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Topic: UMN's combined JD/MS in Pharmacology? (Read 3769 times) |
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Rphjd
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Re: UMN's combined JD/MS in Pharmacology?
« Reply #15 on: Jun 14th, 2006, 8:17pm » |
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I wonder what is the driving force behing the proliferation of these dual JD programs or even many of other dual degree programs. Part of it, of course is the competition for jobs. Another maybe the fact that more and more people hold advance degrees and it becomes a matter of "degree inflation".
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nittanylion302
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Re: UMN's combined JD/MS in Pharmacology?
« Reply #16 on: Jun 14th, 2006, 8:33pm » |
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well, from the looks of it, a lot of these programs are specifically to expidite the process of producing IP/Patent Lawyers
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nickel
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Re: UMN's combined JD/MS in Pharmacology?
« Reply #17 on: Jun 29th, 2006, 4:43am » |
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To nittany lion: I guess from your user name you are in/from Penn state. 
Well I have just been admitted into the IBIOS (Integrative Biosciences) PhD program at PSU and am seriously considering a patent law career after grad school.
IBIOS includes an internship component which they say can be in a legal setting. I would appreciate any opinions you have on IBIOS or Penn State's Huck Institute of life science as a stepping stone to patent law. Also would you know if students can intern/work part-time at Penn State's tech transfer office?
Would be grateful for any input
thanks
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TataBoxInhibitor
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Re: UMN's combined JD/MS in Pharmacology?
« Reply #18 on: Jun 29th, 2006, 6:25pm » |
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on Jun 14th, 2006, 8:17pm, Rphjd wrote:| I wonder what is the driving force behing the proliferation of these dual JD programs or even many of other dual degree programs. Part of it, of course is the competition for jobs. Another maybe the fact that more and more people hold advance degrees and it becomes a matter of "degree inflation". |
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I think an undergraduate education is fast becoming the norm and to compete, people are seeking advance degrees. Given the number of joint programs, it seems reasonable to conclude that there will be a rise in more "specialty" positions of patent law.
What is interesting is that chem/biochem phDs spend 4-6 years on a thesis in one area, lets say, metabolic biochemistry, then after a J.D., how well does that translate into patent subject matter of genetics or immunology? I would imagine that in some cases the learning curve would be the same as one with a B.S. in genetics or immunology.
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TripleJ
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Re: UMN's combined JD/MS in Pharmacology?
« Reply #19 on: Jun 29th, 2006, 8:35pm » |
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I agree with your comment that today's bachelor's degree is yesterday's HS diploma and that to be competitive in the world marketplace, more and more people feel they need to have one or more advanced degrees.
I disagree with your second comment, however. (First, technicalities: to my knowledge, PhD=dissertation; Masters=thesis). I would make the argument that while the RESULT of pursuing a PhD would make one an expert in one particular topic (such as metabolic biochemistry), the PROCESS of obtaining the PhD would make one an expert in problem solving--a skillset highly underdeveloped in most freshly minted BS students. To be successful in a career, patent law or otherwise, I believe that learning how to think will get you a lot further than what you happened to study in some undergraduate class.
How often do you see someone with a PhD whose career focus is the same type of work they did for their dissertation? Seldom, I think. Even those scientists that go back into academia often pursue research most similar to their post-doc work and not their dissertation work.
I guess what I'm really trying to defend is the fact that obtaining a PhD has a lot more value than making you intimately aware of some obscure topic. Ideally, it teaches you how to be a thinker, problem-solver, communicator, etc., etc., etc. In my opinion, that's why the degree awarded is a doctor of PHILOSOPHY and not a doctor of SCIENCE.
And to tie back in to your comment, I would hire the PhD in metabolic biochemistry to write a genetics patent for me any day of the week over someone with a BS in genetics (all else like total experience, etc., being the same, of course). But that's just me...
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