UT Health Science Center at Tyler is making it easier for students to earn a master’s degree. Tuition and fees are waived for the 2020- 2021 academic year for students getting a Master of Science in Biotechnology.
Dr. Steven Idell, Senior Vice President of Research, says the waived fees are thanks to grants UT Health Science Center received. “Science is a great career, we just want to make it available to members of the community that might be interested in the sciences,” Idell said. “You know, American science right now, not too many kids are going into this and we want to change that dynamic."
The Master of Science in Biotechnology is a two-year thesis program, "this is the only program of its kind that's offered in the area which trainees have the ability to be exposed to top tired science," Idell said.
Students who enroll will learn various skills, like performing laboratory techniques, how to function in an academic environment, and how to conduct research,” Idell said.
Graduates will also learn important skills like critical thinking, scientific writing, and how to present a thesis in public defense.
The program prepares students to work in the biotechnology industry, medical school, and much more. "It's flexible enough to enable students to go to a number different careers, Idell said. "Those careers could be medicine, they could be in the biomedical sciences, they could be in business.”
Idell says science is a team sport, so students will work closely alongside professors.
“There is an intimate relationship with the team that the students working with," Idell said. "The student will actually get exposure to science by conducting their own project, so they learn how to do it by interacting with the technicians, the postdoctoral fellows, the faculty.”
Even after graduating from the program, the support continues. “We do everything we can to help them get into medical school, graduate school or get the job of their choice,” Idell said.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 15. For more information, visit UT Health Science Center.