Interested in employment on the administrative side of the biomedical/pharmaceutical industries? A solid lineup of business courses in the MSA core, including managerial economics, financial management, management skills, marketing management, and management and organizational behavior, provide students with a strong background in business which dovetails with the courses in the MSA-Biomedical/Pharmaceutical program. As a complement to the business core, students in this specialization focus on:
Students completing this specialization will be qualified to interview for positions with a wide variety of companies specializing in biotechnology, biomedicine, medical and scientific equipment and pharmaceuticals.
A capstone course, Professional Development in Biomedical/Pharmaceutical Sciences and a capstone experience, Internship in Biomedical/Pharmaceutical Industry, provide students with hands-on experience in the industry of their choice and exposure to key elements in the targeted professional environments. Policies and procedures for completing the internship are set forth in the MSA-Biomedical/Pharmaceutical Internship Guide. The internship experience includes 6.0 semester hours of practical skills training earned through 180 on-site work hours, documenting application of the knowledge, skills, and academic objectives of the MSA degree program. In the internship setting, the student is directly supervised by a professional on-site, as well as a faculty member who oversees the student's training experience. During the course of the internship experience, the student participates as a member of the professional staff.
Completion of the Human Genome Project, advances in molecular biology, development of powerful software in drug design and design of biomedical devices and procedures, and the growing sophistication of computer applications in biomedicine and pharmaceuticals have fueled an explosive growth in employment opportunities in management/administration in the affected industries. This specialization blends a solid foundation of business courses in the MSA core with a set of online courses designed to address a need in workforce education for those wishing to seek employment in the biomedical/pharmaceutical industries. The specialization curriculum was designed with input from the target industries and with guidance from the Advisory Committees of the School of Allied Health and Life Sciences.
In 2006, in an effort to benefit from community input, this proposed specialization was distributed throughout the community to those invested in developing an educated workforce in life/health sciences, to those promoting establishment of industries in the life and health sciences in the region, to our educational partners and to members of the Advisory Committees of the School of Allied Health and Life Sciences in Pensacola and FWB (the latter include representatives from over 60 health care and educational entities in the region).
Support for the Biomedical/Pharmaceutical track was unanimous among those responding to our call for input. This has included: the Northwest Florida Life Sciences Council; the Chambers of Commerce of Pensacola and Santa Rosa; Okaloosa Walton College; Pensacola Junior College; Gulf Coast Community College; the school districts of Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia counties; Florida’s Great Northwest (WIRED Grant recipient); Gulf Power Company; Pegasus Laboratories (pharmaceutical company); and others.
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