Professional Science Master?

[Ed]

Can anyone shed some light on this apparently new degree path?

Does it really make you more competitive to enter the marketing & product manager track than a traditional science masters and an MBA after a few years experience?

Is there any value in this degree if you all ready have a traditional science masters but are looking to get away from the bench?

I have provided a link with more information.

http://www.sciencemasters.com/

[murari]

I am currently enrolled in a PSM (professional science masters) program. You can look at the website and see what the programs aim to achieve. Whether they achieve the goals or not is yet to be seen. There will be many graduates from my program at the end of next semester and probably from many other PSM programs.

The people in the industry are not really aware of the PSM degree. I have been able to gather this from our interactions with people from the industry. After they get to know about it, they say it might be useful.

Personally I feel that it might take sometime for the PSM to be known in the industry. Till then we are the guinea pigs.

The professional part of the course is in addition to the normal masters track. So even if the professional part does not help, it should not have a negative effect in any way.

[John Fetzer]

Most of the managers, especially in the smaller companies and startups, took the route of advanced science degree then an MBA if they went to either of the paths. They relate much more to the idea that a scientist can do marketing and other product-oriented tasks. That is what they did. So the empathy and understanding of your situation is very strong. The other route may not have that strong linkage, as scientists-turned-managets will probably question whether a person more founded in business can understand the technology.

This attitude may change as more people go that new path and prove themselves, but right now the favor is on the side of MS/PhD >>>> MBA.

John

[Dave Jensen]

Great post from Murari . . . I agree 100%. No one in a hiring position knows what these degrees mean, and what they are for. You are entirely a guinea pig at this juncture. Perhaps in the next few years it will change . . . Most of the time, a person with a degree like this has to start talking about what they learned, and they restructure their resumes to get hired -- by showing much more of what the program entailed rather than just the degree name,

Dave Jensen, Moderator
CareerTrax Inc.