The Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree is an innovative two-year graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training and excel in science while simultaneously developing highly-valued business skills. PSM programs prepare students for science careers in business, government, or nonprofit organizations, where workforce needs are increasing. Programs are characterized by "science-plus," combining rigorous study in science or mathematics with skills-based coursework in management, policy, or law. PSM programs emphasize writing and communication skills, and most require a final project or team experience, as well as a "real-world" internship in a business or public sector enterprise.

The PSM programs now recruiting are of three kinds:

• Those that deepen a student's knowledge beyond what can be learned in a four-year course of study, but stay within a disciplinary domain;
  
  
• Those that fuse scientific fields at a level of depth and complexity hard for undergraduates to achieve; in many cases, the fusion may be with computer or information sciences; and
  
  
• Those that integrate study in the natural sciences and mathematics with knowledge and training in management, law, or other professional domains.

Programs are developed in concert with industry and are designed to dovetail into present and future professional career opportunities. Graduates are equipped to manage the breakthroughs that are created by the research teams. They can interact between researchers and managers, especially in the marketing, finance, and legal departments.

The PSM began in 1997 with a series of grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to selected research universities. (Background on the PSM initiative.)