Get a Master's in Interdisciplinary Science

As science, technology, and business continue to blend, employers are looking for candidates who understand complex technical and scientific concepts to solve today’s integrated industry challenges. The master’s in interdisciplinary science degree prepares students for this rapidly changing work environment by further developing their scientific expertise, professional communication skills, and business acumen.

Courses in the master’s in interdisciplinary science program, selected from science, engineering, and non-technical fields (such as business, the arts, and the humanities), prepare graduates for leadership positions in a variety of interdisciplinary science careers. Florida Tech’s reputation for excellence in science and engineering education, as well as its prominent business management program, exceeds expectations for a high-quality academic experience.

Specialized Curriculum

Students in the master’s in interdisciplinary science program build their own highly individualized science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum tailored for their intended career path, interacting with students and professors from many disciplines. Florida Tech’s PRISM program encourages students to broaden their thinking and their skillset to approach complex problems in new ways and collaborate with professionals from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.

Florida Tech’s interdisciplinary science major is a broad, individualized educational program with thesis and non-thesis options. One of the very first programs of its kind in the country, Florida Tech’s interdisciplinary science master’s degree combines advanced scientific study with advanced knowledge of communications and business, giving students considerable flexibility in their career. With a close-knit academic community with peers and professors, interdisciplinary science students collaborate to explore their interests and develop a personal career path.

A Program Offering Career Options

With the creation of the interdisciplinary science program, Florida Tech recognized the need for students to develop expertise in a variety of science and engineering disciplines, while also expanding their communication and business acumen. This interdisciplinary approach gives students a variety of career options that can include jobs in nanotechnology, environmental protection, medicine, engineering, teaching, and research (for both industry and the government). Many students with an interdisciplinary science master’s degree achieve leadership roles in the military or choose to enter a doctoral program.

Faculty Who Are Leaders in the Industry

Students in the master’s in interdisciplinary science program work with faculty in any of the five colleges at Florida Tech (Aeronautics, Business, Engineering, Psychology and Liberal Arts, or Science), depending on their individual degree concentration. Florida Tech professors are thought-leaders in their fields—respected textbook authors whose research has been cited in academic and professional publications. They have also served as subject matter experts for well-known media outlets including National Geographic Television and Magazine, CNN, the Discovery Channel, National Public Radio (NPR), and newspapers around the world.

Both thesis and non-thesis options are available in the master’s in interdisciplinary science program. Because of the personalized nature of the program, students work with an advisor and a professor to choose a thesis research topic. Florida Tech is home to more than 25 research centers and institutes, as well as high-tech laboratories and machine shops that cater to the interdisciplinary nature of many degree programs.

Strategic Location

Another of the benefits to attending Florida Tech for an interdisciplinary science master’s degree is its location within the Florida High Tech Corridor—home to more than 5,000 high-tech companies and one of the largest high-tech workforces in the nation.

Research conducted by Florida Tech interdisciplinary science students is an important academic experience providing students the tools and techniques they need for future career-related scientific research.

The PRISM program supports a creative and visionary approach to research, encouraging students to seek new methods to tackle complex problems. Because of the personalized nature of this degree program, interdisciplinary science research topics vary widely and provide all students with access to cutting-edge ideas on many different aspects of the field. Topics of interdisciplinary science research in the past have included:

• Military leadership
• Progress in special education
• Industrial symbiosis
• Sustainable coastal management
• Designing community centers
• Aviation safety
• Computers in education
• Research in neurochemistry

In addition, Florida Tech’s international faculty are involved in research interests that includes:

• Astrophysics
• Nanotechnology
• International business
• Technical writing
• Nuclear engineering
• Critical languages

High-Tech Laboratory Facilities

State-of-the-art facilities and laboratories are another reason students earning an interdisciplinary science master’s degree choose Florida Tech. The F.W. Olin Engineering Complex houses 26 specialized research laboratories, and the F.W. Olin Life Sciences Building is home to an aquaculture facility, a climate change institute, eight teaching laboratories, and 12 research laboratories—all equipped with 21st century technology. The Harris Center for Science and Engineering serves the research needs of our aquaculture and fish biology programs. Florida Tech’s research centers, institutes, and laboratories also include:

• Laser, Optics, and Instrumentation Laboratory—providing a variety of advanced lasers and high-speed detectors for medical imaging and therapy of cancer and tumors
• Biomaterials Laboratory—offering several compression and tension test devices used to test samples under repeated cycles of stress
• High-Resolution Microscopy and Advanced Imaging Center—supporting several scanning microscopes and X-ray analysis of natural and artificial materials
• Wind and Hurricane Impacts Research Laboratory—studying the impact of windstorms such as hurricanes and tornadoes on natural and manmade environments
• Vero Beach Marine Laboratory—utilizing four acres of beachside laboratory space to study marine biological and geological processes
• Center for Entrepreneurship and New Business Development—allowing students with entrepreneurship ideas to work with local business to turn concepts into reality

Virtual Climate Adaptation Library

Climate change is among the most pressing issues faced by future generations and is an essential topic in many scientific disciplines. Students at Florida Tech conducting interdisciplinary science research have access to the Coastal Climate Adaptation Library—a cloud-based and crowd-sourced database containing over 2,700 reports, articles and guidance in more than 10 languages on the effects of climate change on coastal environments around the world.

Designed to foster advances in adaption planning for rising sea levels and climate change mitigation, students contributing to the database take part in a worldwide research effort, adding to the knowledge base of millions. Articles come from not only Florida Tech researchers, but from respected research institutes and organizations such as:

• Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Sea Turtle Conservancy
• The Mote Marine Laboratory
• US Fish and Wildlife Service

Many of the problems in science and technology are too complex for the fragmented single-discipline approach. Societal problems and solutions require the contributions of scientists from a number of different fields, each bringing their expertise to solve a larger, systems-level problem. Research institutions, universities, and corporations need experts who are focused on this multidisciplinary approach.

Employers seek out graduates with a master’s in interdisciplinary science degree from Florida Tech because of the broad skillset and interpersonal skills Florida Tech graduates possess. Interdisciplinary science graduates work for science, technology, and management organizations that need managers who can lead scientific and technical teams. Many students continue into the military or further their education with a specialized doctoral degree. Organizations that have recruited Florida Tech students include General Electric, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, NASA, Harris Corporation, and the US Marine Corps.

Career Outlook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides information about specific jobs including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things.

For those seeking careers in interdisciplinary science, jobs might be found in medical environments, advocacy, environmental policy, business management, education, technology, research and science. Graduates can search a diverse range of science-based careers that depend on strong backgrounds in scientific and quantitative reasoning and an understanding of the relationship between the natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, humanities and the arts.

In areas of business, administrative services managers could experience 12% employment growth and human resources managers 13% through 2020. Environmental health and safety engineers are projected to grow 11% with medical scientists experiencing 13% growth. Careers in biochemistry or biophysics show a 31% growth projection. For the many options available to an interdisciplinary degree graduate check the Occupational Outlook Handbook for additional information on careers in interdisciplinary science.

Interdisciplinary Science Career Options

Although not an exhaustive list, careers in interdisciplinary science can include one (or more) of the following:

• Agricultural and food scientist
• Biochemist and biophysicist
• Biological technician
• Medical scientist
• Biomedical engineering technician
• Chemical technician
• Chemist and materials scientist
• Medical and clinical laboratory technologist
• Microbiologist
• Postsecondary teacher
• Researcher
• Administrative manager
• Information management director
• Technology supervisor
• Social scientist