"During orientation there are [Outward Bound-style] ropes courses. Basically these are exercises to figure out how to work together to solve physical problems. We have these types of team activities so that you don't think that you can be a maverick and do it all on your own. . . . Many projects are graded as a team and that is a challenge - figuring out how to divide up responsibility. Most teams have a person who assumes the position of team leader and delegates responsibilities."

If you think this sounds like no science program you have ever heard of before, you are probably right. Leslie Wainwright, associate director at Northwestern University's Center for Biotechnology, has been through a Ph.D. program herself and is impressed with what the Center for Biotechnology adds to an education in the life sciences: "[Teamwork training] is something you don't get in science, usually. . . . The mindset is fundamentally different [from that in graduate school]. There is not a company around that doesn't use teams. Some of our more independent people have to learn that they have to rely on others and communicate with others. They have to learn that a grade or a paycheck depends on the ability to work together."

The Northwestern University Center for Biotechnology was established in 1990 and was one of the first of its kind. While there are only a few comparable programs in the country (besides Northwestern's, probably the best known is the University of Pennsylvania's Master of Biotechnology program), the number is likely to increase exponentially. Each program is, of course, slightly different, and like anything based on a relatively new concept, they are rapidly evolving. The foundation of any biotechnology program is the merging of science and commercialization. Courses have names such as "Management of Science," "Medicinal Chemistry," and "Antibody Technology."

The programs intend to produce graduates who are well-rounded scientists and who have an understanding of how to bring science to the marketplace. The graduates are easily placed in the booming biotechnology job market with starting salaries in the $40,000 to $70,000 range. Graduates pursue careers in business consulting, technology transfer, and intellectual property. They are employed by such companies as Wyeth-Ayerst Research, Ernst & Young, and the Boston Consulting Group.

Generally, the biotechnology schools feel a responsibility to place their graduates, and they take pride in the success of their alumni. Sometimes this job placement involves identifying niches that are not classically thought of as being biology related. For example, graduates may find themselves happily writing computer code or performing equity research for a bank.

Anna Berdine is a biotechnology graduate who currently works as a market and technology analyst at Abbott Laboratories. She feels that the degree has greatly benefited her career: "I use my knowledge of business as much as my science in day-to-day work activities. The inclusion of business principles in the curriculum is a major difference between the Northwestern biotechnology degree and a master's in molecular biology."

David Zhang is currently a student at Northwestern University's Center for Biotechnology, but he has already landed a job (three months before graduation) as an investment banking analyst with Salomon Smith Barney. "My career goal is to be a senior analyst covering science and biotech stocks. Working in investment banking will give me the analytical skills that I will need to pursue this goal."

Berdine's and Zhang's experiences are typical for biotechnology graduates. At the Northwestern Center for Biotechnology, students spend thirteen months and approximately $30,000 in tuition, and upon graduation find themselves with interesting and practically guaranteed jobs coupled with great starting salaries. Those who are familiar with the five-plus years required to complete a Ph.D. might be surprised that so much can be accomplished in just over a year. The difference in time seems to boil down to focus. Unlike Ph.D. programs that attempt to create independent researchers who know a tremendous amount about a specialized topic, biotechnology programs strive to create generalists who can contribute to a team.

This approach is successful because the biotechnology companies that hire the graduates want to mold their new employees. The biotechnology programs approach the students as life-long learners. The faculty realizes that every graduate will continue to read and attend seminars and become specialized long after the course work is completed. Therefore, the focus of the program is to provide a foundation for this future learning. The biotechnology students learn a little bit about such diverse topics as technology shifts, health management organizations, basic finance, business plans, and epidemiological statistics.

Wainwright describes how the application of information is a key component of the center's philosophy: "We try to boil things down to the absolute essentials. The more targeted we are, the better. Most importantly, we ask the question, How is the science being used? Classic immunology is very tied to what is going on in the real world. That should keep us ahead of our competitors for a while."

This approach to life science education can be considered either innovative or downright vocational, depending on your perspective. The traditional bench Ph.D. focuses on scientific thought and the scientific process and (at least historically) assumes that its graduates will go on to academic positions. It is generally also assumed that the Ph.D. student is learning for the joy of it, with little expectation of financial compensation. In contrast, while enthusiasm and joy are welcomed in a biotechnology student, no one is kidding themselves about the financial expectations. Biotechnology is big business and the players can expect to earn big money.

The Northwestern program generally receives about 200 to 300 qualified applicants seeking the background required to enter this job market. About 20 to 30 students are ultimately accepted and enroll in the program. Most applicants have a life science background, some have an engineering background, and there is the occasional businessperson. Generally, the master's students are about 25 years old and have a bachelor's degree and a few years of work experience. Each class includes a handful of part-time students who are successfully employed in the biotechnology industry and seek to bolster their resume and gain valuable academic experience.

So far, Northwestern has seen very few applicants with a research master's degree or a Ph.D. The center's Wainwright is not sure why this is, but wonders if the tuition cost and idea of more schooling seem prohibitive to those used to life in the laboratory. Elizabeth Sondgeroth is one former Ph.D. student who did make the leap: "When I started the Ph.D. program, I didn't know that there was an alternative. I got to graduate school and I thought, What am I doing here? I didn't like working in the lab as much as I thought that I would."

Transferring to a biotechnology program may not make sense for everyone with an eye on a job in the booming biotechnology market. Wainwright suggests that interested researchers read The Wall Street Journal and Nature Biotechnology, both of which do a good job of covering the biotechnology industry. She also recommends reading about how financial systems work and what factors determine when a company decides to go public. Of course, another low-cost way to learn more about biotechnology is to attend Northwestern University's free Summer Biotechnology Institute (SBI).

The 1999 two-day SBI focused on building a biotechnology community. The SBI hopes to play a key role in the initiation of a true Midwest biotechnology "cluster," such as those that as exist on the East and West Coasts. Topics included "Working with a University Invention in Your Biotech Company" and "Model University Tech Transfer Operations."

Probably the most important thing, however, is for those who love the life sciences to realize that there are other options besides a Ph.D. program. A biotechnology master's may make perfect sense for some people. Songeroth describes her decision to leave a Ph.D. program and pursue a master's in biotechnology as "one of the best academic decisions I have made. I like where I am at and where I am going."

Lara Pullen is a freelance science writer and adjunct professor at the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the president of Environmental Health Consulting, a company specializing in environmental and medical communication.

Caleb Brown is an illustrator and biologist living in Montana. By day he drives a delivery van, and by night he draws pictures with his computer.

Tell us what you think.

Endlinks

Hoover's Online - a searchable directory of corporations.

Signals - an online magazine of biotechnology industry analysis.

Search Masters International - has useful career management articles.

Scientific Career Transition Program - helps scientists make career transitions and find appropriate work.

MedZilla - a search engine that accesses job postings from many of the larger biotechnology companies.

Publish and Perish - a guide to online employment and career links for the biomedical scientist.

Job Alert - HMS Beagle's compilation of featured jobs from BioMedNet's Job Exchange, links to articles on science careers, career-related sites on the Web, and top locations for job listings on the Web.

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