Jessie Wang '19: Head of the Class
What began as an on-campus job in Emmanuel's student center transformed into a new career path for Jessie, one that brought her to Harvard University as a master's candidate in higher education administration.
Research Administration Program
Master of Science (or Certificate) in Management: Specialization in Research Administration
As a research administrator, you are on the front lines of innovation. Your far-reaching responsibilities keep research projects on schedule, on budget and in compliance. Through your direction, advances in science, medicine and technology can see the light of day.
To help you move forward in the fast-growing field of research administration, Emmanuel College offers both a Master of Science in Management: Research Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Research Administration. Our graduates work in all corners of the country, and our network includes professionals across all facets of research administration. Students are taught and supported by exceptional practitioners from diverse backgrounds who understand the contemporary trends and standards in the research administration field. Courses can be completed entirely online in an asynchronous format, which allows students to take part from anywhere.
Emmanuel’s program can help you develop the managerial skills needed to advance as a leader within the field of research administration. Through our intensive, integrated learning experience, you will gain a deep understanding of the entire life cycle of the research administration process, transforming you into a well-rounded professional, ready to move your career forward.
More and more management-level positions within research administration either strongly prefer or require an advanced degree. Those enrolled in the Research Administration program generally aim to become managers and leaders, and the program is designed to expose students to practical, solution-oriented outcomes so they can apply such skills in the workplace.
—Jeff M. Seo, Program Chair for Graduate and Professional Programs in Research Administration
- A focus on career advancement: Designed with mid-level research administrators in mind, Emmanuel College’s program can help you get to the next stage of your career as a manager or leader. Our programs go well beyond exam preparation to give you the rigorous grounding and industry perspective that employers want most. Moreover, you’ll be required to complete a “capstone” professional leadership project that integrates management theories and organizational improvement practices to hone your real-world skills. Finally, you can tap into our professional affiliations and networking resources to find new opportunities to move ahead.
- Learn from seasoned professionals: Emmanuel’s faculty, drawn from around New England and across the country, boast significant academic accomplishments and years of real-world research administration success in fields such as healthcare and higher education. They will expose you to practical, solution-oriented outcomes that you can apply in the workplace.
- Flexible, online classes: To fit your busy schedule, our comprehensive program is offered fully online. Courses are seven weeks long and are conducted throughout the calendar year.
Since 2008, Emmanuel College has offered a flexible and affordable way for research administrators to earn an advanced degree or certificate in their profession. I encourage you to try out a course and see for yourself. When you enroll in the Research Administration program, you don’t merely take classes to earn a degree–you join our family.
—Jeff M. Seo, Program Chair for Graduate and Professional Programs in Research Administration
Students in our programs come from all over the country and bring a wide range of experience and expertise. Students come from research institutions and laboratories, universities, hospitals, biopharmaceutical companies and the government agencies. Examples of positions held by our students include:
- Financial Manager, Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center
- Manager of Sponsored Financial Reporting, Billing and Collection, Harvard University
- Director of Research Administration and Faculty Affairs, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
- Chief Financial Officer, Clinical and Translational Research Award, SUNY at Buffalo
- Research Administrator, Office of Sponsored Programs, Boston University
- Electronic Research Administrator, American University
- Director, Research Administration, Thomas Jefferson University
- Senior Grants Administrator, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
- Associate Director, Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, Middlebury College
- Manager of Programs and Research, Emory College of Arts and Sciences’ Center for Science Education
- Research Development Data Analyst and Strategy Specialist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Assistant Director of Sponsored Programs, University of Tennessee
- Director, Office of Research Integrity, Brown University
Drawn from leading research institutions across New England and around the country, program faculty are seasoned practitioners with decades of industry experience. In addition to enhancing the learning experience, students find great value in the professional relationships and connections they form throughout the program.
Program Chair for Graduate and Professional Programs in Research Administration
Jeff M. Seo, Assistant Provost for Research Compliance, Northeastern University
L.L.M., Loyola University Chicago School of Law; J.D., New England School of Law; B.A., University of Rochester
Jeff Seo is the Assistant Vice-Provost for Research Compliance at Northeastern University, where he is responsible for the development and oversight of a newly formed office for research compliance responsible for the general oversight of the University’s sponsored and research regulatory compliance programs. Prior to Northeastern, Jeff served for eight years as Harvard Medical School’s Executive Director for Academic and Research Integrity, where he oversaw the Office for Academic and Research Integrity and managed the Medical School's research compliance program, including compliance in areas such as grants management, intellectual property, export controls, human and animal subjects research, biological and laboratory safety, research misconduct and conflicts of interest.
Since the inception of the Research Administration program at Emmanuel College, Jeff has served as an Adjunct Professor, teaching a regulatory compliance course in the classroom and online. He became Program Chair of the Research Administration program when the position was created in 2011. In 2012, after being nominated by his students, he became the recipient of a teaching excellence award from Graduate and Professional Programs.
Jeff’s prior experience includes serving as an Associate General Counsel at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he primarily addressed legal issues arising out of clinical research trials and regulatory compliance. He also advised on litigation issues, negotiated contracts and addressed patient care issues. Jeff also practiced at a boutique health law firm assisting a variety of health care providers with their business, regulatory, contractual and litigation needs.
Jeff received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester, his law degree from the New England Law, and a Masters of Law degree from Loyola University Chicago. He is also a Certified Research Administrator and serves as a peer reviewer for the National Council for University Research Administration. Jeff is a well-respected and reviewed speaker for various professional associations, including NCURA, SRA, HCCA and MSMR.
