The College of Engineering has received approval from the Faculty Senate to offer two new accelerated “4+1” Master of Science degree programs in biomedical engineering and manufacturing engineering, as well as a new graduate certificate in decision analytics.

Accelerated 4+1 programs allow students to gain a head start on some of their higher-level courses to complete both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in as little as five years— providing a competitive edge in the job market.

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Since launching the Biomedical Engineering program in 2017, UMass Amherst has made significant investments in state-of-the-art facilities and research laboratories to keep pace with the considerable growth in the life-sciences sector, both in Massachusetts and nationally. Today, nearly six in 10 people in the biomedical engineering workforce have a master’s degree.

In the accelerated master’s degree program in biomedical engineering, students will learn to apply advanced technology, computational techniques and engineering principles to biomedical systems, analyzing and addressing an array of biological and physiological problems, including the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The program is primarily geared toward students in STEM disciplines.

The accelerated master’s degree program in manufacturing engineering teaches students to analyze and design manufacturing processes and systems, gaining skills and knowledge in areas such as equipment, tooling, material science and engineering, industry 4.0, mechatronics, statistical methods, supply chain and logistics, and manufacturing competitiveness. The program is applicable to companies ranging in size from innovative startups to mature multinational corporations.

The accelerated Manufacturing Engineering program is open to all students majoring in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and related fields.

These two new programs join existing 4+1 programs in civil engineering, environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, engineering management, and materials science and engineering.

The College of Engineering’s new graduate certificate in decision analytics will be offered by the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. Students will gain data-analytics and decision-making skills to understand, visualize, project and harness “big data” to optimize system performance. The program will consist of three courses in its graduate curriculum: MIE 621: Descriptive Analytics, MIE 622: Predictive Analytics and Statistical Learning and MIE 623: Prescriptive Analytics—all providing hands-on experience that benefits a wide range of potential employers.

Current master’s degree students in Engineering Management (MSEM) or Industrial Engineering (MSIEOR) may apply for this certificate program. Non-matriculating students with STEM undergraduate degrees and sufficient technical backgrounds, as determined by the MSEM program director, are also invited to apply.