New professional master’s degrees at Rice offer alternatives to Ph.D. and M.B.A.

CONTACT: Lia Unrau
PHONE:
(713) 348-6778
EMAIL: unrau@rice.edu

NEW
PROFESSIONAL MASTER’S DEGREES AT RICE OFFER ALTERNATIVES TO PH.D. AND
M.B.A.
Mix of Practical Specialties in Science, Business Aims to Give
Students an Edge

To provide students with
advanced technical training as well as business and communication skills they
need to succeed in industry, Rice announces three new professional master’s
degree programs, which the Wiess School of Natural Sciences will offer beginning
in the fall of 2002.

This combination of
practical training and business skills will allow students to move more easily
into management careers in research and development, design and marketing of new
science-based products or consulting in fields in which technical training is
valued, said Jennifer Slimowitz, curriculum coordinator for the new
programs.

The 21-month degree
programs — one in nanoscale physics, one in energy exploration and the third in
analytical and computational environmental science — are part of a national
initiative sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Prospective students for
the Sloan Professional Master’s Degrees include both bachelor’s degree graduates
in technical fields and people working in industry who want to expand and
enhance their skills and career opportunities.

The master’s degrees
will combine technical courses, management courses and team training, a science
policy and ethics course and practical hands-on training through extended
industrial internships. A seminar series will feature both outside speakers and
student speakers.

The programs also will
include exposure to entrepreneurship through the Rice Alliance for Technology
and Entrepreneurship, a collaborative effort of the schools of engineering,
management and natural sciences, and writing and presentation coaching by Rice’s
Cain Project, a program aimed at equipping science and engineering students with
articulate, persuasive communication skills.

Students also will
engage in science policy and ethics discussions with members of the James A.
Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice.

External industry
advisers are playing a key role in development of the programs to ensure that
the curriculum and skills are relevant to industry needs.

The nanoscale physics
program combines a strong component in quantum theory with the study of
practical nano- and meso-scale devices, aiming to provide students with the
ability to understand, invent and build new nanoscale structures. Students also
will benefit from a yearlong course in experimental physics.

The energy exploration
program focuses on earth science as applied to the exploration of hydrocarbon
energy resources. Students will become proficient in applying geological
knowledge and geophysical methods to find and exploit reserves of oil and
natural gas.

The analytical and
computational environmental science program focuses on the quantitative aspects
of environmental science. It is a cross-disciplinary effort incorporating
courses from environmental science, statistics, earth science, chemistry and
applied mathematics, with electives in chemical and mechanical engineering,
biology, ecology, economics and sociology. Graduates will be prepared with
finely tuned skills and knowledge valuable to industrial and governmental
organizations that deal with environmental issues.

The Sloan Professional
Master’s Degree program is continually looking for companies that would be
interested in hiring Rice students as interns. Interested parties should contact
Slimowitz at (713) 348-3188 or <jslimow@rice.edu>.

For more information
about the Sloan Professional Master’s Degree programs visit
<http://sloan-pmp.rice.edu>.