Biophysical Chemistry and Design for Biotechnology, Master of Science
This innovative master’s program is designed for students with a STEM-related bachelor’s degree who are seeking a high-impact career in biotechnology or the pharmaceutical industry. The program can be completed in 10 to 24 months through full-time or part-time, in-person study.
Students will gain a strong foundation in the theory and practical application of biophysical chemistry and computational methods essential for the development of protein and RNA therapeutics. The curriculum includes training in the physical chemistry of macromolecules, computational design and analysis using physics-based and AI-driven methods, and laboratory techniques for screening and stability testing.
Taught by distinguished faculty with extensive expertise in the field, the program combines cutting-edge coursework with immersive, hands-on lab experiences—including a summer lab intensive. Students will also receive training on industry-standard instruments and software widely used across biotech and pharma sectors.
Program Requirements
Students will complete:
AS.250.649 Introduction to Computing in Biology
AS.250.622 Statistics and Data Analysis
AS.250.620 Biophysical methods
AS.250.623 Macromolecular Simulation
AS.410.656 Recombinant DNA Laboratory
Or AS.410.659 Advanced Recombinant DNA Lab
AS.250.xxx Computational analysis of protein and nucleic acids structures
AS.250.68 Biomolecular thermodynamics
Or AS.250.372 Biomolecular thermodynamics
AS.250.xxx Computational macromolecular design
AS.250.xxx Special Topics in Macromolecular Therapeutics
AS.250.xxx Protein design lab
2 electives from list:
AS.030.648 Biocatalysis: Fundamentals, Recent Advances, and Industrial Applications B
AS.030.623 Molecular Synthetic Biology
AS.410.633 Introduction to Bioinformatics
AS.410.652 Mammalian Cell Culture Techniques
AS.410.660 Immunological Techniques in Biotechnology
AS.410.613 Principles of Immunology
AS.410.607 The Biotechnology Enterprise
EN.540.614 Computational Protein Structure Prediction and Design
EN.540.637 Application of Molecular Evolution to Biotechnology
EN.580.632 Principles of Genomic Systems Engineering and Synthetic Biology
Total credits 32-33
Learning Outcomes
Students will develop strong theoretical and practical skills in biophysical chemistry and computational methods essential for the development of protein therapeutics. The curriculum includes training in the physical chemistry of macromolecules, computational analysis and design using physics- and AI-based approaches, and laboratory techniques for screening and stability testing. Students will gain hands-on experience with instrumentation and software widely used in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.