Biotechnology (MS)

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Biotechnology (MS): Program Overview

The Master of Science in Biotechnology (MSB) 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 maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average each term and earn no less than a C in any course. 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: Capstone independent research project, standardized test preparation and test anxiety workshops
- 2. Research: Capstone independent research project, practicum
- 3. Education: Capstone independent research project, practicum

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

Experimental design and disease models
Biomedical informatics
Biostatistics
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Career Development
Preprofessional Track: Professional school preparation and Capstone/Thesis Research
Research Track: Capstone/Thesis Research
Education Track: Internship/Practicum, and Capstone/Thesis Research

The following are courses that meet the course requirements listed above:

Fall Term

BTN - 524 Communication & Lab Management Credit(s): 1
BTN - 525 Exper Models in Disease & Exper Design Credit(s): 2
BTN - 531 Laboratory Techniques I Credit(s): 2
BTN - 532 Laboratory Techniques II Credit(s): 2
BTN - 533 Laboratory Techniques III Credit(s): 2
GCC - 501 Molecular Bio: Genome/Proteome Credit(s): 3
GCC - 502 Cell Biochem:Pro,Trans,Signl Credit(s): 3
GCC - 503 Functional Cell Biology Credit(s): 1
GCC - 546 Principles of Biostatistics I Credit(s): 2
GCC - 548 Bioinformatics Credit(s): 1
IPE - 502 Interprofessional Patient Centered Teams Credit(s): Non Credit

Spring Term

BTN - 534 Laboratory Techniques IV Credit(s): 2
BTN - 535 Laboratory Techniques V Credit(s): 1
BTN - 536 Laboratory Techniques VI Credit(s): 2
BTN - 537 Research Capstone Credit(s): 4
GCC - 506 Biomedical Ethics Credit(s): 1
GCC - 510 Introduction to Pharmacology Credit(s): 3
GCC - 547 Principles of Biostatistics II Credit(s): 2
GCC - 549 Bioinformatics II Credit(s): 1
GCC - 900 Independent Study Credit(s): 1-9
IPE - 502 Interprofessional Patient Centered Teams Credit(s): Non Credit

Program Total: 34 credit hours

A wide variety of additional courses offered at Rush University will count toward elective credit. A maximum of 4 credit hours may be taken as the internship/practicum or for research. To waive a course requirement, students must speak to the Program Director and Associate Dean. 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 MSB 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, MSB students, and faculty members, and any other interested parties.