Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education (STEM)
Legislative Professional Development in Math and Science Education
NCSL has partnered with the Sloan Foundation and the Council of Graduate Schools to offer state legislators and staff the opportunity to learn about a new and unique graduate degree called the Professional Science Masters (PSM) degree. (See below for information on the degree.) NCSL has funds for a limited number of legislators and staffers to travel to the meetings listed below to interact with University Deans, PSM Program Directors, and Council of Graduate School staff to learn how and why PSM’s are important. NCSL will cover all expenses. Contact Heather Grinager, NCSL Education Policy Specialist at heather.grinager@ncsl.org or 303.856.1392.
Who should attend? Legislators and legislative staff interested in:
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Learning about universities in your state that are on the cutting edge by offering a PSM degree and the positive outcomes for students, businesses, and the state economy,
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Learning about how your state can effectively prepare math and science graduates for the 21st century workforce,
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Learning how universities are using the PSM degree to keep students interested in math and science and increase the number of women and minorities that pursue math and science degrees.
Council of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS)
February 24-26, 2007 in Chattanooga, TN
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS)
March 16-18, 2007 in Portland, OR
Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS)
March 22-24, 2007 in Washington, D.C.
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.
Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS)
April 10-14, 2007 in Indianapolis, IN
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin
What is the Professional Science Masters (PSM) Degree?
A graduate degree designed to prepare graduates for work outside academia for local/regional employers, rather than preparation for doctoral study.
A graduate degree that combines technical competencies in math and/or science with workforce skills, e.g. management, policy, communications, or law.
A graduate degree in which the program rationale is based on analysis of demand for graduates, including collection of information about non-academic employment opportunities from potential employers.
Why is the PSM Degree Unique?
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Developed in concert with industry and designed to dovetail into present and future job opportunities
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Have Employer Advisory Boards
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Requires an internship
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Designed to allow students to remain in science without a PhD.
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Addresses emerging needs more quickly – only two years.
There are nearly 100 PSM degrees in 50 institutions in 20 states
A Few Examples…
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Georgia Institute of Technology, GA
- Bioinformatics
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Prosthetics and Orthotics
- Quantitative Computational Finance |
Middle Tennessee State University, TN
- Biotechnology
- Biostatistics
- Health Care Informatics
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Western Carolina University, NC
- Science Entrepreneurship |
Southern Illinois University, IL
- Biotechnology Management
- Environmental Risk Management |
Who is Enrolling in PSM Degree Programs?
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More than 3,400 students have enrolled between 2003-05
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More than 1,200 students have graduated between 2003-05
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51% Women (Preliminary for 2004-05 Calendar Year)
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10% Underrepresented Minorities (Preliminary for 2004-05 Calendar Year)
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85% U.S. citizens (Preliminary for 2004-05 Calendar Year)
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Compares with 43% women’s share in total master’s degrees awarded in natural sciences in 2004
“The professional who is capable of interacting with other professionals in the borderlands between specializations is the one in tomorrow's economy who will end run the crowd.” www.sciencemasters.com website
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