Dr. Brian Bridges is executive director of the Fredrick Patterson Research Institute at the United Negro College Fund.
Earlier this year, as he finished his last course as a Master of Business and Science 4+1 student through the PSM at Rutgers with a concentration in Sustainability, Watson accepted a job as a project engineer at the nearby Public Service Electric and Gas Company, or PSE&G, in South Plainfield, N.J.
He believes the MBS courses he took through the PSM program, which he said combined science innovation with a strong business curriculum, gave him a competitive edge in his field.
“Being a part of the program and having graduated has made me a stronger candidate,” said Watson, 24, and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Watson is part of the steadily growing number of students—including underrepresented minorities—who are enrolling in and graduating from PSMs, according to a new survey released this month by the Council of Graduate Schools.
According to the report, titled “Enrollment and Degrees in Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Programs: 2012,” total enrollment in PSM programs grew by 10 percent, from 4,459 in 2010 to 4,894 in 2012.
Most of the increase—8 percent, or from 4,459 to 4,798—took place between 2010 and 2011, followed by a slight increase of 2 percent between 2011 and 2012, from 4,798 to 4,894.
