Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 University Catalog 
    
2020-2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biotechnology (MS)


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Biotechnology (MS): Program Overview


The Master of Science in Biotechnology (BTN) is a non-thesis research and laboratory training program designed to prepare the student for careers in research-related fields, education, and/or graduate or professional school.  This flexible degree program is designed for students with earned Bachelor’s degrees that are interested in furthering their scientific education. The customized curriculum helps students meet their career and professional goals. There are three tracks in the Program including: 1. Pre-professional, 2. Research, and 3. Education. Students will participate in hands-on laboratory courses designed to cover the common and most important techniques and methods employed in research today. The Program Director, in consultation with The Graduate College Dean, has oversight of the program and its faculty. The Program Director is responsible for the implementation of Program goals and assessment of student learning outcomes.

Biotechnology (MS): Academic Policies


Academic Standing


To maintain good academic standing all Biotechnology students must have a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average at the time of program completion. Any student who falls below this academic standard will be considered to be in academic difficulty. A student in academic difficulty is not eligible for graduation.

Graduate College/Rush University Academic Policies


Academic policies specific to the Graduate College are located earlier in this catalog.  In addition, the Academic Resources and Policies section of this catalog contains Rush University academic policies.

Biotechnology (MS): Curriculum


Degree Requirements


The program consists of three components:

  • Minimum of 34 graduate credits
  • Track components
    • 1. Pre-professional: Human Anatomy, standardized test preparation and test anxiety workshops, and experiential opportunities
    • 2. Research: Capstone independent research project, internship/practicum
    • 3. Education: Capstone independent research project, internship/practicum  

Courses in the following subject areas are required (34 total credit hours):

  • Biomedical informatics
  • Biostatistics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Career Professional Development
  • Pre-professional Track: Professional school preparation, experiential learning and graduate Human Anatomy
  • Research Track: Internship/practicum, and Capstone
  • Education Track: Internship/practicum, and Capstone

It is the student’s responsibility to register for all core courses that are offered within a given term to fulfill Program requirements.  The following are courses that meet the course requirements listed above:

Additional Courses dependent on track choice


Program Total: 34 credit hours


Students are allowed to take one elective course from Graduate College course offerings per term.  No transfer credits from other Rush University Colleges or other institutions will be accepted.

Internship Practicum


Students who choose to participate in an internship/practicum in addition to their didactic and capstone projects. If students choose to participate in an internship/practicum, a minimum of 8 weeks of participation is required for completion of this requirement and will typically be conducted in the spring semester. The goal of the internship/practicum component is to provide the student hands-on exposure to research in a variety of environments. The student will work with a mentor and will be actively involved in the development, execution, and evaluation of a research project or an aspect of research-related activity. During the internship/practicum, the student will be exposed to research-related activities that are aligned with the career goals of the student. For example, a student in the pre-professional track may shadow physicians, while those in the research track will conduct an independent project in a faculty mentors lab, and those students in the education track may perform independent research focused on projects that are transferrable to the classroom.

The internship/practicum may be completed with a mentor who is actively conducting research studies within a research or hospital setting. A practicum may also be performed under the direction of a professional within a drug, device, or biotechnology company, a clinical research organization (CRO), or site management organization (SMO).

Capstone Research


Students in the Research and Education tracks of the BTN program are required to complete a capstone project that provides a culminating experience and applies the principles and methods learned in the coursework to an independent research project. Students generally identify their mentor and develop their research proposal between the first and second semesters. The research project must involve the analysis and interpretation of data. Students are encouraged, but are not required, to conduct primary data collection. Students will present their capstone projects in a public presentation that includes their capstone mentor, BTN students, and faculty members, and any other interested parties.

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