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

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
The following courses are required:
AS.250.649	Introduction to Computing in Biology	2
AS.250.622	Statistics, Data Analysis, and Reproducibility	1
AS.250.620	Optical Spectroscopy	2
AS.250.623	Macromolecular Simulation	1
AS.410.656	Recombinant DNA Laboratory	4
AS.250.681	Computational Analysis of Proteins and Nucleic Acids	3
AS.250.372	Biophysical Chemistry	3-4
or AS.250.689	Physical Chemistry of Biological Macromolecules
AS.250.686	Computational Macromolecular Design	3
AS.250.450	Special Topics in Biotechnology	3
AS.250.630	Protein Design Lab	3
Two electives must be completed:		6-8
AS.030.648	Biocatalysis: Fundamentals, Recent Advances, and Industrial Applications
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	Microbiological Threats & Emerging Infectious Diseases
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.