[126] MTSU Graduate Program, Acclaimed As 'National Model,' Receives Academic Excellence Award

Sept. 27, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU GRADUATE PROGRAM, ACCLAIMED AS ‘NATIONAL MODEL,’ RECEIVES ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
MURFREESBORO—The Tennessee Board of Regents presented Middle Tennessee State University with the Academic Excellence Award during the body’s fall meeting for MTSU’s highly touted and successful Master’s of Science in Professional Science degree program.
Dr. Paula Myrick Short, TBR vice chancellor for academic affairs, along with Chancellor Charles Manning and TBR board members Greg Duckett and J. Stanley Rogers, presented the award to MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Dr. Saeed Foroudastan, associate dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences and director of the MSPS program.
Jim Monsor, MSPS advisory board member and senior vice president of operations at BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc., in Franklin, Tenn., was also recognized for the company’s partnership role in the program.
National recognition
Established in 2005 with support from the Sloan Foundation and approved by the TBR, the MSPS degree is currently the only interdisciplinary program of its kind in Tennessee and has been acclaimed as a model program by the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C.
The MSPS program received the highest scores in all categories during a recent five-year program review by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
“MTSU’s MSPS program is a signature professional science master’s program at a national level and serves as a model to other programs,” an outside reviewer said.
In 2005-2006, one MSPS degree was conferred at MTSU; in 2009-2010, there were 20.
Workforce development for the state
The degree combines 15 hours of business-management training with 21 hours of courses in the fields of biotechnology, biostatistics or health care informatics. Rather than completing a thesis, each student must complete a 250-hour internship and make a presentation at the conclusion of the semester. According to records, 60 to 70 percent of MSPS students have been hired to work at the companies where they completed their internships.
The popularity of the program is due in part to the outcome of producing well-qualified professionals in the fields of science and technology who enhance the workforce and economic growth of Tennessee. Officials say that nearly all MSPS graduates have found employment within their fields of study.
About the award
The Academic Excellence Award was approved by the TBR in 1999. TBR schools submit programs along with a description for consideration. TBR staff judge the programs on their impact on student learning, advancement of the discipline and benefit to the community, state and nation. The reputation of the faculty in that particular area, student achievement and external support are also considered in the evaluation process. Other factors include the benefits of the program to society and the impact of the program on the institution’s reputation.
The people behind its success
In addition to Foroudastan and Monsor, MTSU program coordinators are Dr. Rebecca Seipelt, associate professor of biology (biotechnology); Dr. Pamela Taylor, associate professor of nursing (health care informatics); Dr. Lisa Green, associate professor, mathematical sciences (biostatistics); and Dr. Linda McGrew, professor of business communication and entrepreneurship (business).
For more information on the MSPS degree, visit www.mtsu.edu/~msps.