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: 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 and experiential learning
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:

Required Courses for All Students (20 credits)

BTN - 523 Career Planning Credit(s): 1
BTN - 531 Laboratory Techniques I Credit(s): 2
BTN - 532 Laboratory Techniques II Credit(s): 2
GCC - 506 Biomedical Ethics Credit(s): 1
GCC - 516 Foundations in Biomedical Sciences Credit(s): 7
GCC - 546 Principles of Biostatistics I Credit(s): 2
GCC - 547 Principles of Biostatistics II Credit(s): 2
GCC - 548 Bioinformatics Credit(s): 1
GCC - 900 Independent Study Credit(s): 1-9
Experiential Learning

Additional Courses Pre-Professional Track

In addition to the Required Core coursework, students in the pre-professional track are required to take the following course offerings to fulfill Program requirements. Including 5 credits of elective coursework from Graduate College course offerings.

GCC - 900 Independent Study Credit(s): 1-9
Pre-Professional Development [ Credits / Units: 3
BTN - 533 Laboratory Techniques III Credit(s): 2
BTN - 534 Laboratory Animal Procedures and Techniques Credit(s): 2
BTN - 525 Exper Models in Disease & Exper Design Credit(s): 2

Additional Courses Research Track

In addition to the required core coursework, students in the research track are required to take the following course offerings to fulfill Program requirements. Including 5 credits of elective coursework from Graduate College course offerings.

BTN - 533 Laboratory Techniques III Credit(s): 2
BTN - 534 Laboratory Animal Procedures and Techniques Credit(s): 2
BTN - 537 Research Capstone Credit(s): 4
GCC - 549 Bioinformatics II Credit(s): 1

Additional Courses Education Track

In addition to the Required Core coursework, students in the education track are required to take the following courses and complete a minimum of three elective courses from Graduate College course offerings to fulfill program requirements.

BTN - 537 Research Capstone Credit(s): 4

Program Total: 34 credit hours

Elective courses may be chosen from Graduate College course offerings each term. No transfer credits from other Rush University Colleges or other institutions will be accepted.

Internship Practicum

Students may 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 te10 weeks of participation is required for completion of this requirement and will typically be conducted in the spring term. 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.

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 (Research Track)

Students in the Research Track 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 during the second semester. 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.

Capstone Research (Education Track)

Students in the Education Track 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. These projects will be translatable to laboratory curricula appropriate for secondary education. Students will develop projects in collaboration with assigned mentors that involve the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. 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.

Experiential Learning (Education Track)

The experiential learning component of the Education Track provides students with the opportunity to translate their biotechnology skills and knowledge into lesson plans for secondary school students. During the summer teaching practicum, students will practice teaching the laboratory curricula they developed for their capstone research projects to secondary school students invited to Rush’s campus over the final week of the summer semester. Upon completion of the teaching practicum, Education Track students are eligible to check out laboratory equipment and reagents from the Experiment Library to use in their own classrooms during the academic year.