Science Masters Program in Biomanufacturing

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." Science Masters Program in Biomanufacturing North Carolina State University Biomanufacturing is the application of fundamental biotechnology and engineering principles to produce human medicines, enzymes, food ingredients, fuels and novel biomaterials. Successful production requires that future industry leaders are trained in product safety, ethics, FDA regulatory compliance, project management and sound business decisions. This SMP in Biomanufacturing (SMPB) will recruit talented US students into the first cross-disciplinary Master's of Biomanufacturing degree integrating graduate "hands-on" technical, scientific, research, and business skills. Students will be trained in 24 months in a curriculum that includes 8-week advanced laboratory courses in FDA compliant current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) biomanufacturing methods, finance, accounting, project management, an industry-focused research project, professional skills training, and an industrial intern experience. The cGMP laboratory courses will be taught in the new 82,500 sq. ft. $50 million Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University (NCSU). BTEC is the largest academic biomanufacturing training facility in the US. It includes process-scale simulated cGMP teaching facilities for upstream fermentation, downstream recovery, protein purification, analytical techniques, and aseptic processing. Faculty from three colleges will teach SMPB students: Engineering, Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Management. The multidisciplinary SMPB graduate curriculum is already approved for training in small-scale (30 liter) and large-scale (300 liter) operations using BTEC state-of-the-art industrial biomanufacturing equipment. The curriculum also includes global biopharmaceutical regulatory compliance courses combined with bioscience-focused MBA courses taught by the NCSU Jenkins Graduate School of Management. This program is preparing a more intellectually, gender, and culturally diverse workforce for the U.S. biomanufacturing industry through the coordinated education of future leaders in this industry in the physical sciences, engineering, business, and management. This workforce will facilitate U.S.-based industry to compete effectively in a fast-changing economic environment. This program will serve as a national model for other universities engaged in efforts to bolster local industry.