News and Information
GVSU's Professional Science Masters Receives Re-Affiliation Status
February 14, 2017
Grand Valley's Professional Science Master's (PSM) programs recently had their application for re-affiliation approved by the PSM National Office. Reviewers were very impressed with the program curricula as it met all of the guidelines and "is a great PSM program model." Re-affiliation occurs every five years and acknowledges that the programs are officially recognized as meeting the criteria of a Professional Science Master's degree. These criteria include rigorous scientific coursework, customized professional content, and a significant experiential component such as an internship.
Each of GVSU’s three PSM programs – in Biostatistics, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Medical and Bioinformatics – has a strong discipline-specific curriculum. In addition, students gain an interdisciplinary experience through coursework from the other two PSM programs and they complete professionalism and ethics courses which prepare them for the work environment.
Grand Valley’s programs are distinguished by the internship requirement, where students spend a minimum of 440 hours directly working with professionals in their field. This experience makes them highly sought-after job candidates and many students receive job offers from their internship site. Some of our local partners include Meijer, Priority Health, the Van Andel Research Institute, MPI Research, NxGen MDx, Spectrum, and Cherry Health.