WNE Awarded $500,000 Grant to Establish Pharmaceutical Engineering Degree

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNE) is the recipient of a $500,000 grant to establish an interdisciplinary master’s in pharmaceutical engineering degree program. The grant was announced by the Healey-Driscoll administration as part of an overall $13.1 million awarded through the Massachusetts Life Science Center.

The new master of science in pharmaceutical engineering program will take advantage of university strengths in pharmaceutical sciences within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and mechanical and biomedical engineering within the College of Engineering.

The degree will provide a comprehensive education in the biopharmaceutical industry with a focus on the transformative field of advanced therapeutic medicinal products, which are medicines for human use based on gene, cell, or tissue engineering.

“Demand for openings in our pharmacy program is exceptionally high each year,” said Bart Lipkens, associate professor of Pharmacology at WNE. “Introducing a new degree program can further enhance our students’ potential to transform patient care, especially in critical areas such as cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.”

The new degree builds on both colleges’ reputations of advancing scientific knowledge, allowing students the opportunity to learn from faculty and other researchers who are widely recognized for their contributions to the fields of pharmaceutical and engineering sciences. Students with a BS degree in sciences, engineering, mathematics, or pharmacy sciences with a desire to enter the field of biotechnology, biomanufacturing, bioprocessing, biopharma, and cell and gene therapy are eligible to apply. Enrollment is slated to begin in the late fall 2024 semester.