Master’s Degree in Biopharmaceutical Sciences
MS in Biopharmaceutical Sciences
and
4 + 1 BChE in Chemical Engineering / MS in Biopharmaceutical Sciences
The Biopharmaceutical Sciences Master’s Program and the 4+1 (BChE/MS) Program, focused on Bioprocess Development, are built on a collaborative and adaptive educational model that engages leading academic, industrial, and government scientists. This informed training uses industry practice and expertise to create a strengthened pipeline that provides students with a holistic understanding of the biopharmaceutical industry, its regulatory frameworks, and the evolution of the industry as it moves into the future.
The program incorporates a unique model for integrated, 15-month internships in both the MS and 4+1 BChE/MS degree pathways, in concert with key industry partners that have partnered with UD. More broadly, the program leverages UD’s unique position at the intersection of the Greater Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, and the Capital Region biopharma/biotech hubs, as well as UD’s leadership within the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL).
The program was built via collaboration with international leaders in biopharma and government to create a future-facing model for training and retraining scientists in the biopharmaceutical industry. The MS in Biopharmaceutical Sciences consists of 30 credit hours of graduate-level coursework and an integrated internship, completed over 15 months. 4+1 BChE/MS students have the opportunity to complete the traditional four-year bachelor’s program plus the Biopharmaceutical Sciences master’s program in one additional (+1) year.
Tuition scholarships are available to qualified applicants. Degree requirements, admission requirements, and application information are detailed below.
A note to international applicants
Due to the online course structure of the MS Biopharmaceutical program, it does not meet the F-1 or J-1 in-person coursework regulations for a full course of study. International Students are not eligible for an I-20 or DS-2019 to participate in this program on an F-1 or J-1 Student visa.
There is a clear, growing need for training in biopharmaceutical sciences. The global market for biopharmaceuticals, medicines made from living cells, is projected to reach more than $500 billion by 2025.
TRAINING FOR SUCCESS
New biopharmaceutical sciences master’s program launches with industry support. Hear from students in the inaugural biopharmaceutical sciences master’s program.
Degree Requirements
A. Core (17 credits)
- CHEG 603: Scientific Communication (2 credits)
- CHEG 607: Modeling, Analysis, and Acquisition of Data (2 credits)
- CHEG 609: Communication and Leadership (1 credit)
- CHEG 620: Advanced Biochemical Engineering (3 credits)
- CHEG 661: Introduction to the Bioprocess Industry (3 credits)
- CHEG 662: Bioprocess Systems Analysis (1 credit)
- CHEG 663: Downstream Bioprocessing (3 credits)
- CHEG 664: Bioprocess Engineering in Practice (2 credits)
B. Electives (6-8 credits)
A minimum of two elective courses (6 credits) is required. Students in the MS track would typically take the two electives during the fall and spring semesters. Students in the 4+1 BChE/MS track would typically take the two electives during their undergraduate study period.
C. Internship (5-7 credits)
In parallel with their coursework, students will complete a comprehensive industry internship (CHEG 665) to be performed on site with an industrial sponsor or sponsors. The internship is a critical element of the biopharmaceutical sciences education. Its purpose is to give students a substantive work experience in which they will carry out the responsibilities of an industry team member, working on real industrial projects. The internship is a 15-month extended experience in which students work part time while simultaneously taking coursework for the degree. This enables students to seamlessly apply concepts learned in their coursework to problems encountered in the workplace, which in turn reinforces fundamental learnings from classroom instruction. With approval of the program director and industrial sponsors, students may undertake more than one internship to obtain experience in multiple companies or multiple divisions of the same company, as long as the credit requirements for the internship (below) are met. For example, a student may choose to complete two 7-8 month internships in series.
Admission Requirements
A. Admission requirements, prior degree requirements, and documents required:
Admission to graduate programs at the University of Delaware is selective and based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty, infrastructure, and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet some of those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths. We encourage applicants to highlight their accomplishments that make them suitable for this training as well as the reasons for their interest in careers in the biopharmaceutical industry. Finalists may also be asked to interview with industry partners sponsoring internships in order to support internship placements.
B. Minimum admission requirements (in brief):
- A baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, biochemistry, biological sciences, or a closely related field.
- A minimum undergraduate grade-point average in engineering, science, and mathematics courses of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Letters of strong support from a professor or supervisor.
- Non-native speakers of English (international students) are required to achieve a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based TOEFL (PBT) and 100 for iBT.
- Essays focused on motivation/preparation to enroll in graduate studies, and career interests as they relate to biopharmaceutical sciences.
- A resume outlining work and academic experience.
C. Application deadlines and admission categories
MS in Biopharmaceutical Sciences Program:
December 1: To receive priority consideration for admission and full consideration for funding
4+1 BChE in Chemical Engineering/MS in Biopharmaceutical Sciences Program: Students completing a BChE at UD may be admitted to the 4+1 program with the MS in Biopharmaceutical Sciences Program in which the student can earn a bachelor’s and the master’s degree in approximately 5 years. Through this specially-coordinated curriculum, chemical engineering majors integrate graduate coursework into their junior/senior years. The BChE degree is awarded in four years and students must immediately continue enrollment in the MS program. The 4+1 program allows students to apply six 600-level engineering credits to both the BChE and MS degree thereby reducing the total credits required for the MS to 24 credits. By participating full time in the graduate program and associated internship, students complete their MS requirements within 15 months after the BChE degree is awarded.
Chemical engineering majors interested in the 4+1 program are encouraged to declare their intention to apply for the program by May of their junior year to receive advisement on course selection and priority consideration for admission. Admission deadlines for the 4+1 program are as follows:
December 1: For students applying to the 4+1 program, applications are due Dec. 1 of your senior year to receive priority consideration for admission and full consideration for funding.