Minnesota State Magazine — When David DeGroote learned that medical device makers in Minnesota were struggling to fill critical positions, he headed straight to his computer to find out whether he could help.
DeGroote, dean of St. Cloud State University’s College of Science and Engineering, was at a meeting of the Science Initiative of Central Minnesota, an economic development group, when an industry expert pointed out the shortage of regulatory affairs professionals to help new products gain federal approval.
“I came back to my office that night and started searching the Internet for what regulatory affairs professionals did for medical device companies,” DeGroote said.
His search found no programs for regulatory affairs focused on medical devices. That was in 2005. DeGroote and industry executives hammered out a curriculum for a new master’s degree program in regulatory affairs and services at St. Cloud State University that was launched in 2007.
The program prepares students to navigate the Food and Drug Administration’s complex approval process.
https://www.stcloudstate.edu/ras/documents/MinnesotaStatemagazineSt.CloudStatedegrees.pdf (PDF)
