Pilot Program Aids Workforce Development
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will launch a new pilot master's degree program in synthetic organic chemistry in the 2007–08 academic year thanks to a $180,000 commitment from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.
The Department of Chemistry and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals jointly developed the pilot program, which builds on Connecticut's strong pharmaceutical sector. The program is designed to address a critical shortage of master's degree-level synthetic organic chemists to drive bench work in drug discovery and development.
"It is really targeted workforce development," says Amy Howell, Ph.D., professor of chemistry.
The program, which includes funding for research assistantships, is enabling UConn to recruit top graduate students eager to start their careers.
"We're attracting people who are highly qualified but not interested in pursuing a Ph.D., and who want the practical skills and higher level background in organic chemistry to get good jobs in the pharmaceutical sector," says Howell.
Since the program's inception earlier this year, UConn has already attracted a national pool of applicants excited about a strong master's degree program that provides the support and training necessary to compete for positions at leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology and bioscience companies.
"I really didn't want to make the time commitment a doctorate program requires, but I wanted to be able to get a post-graduate degree. This new program allows me to pursue this without having to take out lots of loans to pay for my schooling, and will also give me some much needed work experience in organic synthesis," says Courtney Chambers '09, who earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Purdue University in 2006.
Boehringer Ingelheim and other major pharmaceutical companies will host students for intensive six-month internships that will provide invaluable experience. Howell notes that UConn is one of only a handful of programs in the country to offer master's level internships in chemistry.
"There are many reasons why I chose UConn. The most influential factor was the pilot program," says Robert Busch '09, who earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2007. "With the pilot program, I'll put myself in a very hirable position with an M.S. in synthetic organic chemistry and an internship with the world-renowned pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim."
