Options

There are a variety of options in pursuing the Professional Master's Degree Program, including special business and law electives. In addition, if you are interested in pursuing this Program as a full-time employee, we will work with you to make this happen! Read below for more information.

• Additional business and law classes. There are several additional business and law courses which students can enroll in. Of course, students need their advisor's permission, and often the permission of the course instructor as well. Please note that not all of these courses are available every semester, and this is just a sampling of the types of courses you can take as business electives.

  • Management of Technology I and II (ENGR 512A and B): To provide practical experience and perspective in the challenging and complex world of technology management. This course is taught by the former head of IBM in Tucson and a Vice President of Motorola in Phoenix. The course content will include lectures, seminars, case analysis, shared personal experience from senior managers of technology-based enterprises, course specific academic literature, and guest speakers. Graduate-level requirements include two papers to be graded where indicated in the syllabus.

  • Law for Engineers/Scientists (ENGR 554): Topics covered in this course include patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, product liability contracts, business entities, employment relations and other legal matters important to engineers and scientists. Graduate-level requirements include an in-depth research paper on a current topic.

  • Law, Science & Public Policy Seminar (LAW 655g): This course explores the challenge that developments in science and technology pose to law and democratic institutions. Using several case studies, the course will examine the interplay between scientific and technological changes and the evolution of law and policy. Issues discussed will include, but are not limited to, regulation and public perception of biotechnology, democratic oversight of scientific and military institutions, the role of economic and scientific expertise in democratic governance, and the impact of technological failures on law and national policy.

  • The Biotech Startup Company: Law, Science & Business Issues (LAW 664): This is a new interdisciplinary course focusing on the contributions of law, science, and business to the development of a biotechnology company. The focus of the course will be: (1) intellectual property employment law; (2) the commercial aspects of biotechnology; and (3) business planning strategy during the early stages of growing a high-technology company.

• The Professional Master's Degree Program for Working Professionals. Working professionals who want to earn a Professional Master's Degree Program in Applied Science and Business can do so while they continue working in their jobs. There are many ways of doing this, and we can accommodate your busy schedule.

  The business classes and Industrial Colloquium Series are always taught in the evenings, and in many cases, you can use science-based projects you do in your job for the internship and/or final project requirement. Clearly, we won't expect you to do an internship in another company while you are employed, so your work experience can count as your internship, as long as there is science-industry relevance.

  We are very mindful of security, intellectual property, and special clearance issues that may come with your projects at work, and we can work with you, your supervisor, and your company to ensure that these issues are handled tactfully. In the past, when students have used work-based projects or ideas as the basis of their final project or thesis, members of the faculty committee, to whom the student defends their project, have signed confidentiality agreements. Your committee can include your supervisor or another representative from work, and in fact this is encouraged.

  A special note for employees of Raytheon: The University of Arizona and Raytheon have a formal written agreement that deals with confidentiality as it relates to students who do their theses based on work done at Raytheon. This should ensure an easy execution of the clearance to present your final project