Overview

The Masters of Science degree in Medical Product Development Management (MPDM) is offered by SJSU’s College of Science , in collaboration with the College of Professional and Global Education  and the Lucas Graduate School of Business . The MPDM MS program combines clinical research, regulatory affairs, bioinformatics and customized technical classes with MBA-level business and management courses. The industry-relevant curriculum was designed in collaboration with experts from biomedical companies in the greater San Francisco Bay area to prepare students for careers in the biopharmaceutical, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics industries. To accommodate students who work full-time, courses are offered during evenings or weekends, and several classes are offered online for scheduling flexibility.

Students in the Master of Science in Medical Product Development Management degree program develop proficiency in applying leadership, management and decision making skills in a regulated environment; understanding and conversing with others in a multi-disciplinary field; and understanding ethical, business, financial, global, and strategic implications in medical product development. The MPDM program prepares students to enrich their communities as ethical and socially responsible graduates in a field in which the highest levels of integrity are a fundamental necessity.

Please refer to the program website for more information www.medproddev.sjsu.edu.

Requirements for Admission to Classified Standing

Applying for graduate school at San José State University is a two-step process. Apply to the university through Cal State Apply to obtain approval for university-level admission, and to the department to obtain admission into the MS, Medical Product Development Management program. Please visit the admission requirements  page for more information. Applicants may come from a wide variety of undergraduate (or postgraduate) areas of study including but not limited to nursing, pre-med, biology, chemistry, mathematics, science education, pharmacy, engineering, business, computer science, psychology, social sciences, and pre-law.

To be accepted into the program in classified standing, an applicant must:

1. Meet all University requirements.
2. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year college or university.
3. Have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 (3.0 or above preferred) in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter units of coursework.
4. Satisfactory completion of a 3-unit undergraduate course in introductory statistics and probability from an accredited college or university is recommended.
5. Applicants from countries in which the native language is not English must achieve a minimum English-language proficiency test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirement webpage at GAPE.

Applicants should note that a high degree of proficiency in both written and oral communications in English is a fundamental skill required both to complete the degree program and for success in the field.

The program does not accept students in conditionally classified standing.

Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy

Students must meet the university requirements for candidacy. General university requirements for advancement to candidacy  for the master’s degree are detailed in the Graduate Policies and Procedures  section. Candidacy includes the successful completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) . The program GWAR course is SMPD 281A . Requirements for advancing to candidacy in the MS, Medical Product Development Management are successful completion of SMPD 281A  and 9 units of overall program credits.

Requirements for Graduation

University Graduation Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures .

Program Graduation Requirements

The general requirements for the course completion as outlined below.

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

At SJSU, students must pass the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) .

SMPD 281A  will satisfy the graduation writing requirement for MPDM.

Culminating Experience

Plan B (Project)

The culminating project challenges the student to demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and decision-making skills. The student will write or prepare a publication-worthy paper or presentation for a biomedical professional journal, conference, or event. The paper or presentation must demonstrate the depth of knowledge of the processes, methods, and procedures used in clinical research and development or in the management of medical product development on a topic selected by the student (with advisor approval).

This degree is listed with the College of Science .

Upon completion of the degree requirements, the student must have achieved minimum candidacy and SJSU Cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 in order to graduate.

Special Session Program Information

Academic Programs offered through Special Session are operated by the College of Professional and Global Education (CPGE). Registration and enrollment in a Special Session course or program must use the special session application form and will follow the special session fees and course schedules. Note that regular session students seeking to enroll simultaneously in a special session course or the program will trigger a separate and additional set of fees. This may require an additional enrollment appointment from the Registrar and it may have implications for financial aid status or requirements. Please visit the CPGE website for more information.