Biotechnology management students at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) are not only learning the skills they need for career success, they are also applying them—in real time—through consultancies with businesses.
For the last two semesters, student teams in the required capstone course in the Master of Biotechnology Management program have been asked to provide expert advice to two Maryland companies, a medical company with tech-focused delivery systems for injectable medications and a specialized cosmetics firm revamping its brand identity. The consultancies incorporated all aspects of the degree program, which merges biology with business management and enables students to take separate concentrations within the technology management program.
“The capstone really gives the students the opportunity to see what it’s like in the real world, to put their experiences into practice,” said Robin Searles-Adenegan, portfolio director of the Biological Sciences, Biotechnology and Laboratory Management programs in UMGC’s School of Integrative and Professional Studies. “Having this particular opportunity may allow you to think in new ways about your education and career.”
In the capstone courses, a degree requirement, students take what they have learned and apply it to a particular project. The biotechnology management capstone takes the learning a step further by enabling students to serve as consultants to real companies and receive feedback from business executives. The capstone consultancies also align with UMGC’s commitment to more deeply embedding experiential learning in its curriculum.
The biotechnology management capstone consultancies brought together students with diverse expertise. Every team had four to six students, each of whom was assigned a specific role in the project. For example, one team member served as a project manager, another as quality control officer or another one as clinical or regulatory affairs specialist.
For one of the consultancies, students worked on a project designed by Congruence Medical Solutions, which develops drug-delivery device platforms. The student teams drew up a strategy for commercializing a device to administer drugs used in pediatric oncology. The teams conducted internal research and engaged with the external stakeholders, including potential customers of Congruence Medical Solutions. Within a relatively short time span—12 weeks—they drafted a comprehensive report that detailed the market for the product and the company’s within it, noted the applicable regulatory procedures, offered a process for product evaluation and customer feedback, and listed recommendations.
The second consultancy involved a cosmetics startup, 8 Count Cosmetics, that wanted help in advance of a brand launch. The company has developed richly pigmented makeup—easy to apply and easy to remove—for use in theater. Its five colored creams can be mixed with each other or with the company’s white makeup to create additional hues. As part of their consultancy, UMGC graduate students sourced services for pigments, microbial testing, packaging and labels; compiled qualitative and quantitative survey questions to gain pre- and post-launch consumer insights; scouted locations for the company’s launch event; and even recommended the calendar date to unveil the brand.
“We had several major undertakings that the students were able to contribute to, which helped us stay on track with our aggressive strategic goals,” 8 Count Cosmetics said in a prepared statement. “Additionally, the students’ research and assistance helped us lay out the groundwork for our upcoming launch on Aug. 8, 2024.”
The company’s cofounders, Savanah Saldaña-Shumaker and Michael Jacinto Baugh, described the collaboration with the capstone students as “a major asset” to the company.
The business relationships and collaborations with the capstone courses were initiated by UMGC Professor of Biotechnology Amrita Gupta Madabushi. She views the consultancies as a win-win opportunity for both the companies involved and the Biotechnology Management Program.
Madabushi’s career trajectory has included work at the National Institutes of Health, and she is skilled at connecting biotech companies with higher education. She is currently working to expand the consultancy program to include more businesses. In response to student requests, there is also an effort underway to offer consultancies in two other concentrations within the graduate program: regulatory affairs and biosecurity-biodefense. Madabushi is reaching out to her large network within and outside Maryland to achieve that goal.
She said UMGC’s focus on adult learners is part of the appeal of the program for partner companies.
“Because our student population is working, these are students who may already have some experience in fields such as manufacturing, regulatory or marketing. They are glad to bring in their work experience and share their knowledge throughout their classes at UMGC,” she explained. “An employer who learns about the capstone sees this as an excellent opportunity to work with someone having not just current knowledge in biotechnology management but also work experience in, say, regulatory affairs or finance.
“[These students] are very capable of working on a project and troubleshooting any problems. They can prepare 75-page long recommendation reports to summarize how to support a product from innovation to market,” she added. She noted that the capstone collaborations have spilled over to provide unexpected benefits, including the willingness of participating business executives to mentor students in the consultancies.
“Considering how busy some of these company executives are, we did not ask them to mentor the students,” she said. “However, the company leaders and CEOs were excited to support students and not just mentor them throughout the semester but also stay connected with them beyond capstone, forming a rich network of collaborations.”
Searles-Adenegan said she was impressed by the professionalism of the students when they made their presentations to company executives. “A lot of students on the teams have said it’s the best team project they’ve ever done, and it shows in their final reports and presentations,” she said.
Kate Barnhart, who took part in the 8 Count Cosmetics consultancy, said the capstone allowed her to “put all the pieces together.” Barnhart is associate director of GeneDx, which does DNA sequencing to help treat and diagnose patients with rare genetic conditions. She said the flexibility of the online program drew her to UMGC.
“I’m a single mom, so being able to still raise my kids and work on my career and not having to sacrifice working on higher education has meant a lot to me, and I don’t know if I could have done it through a different program,” she said.
“I’ve been able to utilize a lot of the stuff that I’ve gotten through UMGC in my career,” she added.
Madabushi said she was struck by how passionate the students were while working on the consultancies. “You see the students forget this is something they’re doing for a grade and come together as a team to achieve a common goal for the company,” she said. “This is very beneficial for them as they continue to stay connected beyond the capstone.”
Participating students ended with consulting experience on their resumes—something Searles-Adenegan said employers look for when screening job applicants—as well as personal connections to business executives in the biotech field. For its part, each company walked away with comprehensive analyses and business recommendations.
Searles-Adenegan said the collaborations also are important for the job recruitment doors they open for UMGC within the larger biotechnology arena in and beyond Maryland.
“Building relationships with us exposes businesses to a hiring pool. These capstone experiences help participating companies see that our students are competent and trained for the real world,” she said.
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