Master of Science in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Science

Offered in Partnership with the Department of Chemistry, Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University

For professionals in the food, pharmaceutical and life science industries, the challenge to navigate the growing and complex web of regulations poses formidable career demands.

Rapid technological advances and increased globalization have spurred new government and industry regulations. The changing environment has transformed job and performance expectations for chemists, scientists, technicians and managers.

To address these job requisites with academic bona fides, Northwestern University offers the Master of Science in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Science program. Ambitious working professionals, whose academic training did not typically address the regulatory framework, understand the importance of incorporating such knowledge into their skill set.

Designed to fit the needs and life circumstances of working adults, the 11-course curriculum focuses on quality control procedures and the skills required to meet compliance imperatives. The program also enhances the practical and intellectual foundation needed to excel at project management, risk assessment and risk management.

In today's business climate, learning broader skills and demonstrating an accomplished grasp of key industry issues such as regulatory imperatives serve to distinguish a worker in the field. In the view of employers, those employees who take the initiative to bolster their education are especially prized for bringing to the job a more solid and nuanced understanding of the larger mission at stake: delivering safe and effective products.

Industry specialists and employers in the field played a central role in formulating the curriculum by delivering a wish list of skills needed to work in a regulated environment. Trained in precisely those skills, graduates leave the program well-equipped to ascend the professional ranks.