Somewhere Between A PhD And An MBA: The PSM

from the for-scientifically-minded-business-people dept

Knowledge about science and math is becoming increasingly important in the business world, and while many companies are hiring PhDs for these purposes, in many cases that's overkill. Meanwhile, MBAs who have no math or science background are having trouble managing in companies where it would help to have some more advanced knowledge. This gap is leading to the rise of a new degree for management professionals with a scientific or mathematical skills called the Professional Science Masters (PSM) degree. While many students graduating with one are discovering that they still need to explain to potential employers just what it means, they're also finding many companies who are looking for exactly that mix of skills. While more academic types may get a bit upset at turning science and math into more of a professional arena, it seems like a useful course of study that could help out many companies. Still, many MBA programs have been trying to cater to specific areas including math and science, and it seems likely that these will end up competing with the PSM programs. A good MBA program at a larger school with a strong science or math department could easily offer a similar course of studies without the student having to explain just what their degree really is.