A Master's for Science Professionals

The number of schools offering a professional science master's degree is inching upwards, reports The New York Times. The degree, which requires a combination of science and management classes and often an internship, was offered at 108 schools this year, up from 58 in 2008. "It's interdisciplinary. It's a hybrid, which I think is more agile. It's responsive to rapidly changing needs in terms of the job market," says David King, a dean at the State University of New York in Oswego. However, the Times adds that the degree has not caught on at the more prestigious universities in the US and there are only three programs outside the US. According to Carol Lynch from the Council of Graduate Schools, faculty members often reply: "Why should you bother me by introducing a new master's degree when I'm already busy with what I'm doing with the Ph.D.'s,?"