College of Science Director of Professional Masters Programs and New Initiatives Elizabeth Friedman co-led a session on university marketing and communication and organized a panel on the future of professional science master’s programs at the 2017 National Professional Science Master’s Association (NPSMA) Conference in November 2017.

Friedman was a founding member of the NPSMA (2005–07) and served for six years on the board in various positions including president (2010). In 2015, she won the NPSMA Board of Directors Award, honoring a professional science master’s (PSM) program director, faculty member, staff person, alumnus/alumna, or student for outstanding contributions to PSM programs.

At a pre-conference workshop, “Marketing Your PSM Programs,” Friedman and Rana Khan, University of Maryland University College, led an interactive session teaching academic program directors how to use internal communication and external marketing efforts and activities. They provided step-by-step guidelines for each and presented two examples of successful program strategies.

In the panel session at the NPSMA annual conference, Friedman and her colleagues, past NPSMA presidents Ursula Bechert from the University of Pennsylvania, Dagmar Beck from Rice University, and Bogdan Vernescu from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, discussed viable opportunities and paths forward for professional master’s degrees. The panel, moderated by Loida Escote-Carlson of Penn State University, discussed the changing landscape of higher education, the increase in industry influence, the decrease in federal and state funding, and the variety of university credentials being offered as we move away from traditional graduate education.

For more information on Illinois Tech College of Science professional master’s programs, visit the website.