UMF in the News: UMF students can earn credits toward biotechnology master’s

The Portland Press Herald recently reported that University of Maine at Farmington biology students can now begin working toward a master’s degree in biotechnology before finishing their undergraduate studies through a new partnership with Northeastern University.

The program, launched this fall, allows eligible UMF biology majors to take three graduate-level science courses that count toward their bachelor’s degrees and up to seven credits toward a master’s degree at Northeastern University’s Roux Institute in Portland.

The three courses, Theory and Methods of Scientific Inquiry, Biotechnology Laboratory and Biostatistics, will be taught by full-time, tenured UMF science faculty. They are the university’s first graduate-level science courses and have been approved to count toward degree requirements at both institutions.

“The life sciences sector is a growing industry in Maine that offers meaningful career opportunities to academically strong and motivated students throughout the state,” UMF President Joseph McDonnell said in an Oct. 6 news release.

“This new pathway between UMF and the Roux Institute provides our students a head start toward earning their master’s degree in biotechnology and developing the skills that will advance their careers and help support the state’s workforce needs,” he said.

UMF students interested in the program can contact Breton at timothy.breton@maine.edu or 207-778-7364.