New Rutgers Mini-MBA Program Designed to Meet Challenges Facing Pharmaceutical, Biotech Industries

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The pharmaceutical and associated biotechnology industries are critical to New Jersey’s economic health and their success essential to the advancement of health care in the United States and the world. With the urgent challenges now facing these industries in mind, Rutgers’ Center for Management Development (CMD) this fall will launch a new mini-MBA program designed to enhance the business acumen of professionals in these fields.

The Rutgers Mini-MBA: BioPharma Innovation will bring senior Rutgers business, law and management faculty, and established industry leaders into the classroom to teach an intensive 12-week program covering the economic, regulatory, market and management issues confronting the biotech/pharmaceutical sector.

The first open-enrollment program will be offered on Monday evenings, Sept. 29 through Dec. 15, in the Janet H. Levin Building on the Livingston Campus in Piscataway. The program also is available to companies at their corporate locations by arrangement. Weekly modules are three hours long. Participants will receive a Mini-MBA certificate upon successful completion and are eligible for a three-credit waiver for Rutgers Business School’s MBA program.

While CMD, the continuing education division affiliated with the School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) and Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick (RBS), also offers mini-MBA programs in finance and business essentials, its newest program is tailored to pharmaceutical and biotechnology professionals who are confronting serious industry issues ranging from layoffs and global competition to patent expiration and government regulation, according to Abe Weiss, director of CMD.

“The challenge for today’s pharmaceutical leaders is to develop new business models that address both the needs of the industry and the needs of the overall health care system,” Weiss said. “This course is designed to lift professionals out of their silos and expose them to the entire process – from drug discovery to commercialization. The program aims to provide the background and business skills required for innovation in these industries, while also challenging participants to consider new business paradigms that promote sustainable revenue growth, stakeholder cooperation and cost management.”

The program uses a case study format to engage participants in problem solving and analysis of issues germane to the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industries. The course modules examine such topics as the drug-development process from the perspective of strategic business decision-making; legal and regulatory issues; the industry in the global context; understanding the marketplace; supply-chain development; strategic alliances and acquisitions; and business ethics and social responsibility. The objective is to provide participants with the tools to bring scientific innovation to the marketplace with sustainable success.

With an interdisciplinary faculty drawn from industry as well as Rutgers Law School-Newark, SMLR and RBS, this innovative program will provide a solid foundation for professionals with diverse responsibilities across functions in their organizations.

For more information about the new Mini-MBA: BioPharma Innovation, visit the CMD website at http://www.cmd.rutgers.edu, call 732-445-5526, or send e-mail to minimba@cmd.rutgers.edu.

Founded in 1947, the Rutgers Center for Management Development offers innovative continuing education programs to address the business, human resources and management training needs of individuals and corporate clients. Its Mini-MBA certificate programs were introduced in 2003 to meet the need for creative thinking, problem solving and innovation confronting businesses across all industry sectors.