Master of Professional Studies in Biochemistry

University of Maine

The M.P.S., Master of Professional Studies, is a non-thesis Master’s degree. M.P.S. students pursue course work, attend seminars, and complete a small research project culminating in a defense, at a pace and level appropriate to their outside schedules and backgrounds. The M.P.S. degree is primarily for active professionals in biological and health-related sciences who aim to earn a degree part-time OR secondary school teachers OR individuals lacking previous biomedical research experience who are interested in gaining some research experience and graduate training OR individuals who need catch-up on BMMB-related coursework before pursuing higher education or careers in biochemistry, microbiology, or molecular biology. Because M.P.S. students are not completing a thesis and thus are not substantially aiding the specific aims of a grant, they are not eligible for TA, RA, or fellowship financial support, so MPS students must self-support.Graduate studies in Biochemistry can lead to an MPS or MS degree. Students may choose from biomedical research areas such as cell regulatory systems, protein biochemistry, molecular immunology, cellular and molecular toxicology, microbiology, bioinformatics, and genomics. Financial aid is available on a competitive basis, primarily in the form of graduate teaching assistantships. Research assistantships and University fellowships are also available. Faculty members are actively involved in research that is supported at the federal level. Students admitted to the graduate program in Biochemistry may also carry out their research with faculty listed under Microbiology, in a number of laboratories in other departments at the University, the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Portland, or through cooperative institutional arrangements and Associate faculty or staff. (In addition to the University of Maine-based faculty listed below, several faculty at Jackson Laboratory, MMCRI, etc, mentor research students in this degree program.)