Certificate Requirements
The Leadership and Management in the Life Sciences program consists of 12 credits.
- 760.601 Business Side of Life Sciences
- 760.604 Managerial Accounting and Budgeting
- 760.605 Managerial Finance
- 760.606 Economics
- 760.701 Business Communications
- 760.703 Business Law Issues for the Life Sciences
- 760.705 Negotiation
- 760.707 Strategies for Leading and Managing in a Life Sciences Organization
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760.601 Business Side of Life Sciences
This introductory course will establish the context for the program. The course will cover the organization of the life sciences industry in the U.S. and worldwide, trends in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical devices industries, the rewards and risks of commercialization in the life sciences, and keys to working with industry and potential sources of capital. (1 credit)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (1 credits)
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760.604 Managerial Accounting and Budgeting
In this course students will develop an understanding of the concepts and methods by which business transactions are analyzed and communicated, and their applicability to students’ current and future situations. Topics will include understanding financial statements, the accounting lifecycle, departmental and program budgeting, and forecasting and monitoring performance. (2 credits)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (2 credits)
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760.605 Managerial Finance
This course will build on the Accounting course (760.604), so that students will understand the nature of financial instruments, capital structure (including the use of working capital), the changing role of finance over the corporate life cycle, and the methods for determining the value of a company. (2 credits)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (2 credits)
Prerequisite(s): BU.760.604
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760.606 Economics
This course will introduce the fundamental concepts of economics that are applicable to the life sciences – supply and demand, elasticity of demand and supply, opportunity costs, marginal analysis. These concepts will be applied to issues of organizational strategy. (2 credits)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (2 credits)
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760.701 Business Communications
This highly interactive course will focus on effective writing and oral presentation in a business environment (as distinct from science writing and presentations, which is covered in a course already offered at the School of Medicine, “Speaking About Science: Workshop on Presenting Science”). (1 credit)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (1 credits)
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760.703 Business Law Issues for the Life Sciences
This course will address the specific legal issues that life scientists need to understand as they negotiate in the business world: the structure of the legal process, the nature and use of contracts, forms of business and corporate structure, and the intricacies of intellectual property law. (1 credit)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (1 credits)
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760.705 Negotiation
This course will provide students with the basic skills needed for effective negotiation of business relationships in health care. The course will present a systematic approach to preparing for, structuring, and negotiating key business relationships. It also will introduce participants to basic process and conflict management skills needed for effective negotiation. (1 credit)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (1 credits)
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760.707 Strategies for Leading and Managing in a Life Sciences Organization
The program concludes with an exploration of the fundamental principles of management and leadership as they apply to academic departments and laboratories, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and funding and regulatory agencies. This highly interactive course will address the use, effectiveness, and shortcomings of alternative management and leadership styles; the division of responsibility between management and those who govern an organization; the complexity of managing in a multicultural environment; and the challenge of leading professionals. (2 credits)
Notes: This course is open only to Life Sciences Certificate students. (2 credits)

