Field Notes: Master of Biological Sciences

With Romas Kazlauskas

Transcript

Hello, my name is Romas Kazlauskas and I am the Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of Biological Sciences program at CCAPS, and I also have an appointment as a professor in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, and the Biotechnology Institute.

What are the technical skills needed for the sciences?

So I think the critical, or the crucial technical skills fall into several different categories. Lab techniques for handling biological materials, data analysis and computational skills, and also literature search abilities.

But here's the key thing. I think the specific methods within these categories are always evolving and they're constantly changing. Now, keeping up with these latest technical skills is important, but don't get too caught up in chasing every single method, every single new method. The scientific approach really stays constant. Although today we're solving way different problems and using different methods today than when my lab just started. We still use the same sort of scientific reasoning, hypothesis generation and critical thinking that form the foundation of all of science.

What kinds of jobs and industries can MBS majors go into?

So, our Master of Biological Sciences graduates are working across all of Minnesota's major industries. They're in biomedical devices, they're in agriculture and food. They're also working in biology-based startups, government labs for environmental research, education, as well as less obvious jobs. MBS students work in roles like food safety, product development, sustainability and crop science.

For emerging opportunities, our graduates are finding work in biotech startups, science, communication and writing and data analysis roles. The bioinformatics field is booming. Some have gone into less obvious paths like patent law, where that technical background is incredibly valuable, and science, education and outreach. And of course, many of our graduates aren't going to industry. They use the Master of Biological Sciences as a stepping stone to medical school, dental school or PhD programs.

The program just really opens up a lot of different doors for students.