AU is working to add more professional master's degree programs in science and sociology this year. Professional master's degree programs aim to prepare graduate students for the working world through more practical experience, rather than the theoretical focus of traditional master's degree programs.
This fall, AU joined the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's group of universities that are developing professional science master's degrees.
"This is part of a national movement to encourage schools to start science master's programs," said physics professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Larry Medsker.
"In science, it's traditional for the master's degree to be a stepping stone to the Ph.D. A master's isn't a terminal degree; most science students want the Ph.D," he said. "This allows people to take science courses at the master's level and develop professional skills with the idea that they will go out and get a career rather than a Ph.D."
This program offers degrees in biotechnology, applied computing, and environmental science and assessment. In addition to taking courses related to these areas, students get internships and take classes about speaking and writing in the workplace, Medsker said.
"These are things you would never get in a traditional master's program," he said. "The idea is to have a solid core of science courses while having professional skills emphasized."
There are 11 students in the program now, a number Medsker hopes will increase to between 30 and 35 students.
He said a key aspect of the program is the involvement of several government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Labor.
AU's sociology department is also considering a professional master's degree program.
"We are thinking about creating a concentration within the M.A. in sociology that would help prepare students for work in non-academic settings - for people who want to get jobs with a master's, rather than going on right away for a Ph.D.," said Russell Stone, chair of the sociology department.
This program would combine traditional sociology courses and a research project or thesis with training for non-academic applications of sociology, such as internships with government agencies, he said.
"We know that in the D.C. area there are sociologists working in many branches of government, in nonprofit advocacy organizations, in research and consulting companies," Stone said.
The sociology program would give students the chance to work in a setting that allows them to research and write about social issues such as poverty and the environment, he said.
Nathan Price, assistant to Provost Neil Kerwin, said that some of the master's degree programs AU already offers are mostly professional, such as those in the schools of Communication and Public Affairs and the Kogod School of Business's Master's of Business Administration degree.
The University of Maryland is also trying to implement a new master of professional studies degree and certificate in government-related work, according to Ann Wylie, interim dean of University of Maryland's graduate school.
This program would allow government agencies to create interdisciplinary programs based on their needs. For example, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, government agencies have wanted employees trained to work with security and computer systems, Wylie said.
This program would differ fundamentally from traditional master's programs.
"Most of our regular master's degrees are thesis-based, such as the master of arts and the master of science," Wylie said. "The MPA is a professional master's degree, which is primarily for credentials in the working world"
