Page 36 - Biotech Career Guide

36 START-ENGINEERING.COM
education: FURTHER STUDY
How to Keep Learning
If you love biotech, pursue a certificate, a master’s degree, or a PhD.
If studying biotechnology in col-
lege gets you excited to keep
learning about the field, you have
lots of options for doing so in gradu-
ate school. The hardest part might
be zeroing in on how, because post-
graduate study in the field takes
many different forms. From long-
term, intense PhD programs to aca-
demic or professionally focused mas-
ter’s degrees to short, skills-oriented
certificate courses, some form of
post-graduation education is sure to
suit your biotechnology career plans.
THE MOST SCHOOL OF ALL
A PhD, or doctoral, program is for
people who start studying biotech-
nology and just cannot imagine stop-
ping. Getting a PhD involves exten-
sive, additional coursework beyond
the bachelor’s degree and a signifi-
cant, independent research project
that advances the state of knowl-
edge in the field. Look for a school
with experts in your subject of
choice and funding to support your
degree work. Nearly every major
research university in the country
offers a program.
MASTER’S DEGREES
Serving a much broader array of
personal and career interests are
the many varieties of master’s
degrees available from schools also
spread across the country. A mas-
ter’s degree mixes advanced learn-
ing, independent research, and
professional training — look for a
degree program that combines
these elements in a way that suits
your individual needs and interests.
AN ACADEMIC FLAVOR
Some master’s degrees emphasize
academic learning, like doctoral
programs, and can be highly individ-
ualized. For example, Georgia
Tech’s bioengineering master’s
program — touted as the “most inno-
vative and integrative program” at
Northwestern
University
ILLINOIS
Boston
University
MASSACHUSETTS
PHOTOS COURTESY THE SCHOOLS