By Marie Gullard — Thirty years ago, as more and more biotechnology companies sprouted up along the Interstate 270 corridor, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Dr. Richard E. Wolf Jr. of the Department of Biological Sciences (now professor and program director for M.S. in Applied Molecular Biology and M.P.S. Biotechnology) did a little research of his own.

He and a colleague contacted executives at several fledgling Biotech Companies – Bethesda Research Labs, Upjohn and Dow – to ascertain what they foresaw as the demand for bench workers in biotechnology.

Would these employees hold a bachelor’s, master’s or a Ph.D.?  The collective responses from these executives clearly emphasized the need for employees with doctorates in Biology, because those with a B.S. simply did not know enough and would require a great deal of additional training.  Further, these executives stressed that in an ideal world, they would employ very well trained, hands-on master’s students.

It was then that Wolf recalled a conversation with a former student, Dr. Sheldon Broedel Jr.  Broedel is founder and CEO of Athena Environmental Sciences, Inc., a diversified biotechnology company located in Baltimore. AthenaES specializes in the development and commercialization of advanced biotechnology-based products.

“[Broedel] said that in small companies it is really valuable if [the] employees are switch-hitters in that, on the one hand they are good bench scientists, but on the other hand, they also understand the business, they can read contracts, participate in writing grants, do spreadsheets and things like that,” Wolf noted, adding that the master’s programs developed [the master of Professional Science in Biotechnology and the certificate in Biotechnology Management] “provide a solid foundation in both business management and regulatory issues pertaining to biotechnology. [They were] designed for working professionals who wish to move from the bench to the business side of biotechnology.”

Now Chris Morris, Ph.D., the associate vice-provost for Continuing and Professional Studies at UMBC, came into the picture as part of a focus group to determine the parameters of the graduate programs.

In addition to managing a portfolio of successful master’s programs designed specifically for working professionals (including biotechnology), Morris  is a university leader in the collaborative development of new graduate programs that respond to workforce needs.

“[I] enjoy the challenge of building bridges between the educational needs of the marketplace and the talent, resources and mission of the university,” she said.

Today, four UMBC biotechnology programs are in place.

Candidates can earn a nationally accredited biotechnology master’s of Professional Science (MPS) in one and a half years. There are paid internship opportunities through the Shriver Center at UMBC and no thesis is required. Industry practitioners and well regarded faculty instruct the full-time and part-time programs with evening and hybrid courses available.

The M.S. in Applied Molecular Biology is a full-time, project-oriented research program in which the candidate can earn an advanced degree in nine months, learning the theory and methods of molecular biology to prepare for a research career.  This degree is also available as a combined B.S.-M.S. for UMBC undergraduates.

Two graduate certificate programs are available for returning students and are very specialized.  The certificate in Biotechnology Management is a 12-credit course, where students learn the core business and management skills needed to succeed in the biotech field.  No science background is required, and the credits earned are transferable to the Biotechnology M.P.S. Also important to note is that there is an easy admission process.

The certificate in Biochemical Regulatory Engineering is a 12-credit course, where the student learns key areas associated with bringing products to market under the FDA approval process.  A credit or non-credit option is available, and classes are also offered at Frederick Community College via video conferencing.

Kirsten Messmer received a graduate certificate in Biotechnology Management, and as a result was able to secure a position in the Washington office of ERA Consulting (USA) LLC.  This is an independent regulatory consulting company advising the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry on product development and regulatory strategy for the development of biological medicinal products.

“My position is assistant manager [of] Business Development and Client Services,” she said.  “I am a trained scientist with a Ph.D. and was involved in stem cell research in my prior position.  However, due to the biotechnology management program, I gained insight into the regulation of pharmaceuticals as well as law, finance and general management skills. I believe it was partly this experience that allowed me to change the course of my career.”

Wolf points out that the benefits to taking these courses at UMBC as opposed to similar ones offered at Johns Hopkins is that UMBC, being a public university, can offer tuition at 60 percent of what private colleges and universities cost.

“Price makes a big difference,” Wolf said. “And UMBC’s location [is] close to the airport, the beltway and I-95.”

Recognized as a national leader in higher education by the U.S. News & World Report’s ‘America’s Best Colleges Guide,’  UMBC ranks:

• No. 1 among up-and-coming national universities — “schools everyone should be watching”— 
in a list including Emory University, Rice University, Clemson University, University of California San Diego and Ohio State University.
• No. 4 in undergraduate teaching at national universities — the highest-ranked public university in the category—tied with Stanford just behind Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale. 

UMBC also joined Cal Tech, Duke University, Williams College and MIT in an unranked list of schools that give students outstanding opportunities for undergraduate research and creative projects.

UMBC biotech grads by the number

• Biotechnology Master’s of Professional Science — 6
• Biotechnology Management Certification — 3
• Biochemical Reg. Engineering Certification — 20
• Applied Molecular Biology Master’s of Science — 248

Where UMBC grads work

Research, Government and Private Agencies

• Walter Reed Army Medical Center
• National Institutes of Health
• St. Joseph Hospital
• University of Maryland
• Johns Hopkins University
• George Washington University
• Clinical Research Management, Inc.
• Advanced BioScience Laboratories

Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Companies

• MedImmune Inc.
• Pharmaceuticals International Inc
• Supernus Pharmaceutical Inc.
• Sequella Inc.

Medical Equipment and Devices

• Baxter Healthcare
• Caliper Life Sciences

Biologics Testing and Biotech Related Products

• Moss Inc
• Bioreliance Corporation
• FD Neuro Technologies

Food Industry

• Citrus & Allied Essentials
• Phillips Foods
• Strasburger & Siegel, Inc.

New Biotech Start-ups

• Ravgen, Inc.
• Other
• W.R. Grace
• Irving Burton Associates

Source: Compiled by the staff of UMBC’s M.P.S. Biotechnology and Certificate in Biotechnology Management Graduate Programs

— February 2010 print edition