Media Contact:
Dr. Steve Allen, 919/515-5584
Anna Rzewnicki, 919/513-4478

Dec. 28, 2004

New MBA Concentration Focuses on Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fast-paced advancement in the life sciences is opening new management career paths in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The new biotechnology-pharmaceutical concentration within the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at North Carolina State University’s College of Management will help prepare individuals for these new career tracks, says Dr. Steve Allen, associate dean for graduate programs at the college.

This new concentration will be available for full- and part-time students entering the MBA program in fall 2005.

“Students who complete this concentration will have in-depth knowledge enabling them to deal with both the scientific and management challenges facing this emerging industry,” Allen says.

The curriculum includes the MBA program’s regular four-course concentration in one of its traditional areas – entrepreneurship, finance, information technology (IT), marketing, or supply chain management – as well as three additional courses that will provide in-depth coverage of issues faced by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including legal and regulatory issues. Full-time MBA students will also complete an internship with a biotechnology or pharmaceutical firm.

“This sequence will uniquely prepare our students for managerial careers in finance, marketing, supply chain, IT, or research and development functions, working in either established or start-up biotechnology or pharmaceutical firms,” Allen says.

“NC State’s program is exciting, and reflects in-depth discussions with executives that have taken place in the last year,” says Ray Wolf, PharmD, senior manager at sanofi-aventis, a pharmaceutical company. “Their program is one of the first to integrate key concepts in the pharmaceutical/life sciences area with modern management issues in supply chain management, technology commercialization, brand management, and marketing.”

The new concentration was designed for students with a solid life sciences background, gained either through academic studies or extensive work experience in the field. The college has six other concentrations available in its MBA program: financial, IT, marketing, product innovation, supply chain management, and technology commercialization. The new curriculum was developed in collaboration with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at NC State, with input from leading companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

“As new industries grow and evolve, new managers need targeted knowledge if they are to become leaders in their field,” Allen says. “Each of our concentrations was designed to provide our MBA students with the knowledge they need to bring real value to their companies.”

Additional information about this new concentration and other aspects of NC State’s MBA program will be available at the College of Management’s upcoming information sessions, set for Jan. 10, Jan. 31, and Feb. 23. Location, registration and other details are available online. For immediate information, contact Pam Bostic, MBA program director, at 919/515-5587 or by e-mail.

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