Into the Marketplace

Proseminar in Natural Sciences Is
Gateway Course to a Master's in Biology

"A human headless clone is next! Dolly, the cloned lamb, was only the beginning!" The instructor holds up the newspaper as she walks around the classroom. "Are these sensational claims? Are they supported by the data in the original scientific article?"

"Aren't the authors missing a crucial datum point in Figure 2?" one student responds. "It only occurred once in 360 trials. And they have not been able to repeat it," another adds.

Students entering the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) program with a concentration in biology learn how to differentiate biological facts from biological hype in their gateway course, the natural sciences proseminar. Most students in this proseminar focusing on molecular biology are employed in research laboratories working on the practical aspects of molecular biotechnology but they lack the theoretical knowledge that would make their work more rewarding and efficient. They enroll in the proseminar to gain a better grasp of their work, and they pursue the master's degree as a way of rising in their company or transferring to a higher position elsewhere.

Amanda Benson, Lecturer in Extension, and students discuss research findings in this fall's ALM proseminar in natural sciences.

Over the years, as biotechnology has grown, more and more technology businesses expect their senior scientists to have master's degrees, and biology has emerged as the most popular of all 20 ALM fields. "Having a master's makes it easier to get a management position and allows for more flexibility," said Genevieve Arnold, ALM '99, senior associate scientist at Genetics Institute.

Likewise having a master's can be a real asset for students who are in pharmaceutical sales. As another ALM student said, "Having a master's degree enables me to walk into a company and explain complicated scientific ideas to all levels of employees, from the PhDs to the technicians."

In addition to biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, other industries are looking for science-trained professionals without a PhD. Industry experts are saying that PhDs are often too specialized and have trouble adapting to nonacademic work. For example, Louis Culot, ALM '99, is director of information and development at CambridgeSoft, a software company. "My background was mostly physics and mathematics, and I had little training in drugs and molecular biology," he said. "CambridgeSoft customers are pharmaceutical companies . . . their business is drug chemistry. I needed to understand what our customers were doing and gain an appreciation for the challenges of their science." The ALM Program provided the ideal solution.

In still another proseminar, focusing on the biology of HIV, a few students have a strong interest in medically related areas, while a larger number plan further graduate study in public health or doctoral programs in biology, anticipating careers in medicine, but not as physicians.

One high school science teacher enrolled to pursue a career in epidemiology. Her teaching years gave her insight into adolescent behavior and the epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases. In the proseminar, she developed a research proposal that helped her gain a laboratory position studying HIV transmission among East African adolescents.