Master of Science in Bioscience and Health Policy (MSBHP) Degree

Program Learning Outcomes for the MSBHP Degree

Upon completing the MSBHP degree, students will be able to:

  1. Become knowledgeable in current advanced bioscience and health policy topics affecting society. 
  2. Integrate science knowledge into policies and practices.
  3. Demonstrate written, oral, and visual communication strategies required to work effectively across science, business, and government. 

Requirements for the MSBHP Degree

The MSBHP degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master’s Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the MSBHP degree must complete:

  • A minimum of 14 courses (minimum of 39-40 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy degree requirements.
  • A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level study (graduate semester credit hours, coursework at the 500-level or above). 
  • A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
  • A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken in standard or traditional courses (with a course type of lecture, seminar, laboratory, lecture/laboratory). 
  • A minimum residency enrollment of one fall or spring semester of part-time graduate study at Rice University.
  • A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
  • A 3-6 month full-time internship. Instead of a thesis, at the conclusion of their internship, students must present their internship project in both oral and written form as part of the Professional Master’s Project (NSCI 512). Part-time students who already work in their area of study may request approval to fulfill the internship requirement by working on a specific, pre-approved project with their current employer.
  • A minimum overall GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework.
  • A minimum program GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework that satisfies requirements for the non-thesis master’s degree.

Note: Some of the listed courses are not offered every year, and some may also have prerequisites or require instructor permission.

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor, or where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program's Official Certifier. Additionally, these must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the MSBHP Degree39-40

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements
Core Science Courses
Select 4 courses (12 credit hours) from the following:12
MOLECULAR BASIS OF DISEASES
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS
PLANT MOLECULAR GENETICS AND DEVELOPMENT
EVOLUTION
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE
ADVANCED CELL AND MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
VIRUSES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
FUNDAMENTALS OF QUANTITATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
CANCER BIOLOGY
COMPUTATION WITH BIOLOGICAL DATA
IMMUNOLOGY
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF THE NEURON
Cohort Courses
NSCI 501PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 1st semester)1
NSCI 501PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 2nd semester)1
NSCI 511SCIENCE POLICY, AND ETHICS3
NSCI 610 / ENGI 610MANAGEMENT FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING3
Analytical Competency Requirement
A. Statistics or Data Analytics - Select 1 course (3-4 credit hours) from the following:3-4
INTRO COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS BIOLOGY: MODELING & DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF BIOCHEM NETWORKS
ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL DATA
APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA SCIENCE PROJECTS
DATA SCIENCE METHODS AND DATA MANAGEMENT
BIOSTATISTICS
R FOR DATA SCIENCE
B. Finance or Economics - Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 credit hours) from the following: 1,23
HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE U.S.: THE ESSENTIALS
BUSINESS OF HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE STRATEGY
ECONOMICS OF HEALTH CARE SECTORS
CREATING THE DATA DRIVEN BUSINESS
PH 3910
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH ECONOMICS 2
C. Policy Courses - Select a minimum of 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from the following:6
MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH
GENOMIC GOVERNANCE IN ASIA
DISPARITIES IN HEALTH IN AMERICA
HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE U.S.: THE ESSENTIALS
HEALTHCARE STRATEGY
BREAKTHROUGH NEGOTIATIONS IN APPLIED CONTEXTS
THE SHAPING OF HEALTH POLICY
POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR
Elective Requirements
Select a minimum of 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from the following:6
LEADING TEAMS AND INNOVATION
ETHICS AND ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP
LEARNING HOW TO INNOVATE?
LEADERSHIP COACHING FOR ENGINEERS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
PLANNING AND EVALUATION OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION
EARLY DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN A BIOTECH/MEDTECH STARTUP
ROLES OF PHYSICIANS, SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS AND MBA’S IN HIGH-TECH STARTUPS
PROCESS MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
BUSINESS LAW
SERVICES OPERATIONS
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT
CREATING THE DATA DRIVEN BUSINESS
HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FOUNDATIONS OF PROJECT AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
Three to Six Month Full-Time Internship
A three to six month full-time internship is required 3
NSCI 512PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S PROJECT1
Total Credit Hours39-40

Footnotes and Additional Information 

Policies for the MSBHP Degree 

Professional Science Master's Graduate Program Handbook

The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the Professional Science Master's Program publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2023_24/Natural_Sciences_Professional_Masters_Graduate_Handbook.pdf

Admission

Admission to graduate study in Bioscience and Health Policy is open to qualified students holding a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field. Preparation in biology, chemistry, calculus and statistics is preferred. Scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required. Department faculty evaluate the previous academic record and credentials of each applicant individually and make admission decisions.

The Bioscience and Health Policy Professional Master’s Program has distinct focus areas for students with primary interests in policy careers, biomedical and health care related positions, or additional post-graduate training or education after degree conferral.  

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the MSBHP degree should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guidelines:

  • No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the degree.
  • Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director on an individual case-by-case basis. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Bioscience and Health Policy website: https://profms.rice.edu/

Opportunities for the MSBHP Degree

Fifth-Year Master's Degree Option for Rice Undergraduate Students 

In certain situations and with some terminal master's degree programs, Rice students have an option to pursue a master’s degree by adding an additional fifth year to their four years of undergraduate studies.

Advanced Rice undergraduate students in good academic standing typically apply to the master’s degree program during their junior or senior year. Upon acceptance, depending on course load, financial aid status, and other variables, they may then start taking some required courses of the master's degree program. A plan of study will need to be approved by the student's undergraduate major advisor and the master’s degree program director.

As part of this option and opportunity, Rice undergraduate students:

  • must complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree and the master's degree independently of each other (i.e. no course may be counted toward the fulfillment of both degrees).
  • should be aware there could be financial aid implications if the conversion of undergraduate coursework to that of graduate level reduces their earned undergraduate credit for any semester below that of full-time status (12 credit hours).
  • more information on this Undergraduate - Graduate Concurrent Enrollment opportunity, including specific information on the registration process can be found here.

Rice undergraduate students completing studies in science may have the option to pursue the Master of Science in Bioscience and Health Policy (MSBHP) degree. For additional information, students should contact their undergraduate major advisor, the faculty MSBHP program director, and the Professional Science Master's (PSM) program director. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Bioscience and Health Policy website: https://profms.rice.edu/