IMPORTANT UPDATE: STIMULUS INFORMATION
The PSM has been included in the stimulus bill also known as The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Text of the legislation is currently available on the House Rules Committee website at this site. The National Science Foundation PSM language can be found in the Joint Explanatory Statement Division A. It is reproduced below.
Education and Human Resources
The conference agreement includes $100,000,000 for education and human resources, to remain available until September 30,2010. These funds shall be allocated as follows:
- Robert Noyce Scholarship Program. $60,000,000
- Math and Science Partnerships. 25,000,000
- Professional Science Master's Programs. 15,000,000
For more information from NSF please click here.
Staffers at the National Science Foundation made the following comments on May 20, 2009.
- The RFP is under internal review and should be out mid-July [revised as of June 19].
- They will likely ask for a letter of intent to include a brief description of the program. This will help NSF select reviewers and will have a six week deadline.
- Proposals need to focus on NSF areas of interest – science and engineering, not health related or bio-pharmaceutical.
- They will look for a strong scientific focus as well as professional components.
- Funding will be for fiscal year 2010 which begins October 1, 2009.
- They would prefer to fund new programs.
- Since the goal of the stimulus package is to put people to work, they will look for proposals for programs that can be made operational quickly (no planning grants) and that have employer involvement (private or government).
- There has been a lot of interest, so they are expecting many proposals.
- Student aid is acceptable but a program that only wants money for students would not be competitive – need program development plus student aid.
The Professional Science Master's (PSM) is an innovative, new graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics, while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers. PSM programs consist of two years of academic training in an emerging or interdisciplinary area, along with a professional component that may include internships and "cross-training" in workplace skills, such as business, communications, and regulatory affairs. All have been developed in concert with employers and are designed to dovetail into present and future professional career opportunities.