Bioscience Management Online (MS)

Distribution Requirement (30 Credits)

Chemistry / Biochemistry: 6 - 12 credits
Biology / Biotechnology*: 6 - 12 credits
Management: 6 - 12 credits
Electives: 3 - 9 credits

• For this interdisciplinary degree, no more than half of the academic credit can be taken in the same department.
• Courses across all 3 departments (CBC, BBT and Management) will require a fundamental knowledge of algebra
• Life Science courses will assume a basic knowledge of biochemistry and molecular biology
  • A foundation or ramp-up course, Molecular Biology of the Cell, is recommended for students who need to refresh their baseline knowledge before moving on to additional life science courses. 

*Note: Some of the biomanufacturing courses require an on-site lab, however students are not required to take courses with a lab component as part of their plan of study. 

Thesis option: Currently, WPI’s online graduate programs do not offer a thesis option, as theses cannot be completed online. If you wish to pursue a thesis on campus, it is the student’s responsibility to find an advisor. Please note that depending on the project’s subject and timeframe, there might not be a faculty member willing or able to advise.

View academic term start dates for online courses.

Academic Year 2020

FALL TERM     

• BB 570 ST. Genetic Engineering and Synthetic Biology
• BB 570 ST.  Molecular Biology of the Cell
• BUS 546.  Managing Technological Innovation 
• OIE 542.  Risk Management and Decision Making
• FIN 503.  Financial Decision-Making for Value Creation

EARLY SPRING TERM

• BB 560.  Methods of Protein Purification and Downstream Processing*
• BB or CH course (see list below)
• MIS 576. Project Management 
• OBC 505. Teaming and Organizing for Innovation

LATE SPRING TERM

• BB 509.  Scale-Up of Bioprocessing* or
• BB or CH Course (see list below)
• OIE 598.  Engineering Economics 
• OIE 542.  Risk Management and Decision Making

SUMMER TERM

• MA 501.  Engineering Mathematics
• MA 511.  Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists 
• MIS 576. Project Management

OTHER BIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY COURSES

These skills-based courses will be offered every other year (as needed):

• BB 570 ST.  Animal Cell Culture*
• BB 570 ST.  Medical and Applied Immunology*
• BB 565.  Virology*
• BB 581.  Bioinformatics*
• BB 553.  Experimental Design and Statistics in the Life Sciences*
• BB 570 ST.  Genetic Engineering and Gene Expression*
• BB 570 ST.  Advanced Topics in Biotechnology

OTHER CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES

• CH 538.  Medicinal Chemistry
• CH 555 ST.  Drug Regulations
• CH 555 ST.  Drug Safety and Regulatory Affairs
• CH 555 ST.  Membrane Protein-Targeted Drug Design

OTHER ELECTIVES

• BME 532.  Medical Device Regulations (14 weeks)
• BME 595D.  Medical Device Design Controls (14 weeks)

Additional management and math electives can be found here.

Please note that asterisks (*) indicate that although the course is offered online, it is a “skills-based” course and includes 12-24 hrs of hands-on labwork, delivered on the weekends in 4-8 hr modules, on the WPI campus.  

Software used in this program: Labster Simulation Software

Course Offerings are subject to change.  If you are interested in enrolling, please contact us for the most up-to-date information.

• A Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited program in life science; other backgrounds including management, engineering or computer science may be considered on an individual basis. If an applicant does not have a degree in the life sciences, they should demonstrate knowledge and exposure to the life sciences through work experience or other outlet. We recommend applicants use their resume and statement of purpose to describe their educational development in the life sciences post degree. 
• Undergraduate major GPA of > 3.0