Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
 
 

Meeting Workforce Demand
in High-Technology Sectors

PASSHE’S Professional Science Master's (PSM) Initiative

 
 
With funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, PASSHE is launching a system-wide Professional Science Masters (PSM) Initiative to meet workforce demand in high-technology sectors, creating new student opportunities in graduate education.    
 
Through this initiative, PASSHE aims to:
  • Launch at least five PSM degree programs across PASSHE for the Fall 2012 semester
  • Establish Employer Advisory Boards to advise program development, identify professional internships for program students, and cultivate job opportunities for program graduates
 
The PSM initiative began in 1997 with a series of grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to selected research universities, to create graduates with more of an employer-orientation than traditional graduate degrees in science and mathematics.
​

Why is this timely? 
 

According to PASSHE's Strategic Initiatives, "PASSHE universities must be known as places where knowledge is generated to advance understanding across all academic disciplines, improve professional practice, and enhance the quality of life in the regions served" - cornerstones of the PSM degree.  
  • According to the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, by 2018 970,000 of the new jobs in Pennsylvania will be in STEM and health care professions. 
  • Since 2006, more than 20% of the Pennsylvania workforce has been comprised of science and technology jobs. 
  • Furthermore, STEM-based jobs are predicted to outgrow the state’s overall growth rate.
 
Therefore, PASSHE's PSM degrees, and the universities which offer them, will create new opportunities for students in graduate education, will expand opportunities for internships that link theory and the application of knowledge, and will help to transform PASSHE's role in creating the Commonwealth's future.

To learn more about the National PSM Initiative, visit: 

 
National Professional Science Masters
www.sciencemasters.com
 
Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)
www.cgsnet.org
 
National Professional Science Masters Association (NPSMA)
www.npsma.org
 
National Association of System Heads (NASH)
www.nash-psm.org
 

For more information on PASSHE's PSM Initiative, proposed programs, or how to get invovled, contact:


Marilyn J. Wells, PhD, MPH
Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)
2986 North Second Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-720-4208
​

​Proposed
PASSHE PSM Programs 

Proposed PSM programs and participating universities, to date, include the following: 

 

Application of GIS & Remote Sensing in Environmental Science
East Stroudsburg University
 
Applied & Industrial Chemistry
Indiana University
 
Applied Computer Science
Kutztown University
  
Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences
West Chester University
 
Biotechnology and Translational Medicine
Clarion University
 
Forensic Science
California University
  
Integrated Scientific Applications
Millersville University
 
Instructional Technology: Application and Management
Bloomsburg University
 
Nanoscience for Industrial Materials
Indiana University
 
Natural Resource Management
Lock Haven University