Wharton School

University of Pennsylvania Announces New Dual Degree for Biotechnology Management

October 2002 — The University of Pennsylvania announced the creation of a new dual degree program in business and biotechnology. Students will earn an MBA from the Wharton School and a Master's of Biotechnology. The Biotechnology Master's is jointly offered by Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and its School of Arts and Sciences.

"Now with Wharton's participation in our Biotechnology Program, we can serve business managers who seek in-depth biotechnology training. Such training is an increasing need in today's biotechnology business world in which smart business decisions are often driven by a fundamental grasp of modern molecular biology, from pharmacogenomics to drug discovery," says Scott L. Diamond, Ph.D, director of Penn's Biotechnology Program.

With the collaboration of its three sponsoring schools — Wharton, the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences — University of Pennsylvania's dual-degree Biotechnology Management Program is uniquely positioned to supply such training. Diamond explains, "Where else can an MBA student look at DNA microarray data in the morning and learn about biotechnology licensing in the afternoon? —only at Penn and particularly at Wharton."

"With the growing interest in the business applications of biotechnology, this is a critical time to establish this multidisciplinary dual-degree program," says Wharton School Dean Patrick Harker. "Students will get a solid grounding in the core business disciplines to prepare them for leadership in emerging bioscience industries. The program will benefit from the work of Wharton's William and Phyllis Mack Center for Technological Innovation and our extensive entrepreneurial course offerings."

Showing just how viable this new dual degree is, immediately after the program was announced, several students enrolled. Even before collaborating with Wharton, Penn's Biotechnology Program, which has long offered specialized tracks in Molecular Biology, Biopharmaceutics, Bioinformatics and Biomedical Technologies, has grown to be one of the largest biotechnology Master's degree programs in the U.S. This fall, with an enrollment of more than 100 students combined in all its tracks, the Master of Biotechnology, provides a major source of talent for the region. For more information visit the Master of Biotechnology Program.

About the Wharton School
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized around the world for its academic strengths across every major discipline and at every level of business education. Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school in the nation, Wharton has approximately 4,600 undergraduates, MBA, and doctoral students, more than 8,000 participants in its executive education programs annually, and an alumni network of more than 75,000 worldwide.

About the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)
The School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1852, has a distinguished reputation for the quality of its programs. Its alumni have achieved international distinction in research, higher education, management, entrepreneurship and industrial development, and government service. The School is the home of technology for the University. Its faculty leads a research program that is at the forefront of modern technology and has made major contributions in a wide variety of fields. The School has approximately 2,500 undergraduates, Master's and doctoral students.

About the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS)
The School of Arts and Sciences provides a foundation for the scholarly excellence that has established Penn as one of the world's leading research universities. The Arts and Sciences faculty includes Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel laureates, along with numerous elected members of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. The School of Arts and Sciences enrolls 6500 undergraduates, admits approximately 250 students each year into its 32 doctoral programs, and offers a wide range of programs for lifelong learning.