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

The Master of Science in Bioscience and Health Policy (MSBHP) degree is a non-thesis master's degree that focuses on the intersection of bioscience and health policy.

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 requires:

• 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.
• A 3-6 month full-time internship.
• 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.

Core Requirements

• Core Science Courses: Select 4 courses (12 credit hours) from the following:
  • BIOS 520: MOLECULAR BASIS OF DISEASES
  • BIOS 523: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
  • BIOS 524: MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS
  • BIOS 525: PLANT MOLECULAR GENETICS AND DEVELOPMENT
  • BIOS 534: EVOLUTION
  • BIOS 543: DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
  • BIOS 547: EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE
  • BIOS 549: ADVANCED CELL AND MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
  • BIOS 550: VIRUSES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
  • BIOS 558: FUNDAMENTALS OF QUANTITATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
  • BIOS 560: CANCER BIOLOGY
  • BIOS 570: COMPUTATION WITH BIOLOGICAL DATA
  • BIOS 572: IMMUNOLOGY
  • BIOS 585: CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF THE NEURON
• Cohort Courses:
  • NSCI 501: PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 1st semester)
  • NSCI 501: PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 2nd semester)
  • NSCI 511: SCIENCE POLICY, AND ETHICS
  • NSCI 610 / ENGI 610: MANAGEMENT FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
• Analytical Competency Requirement:
  • A. Statistics or Data Analytics: Select 1 course (3-4 credit hours) from the following:
    • BIOE 552 / SSPB 502: INTRO COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS BIOLOGY: MODELING & DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF BIOCHEM NETWORKS
    • BIOS 538: ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL DATA
    • DSCI 535 / COMP 549: APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA SCIENCE PROJECTS
    • EEPS 586: INTRODUCTION TO DATA SCIENCE & METHODS
    • STAT 553: BIOSTATISTICS
    • STAT 605: R FOR DATA SCIENCE
  • B. Finance or Economics: Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 credit hours) from the following:
    • MGMT 631: HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE U.S.: THE ESSENTIALS
    • MGMT 678: BUSINESS OF HEALTHCARE
    • MGMT 690: HEALTHCARE STRATEGY
    • MGMT 751: ECONOMICS OF HEALTH CARE SECTORS
    • MGMT 793: CREATING THE DATA DRIVEN BUSINESS
    • PH 3910: INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH ECONOMICS
  • C. Policy Courses: Select a minimum of 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from the following:
    • ANTH 581: MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
    • ANTH 643: ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH
    • BIOS 670: CURRENT BIOSCIENCES AND HEALTH POLICY TOPICS
    • HEAL 580: DISPARITIES IN HEALTH IN AMERICA
    • NSCI 530: THE SHAPING OF HEALTH POLICY
    • SOCI 525: POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR
• Elective Requirements: Select a minimum of 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from the following:
  • ASIA 556: GENOMIC GOVERNANCE IN ASIA
  • BIOS 670: CURRENT BIOSCIENCES AND HEALTH POLICY TOPICS
  • ENGI 515: LEADING TEAMS AND INNOVATION
  • ENGI 529 / CEVE 529: ETHICS AND ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP
  • ENGI 614: LEARNING HOW TO INNOVATE?
  • HEAL 507: EPIDEMIOLOGY
  • HEAL 560: PLANNING AND EVALUATION OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION
  • MGMT 623: EARLY DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN A BIOTECH/MEDTECH STARTUP
  • MGMT 631: HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE U.S.: THE ESSENTIALS
  • MGMT 633 / BIOE 633: ROLES OF PHYSICIANS, SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS AND MBA'S IN HIGH-TECH STARTUPS
  • MGMT 690: HEALTHCARE STRATEGY
  • MGMT 691: BREAKTHROUGH NEGOTIATIONS IN APPLIED CONTEXTS
  • MGMT 712: PROCESS MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
  • MGMT 721: BUSINESS LAW
  • MGMT 744: SERVICES OPERATIONS
  • MGMT 778: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT
  • MGMT 793: CREATING THE DATA DRIVEN BUSINESS
  • MGMT 799: HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • NSCI 515: FOUNDATIONS OF PROJECT AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
  • SOPE 506: APPLICATIONS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION – HEALTH
• Three to Six Month Full-Time Internship: A three to six month full-time internship is required.
  • NSCI 512: PROFESSIONAL MASTER'S PROJECT

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.

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.

Transfer Credit

For Rice University's policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content) and by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS).

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

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

• 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.

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.