{"id":6421,"date":"2025-03-12T02:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T02:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/?p=6421"},"modified":"2025-05-23T13:18:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:18:27","slug":"public-health-analyst-gets-the-skills-he-needs-to-make-a-career-change-in-purdues-master-of-science-in-biotechnology-innovation-and-regulatory-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/public-health-analyst-gets-the-skills-he-needs-to-make-a-career-change-in-purdues-master-of-science-in-biotechnology-innovation-and-regulatory-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Public health analyst gets the skills he needs to make a career change in Purdue\u2019s Master of Science in Biotechnology Innovation and Regulatory Science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Lawrence Carter started his Master of Science in Biotechnology Innovation and Regulatory Science<\/a> (BIRS) with Purdue, he was in the middle of several big life changes. For one, he was thinking about changing careers \u2013 he was working as a public health analyst for a federal agency but wanted to transition into a drug compliance role. Secondly, he was a brand-new father with an infant son, juggling the immense challenges of taking care of a baby with the demands of graduate school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the beginning, between work and childcare and school, I was barely sleeping,\u201d Carter said. \u201cIt was exhausting, but so worth it too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his career, Carter has never shied away from hard work, long hours and rising to a challenge. Before he started Purdue\u2019s BIRS program, he had nearly three decades of experience working for the federal government in various health and science-related roles. He also had multiple degrees \u2013 a bachelor\u2019s in analytical chemistry (also from Purdue) and a master\u2019s in management. He\u2019s long had a passion for science, which he attributes to his father \u2013 an accomplished chemist who introduced Carter to the field when he was still a kid.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad worked for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and he would take me to work with him when I was a kid,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThat\u2019s what sparked my interest in science, and it inspired me to get my bachelor\u2019s in chemistry.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After earning his bachelor\u2019s, Carter started a career that spanned many different scientific disciplines \u2013 from chemistry to compliance and public health. While working in compliance, he developed a passion for vaccine and drug development. This interest led him to start considering going back to school for biotechnology and regulatory science, a field where he could be on the frontlines ensuring the quality and safety of life-saving medications.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding New Opportunities in Purdue\u2019s BIRS Program<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Carter started considering a second master\u2019s degree, Purdue immediately came to mind. He knew Purdue had a program in biotechnology innovation and regulatory science that was well-known and highly respected. He also knew Purdue\u2019s BIRS program was offered in a hybrid format, meaning he could take many of his classes online while continuing to work and support his growing family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPurdue, being one of the top universities in the country and where I got my undergraduate degree, seemed like an obvious choice for going back to school,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWhen I looked into the program, I saw immediately how well it fit with my career goals.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carter hoped that earning his master\u2019s would give him the credentials he needed to make a career change and get back into the regulatory field as a drug compliance officer. Purdue\u2019s program offered everything he wanted \u2013 courses about the latest developments in vaccine science, experienced and knowledgeable faculty and valuable connections to the pharmaceutical industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe networking opportunities were one of the best things about the program,\u201d Carter said. \u201cEven though it was online, we still got to collaborate with all these pharmaceutical companies inside and outside of Indiana. Those connections give you what you need to make a career change possible.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program\u2019s flexibility was also invaluable to Carter, especially as a new father. Many of his classmates in the program worked full time and had families of their own, so there was an understanding that course schedules needed to be accommodating. Much of Carter\u2019s work was self-directed, but he received a lot of support from the program\u2019s faculty, who were always happy to answer questions and provide feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe faculty give you feedback, and you collaborate with them on projects, but it\u2019s still very self-directed,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThe effort and time you put in is what matters, and in that way it\u2019s really similar to what it\u2019s like being in the workforce. It prepares you to work independently.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to balancing graduate school and work, Carter said it\u2019s important to stay motivated. His motivation comes from his family and friends \u2013 the people he refers to as his \u201cvillage\u201d who have supported him consistently throughout his journey. He also thinks often about his future career goals. He knows the program is giving him the skills he needs to make a career switch, and that keeps him motivated no matter how busy his schedule gets.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy biggest piece of advice is put aside your fears and just go for it,\u201d Carter said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard balancing family and work and school, but if I can do it anyone can.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really does take a village,\u201d Carter continued. \u201cYou have to find your village and make it work.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about Purdue\u2019s online Master of Science in Biotechnology Innovation and Regulatory Science, please visit the program\u2019s webpage.<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Lawrence Carter started his Master of Science in Biotechnology Innovation and Regulatory Science (BIRS) with Purdue, he was in the middle of several big life changes. For one, he was thinking about changing careers \u2013 he was working as a public health analyst for a federal agency but wanted to transition into a drug compliance role. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"area-of-study":[11],"person":[74],"class_list":["post-6421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-success","area-of-study-engineering","person-students"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new.jpg",1320,1206,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new.jpg",1320,1206,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new.jpg",1320,1206,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new-300x274.jpg",300,274,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new-1024x936.jpg",1024,936,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new.jpg",1320,1206,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new.jpg",1320,1206,false],"rt_custom":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/story-new.jpg",1320,1206,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"RM Barton","author_link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/author\/barton53\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Student Success<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"When Lawrence Carter started his Master of Science in Biotechnology Innovation and Regulatory Science (BIRS) with Purdue, he was in the middle of several big life changes. For one, he was thinking about changing careers \u2013 he was working as a public health analyst for a federal agency but wanted to transition into a drug…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6421"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6636,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6421\/revisions\/6636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6421"},{"taxonomy":"area-of-study","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/area-of-study?post=6421"},{"taxonomy":"person","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/person?post=6421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}