will offer a new master’s degree program in Interdisciplinary Bioscience & Biotechnology (IBB-MS).

The Biology Department at Clarkson has recognized a need for a strong M.S. degree bioscience program. Currently, the only mechanism for pursuing an M.S. degree in bioscience at Clarkson University is the Master in Basic Science (MBS) Program. The Interdisciplinary Bioscience & Biotechnology Master will be the first offered in New York State Education Department Regents Region 6. Strong undergraduate students at Clarkson and neighboring institutions can pursue a 4-plus-1 option in which they take two graduate courses their senior year and complete the M.S. degree in a fifth year.

“It is a master’s equivalent of our Ph.D. program,” said Biology Chair Tom Langen. “We think this fits a niche that has been open for students who want to pursue a master’s degree, and students do for a lot of reasons in bioscience.”

The IBB-MS degree program is intended for those who need a bioscience M.S. degree to be competitive for biomedical and biotech industry scientific and administrative positions, or a bioscience M.S. degree to be attractive for strong Ph.D. bioscience graduate programs, or else a bioscience M.S. degree to be more competitive when applying for highly-competitive veterinary or medical school professional programs.

In 2013, Clarkson University and the Trudeau Institute received funding to strengthen bioscience and biotechnology in the North Country region of New York State. In 2013, Clarkson recruited its first full cohort of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Biotechnology Ph.D. (IBB-PhD) students. The Clarkson–Trudeau partnership initiated a number of research and teaching collaborations. The IBB-PhD program has been successful at recruiting appropriate students, and now has alumni working at universities, government agencies, and industry.