I don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer as to what the ratio should be that is offered. I believe that it is solely dependent on what ones overlying goal is upon completion of their degree.

Sure, NJIT can offer more practical courses that will help in industry. However, I believe, they offer a lot of classes that provide SKILLS as opposed to practical knowledge that is needed in the medical device industry. Actually knowing the skills is more important since a lot of the practical knowledge such as FDA regulations, Product Lifecycle Management, Design Controls, etc, is learned on the job. However, that is not to take away from the fact that knowing this information prior to entering the industry is highly valuable.

I find that the MS courses are more so directed toward moving students into industry whereas undergraduate is based on theoretical knowledge and trying to set students up for a Ph.D. If the school is open to reforming the curriculum, it should start at the undergraduate level and letting students pick more courses that they are interested in instead of having a set curriculum in place just as the MS degree offers. By doing that, this ratio of practical to academic wouldn’t be an issue.

I would like to see more professors speak to their industry experience more as opposed to their research interest. From what I have seen, a lot of professors have worked in industry, yet as students we know more about their lab and what research field they are interested in. I think having professors discuss topics on their personal industry experience will provide some practical knowledge that many students can walk away with.