Professional Science Master’s Program
Your training in WSU’s Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program will give you essential scientific and technical skills, in addition to training in management.
The program consists of 36 credits based in 3 course cores: Professional Skills, Scientific, and Capstone.
View course descriptions in the WSU Graduate Catalog. PSM-related graduate courses are added regularly and may not be represented in the catalog until the next annual update.
Contact the PSM Director at psm@winona.edu for up-to-date information.
Professional skills courses give a broad overview of key project management and business concepts for working scientists. All students, regardless of their specific scientific core path, take these courses:
- Project Management (3 SH)
- Statistical Methods (3 SH)
- Intra/Interpersonal Communications in the Workplace (3 SH)
- Ethics and Leadership (1 SH)
Courses in the scientific core are selected based on the student’s field of specialization. Core areas include courses in these departments.
Students are encouraged to choose coursework that cuts across multiple academic departments, including:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Clinical Laboratory Science
- Computer Science
- Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences (HERS)
- Environmental Science
- Geoscience
Your advisor and graduate committee will help you develop a research or internship projected tailored towards the skills required for your future career goals.
One of the advantages of WSU’s PMS program is that working professionals have the option to develop a project that you can conduct at your work site.
Example outcomes of research projects include:
- Manuscripts in professional journals
- Reports for corporate governance
- Government policy papers
- Development of fiscal reports within healthcare
- Classic Master’s thesis
A traditional master’s thesis is not required for the capstone experience, but a student may choose to pursue graduate research leading to a thesis under the advisement of a major advisor and their graduate committee.
Capstone Requirements
All PSM students must complete a Capstone project, using either one or both of the courses: PSM 698: Internship or PSM 699: Research.
Talk to your advisor about which course is appropriate. Before registering for these courses, students must:
- Take PSM 606: Research Methods, which is offered each fall
- Read and understand the Capstone Guidelines (PDF) covering the capstone experience
- Form a graduate committee consisting of at least 3 members, with one member from outside the student’s department. Submit the Graduate Committee Creation Form (PDF) to the PSM Director.
- Write a research/internship project proposal in conjunction with your Capstone advisor
- Submit your proposal to your capstone advisor and committee. Immediately schedule your proposal presentation.
- Present your proposal. After your presentation, have your advisor and committee sign the Proposal Presentation Completion Form (PDF) and the Application for Degree Candidacy Form (PDF) and return it to the PSM Director for a signature. Once signed by all parties, file the form at the Office of School of Graduate Studies.
- Perform your research/internship as directed by your advisor
- As your research/internship reaches a conclusion, schedule a defense with your advisor and committee
- Present your project in a final defense. Upon a successful defense, fill out the Project Defense Completion Form (PDF).
Program Outcomes
The PSM program will provide specialization in a technical field, as well as developing and enhancing project management, business, and leadership skills.
These skills are in high demand in science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields. There has never been a better time to advance your career with a PSM from WSU!
Upon completion of Winona State’s PSM degree, you will have:
- Developed advanced knowledge and skills in your field of expertise
- Learned how to apply state-of-the-art scientific models and statistical tools
- Planned, designed, and executed projects
- Applied best practices to manage scientific and technical projects and research
- Learned cooperative skills to work in interdisciplinary environment
- Developed leadership skills necessary to inspire, motivate, and manage colleagues in your field
- Communicated project and research outcomes with scientific and non-scientific communities
Master’s degrees can offer entry into a new career or upward mobility in your current profession. Not only can it advance your career, but also your earnings.
This part of the job market is only growing.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers in management, scientific and technical services are currently on the rise and will continue to rise in the future.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development suggests that careers in management such as financial managers, medical/health services managers and architectural/engineering managers can yield a median salary from around $70,000-$100,000.
Earning a Professional Science master’s at WSU can help guide you to a career in:
- Bioinformatics
- Computational Chemistry
- Forensic Science
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Industrial Mathematics
- Industrial Microbiology
- Microbial Biotechnology
- Physics with Business Applications
- Quantitative Finance
Learn more about PSM careers on the Science Masters Official website.
Some companies that have hired PSM graduates include:
- Boeing
- Chevron
- Conservation Biology Institute
- Mayo Clinic
- MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
Employers
Employers in industry, government or healthcare can support the WSU PSM program by creating cooperative internship/research opportunities. The benefits include:
- employees gain credit for work they would potentially complete as part of their normal work assignment
- the employer and student PSM committee to custom train a potential employee to accomplish specific work-related tasks
- the employer can test the waters with potential employees. If you like the work completed by a student intern, they may be a good hire. If not, there are no strings attached once the internship ends.
You could also serve as a liaison for students’ PSM Graduate committees. Including a liaison from a potential employer ensures that all levels of a PSM students degree build a hands-on degree that prepares them for post-graduate employment.
Inclusion of a liaison permits a potential employer to have access to scientific resources (i.e. analytical equipment, computational resources, and technical support skills) that might not be currently available.
The 6 credits each student earns in Internship/Research Experiences can be earned in a single semester or distributed over a year, as determined by the students Graduate Committee.If you are interested in creating internships, research projects or other cooperative resources, we would love to hear from you.
Cell: 507.703.1894
Office: 507.535.3980