While most students on the Health Sciences campus are bound to courses, research projects and clinical programs on and around the campus, there are some students, like Affi Ajoku, who are actively enrolled in a HSC program while living far from Los Angeles.

Ajoku, who is nearly 400 miles away in Redwood City, is one of five distance-learning students studying for her master’s in regulatory science in the USC School of Pharmacy.

While most of the regulatory science students attend classes in the traditional way, the five students launching the pilot distance program are able to continue lives and careers in other cities while preparing for a profession in high demand.

Ajoku, a pharmacist whose husband attends Stanford, hopes to move into a regulatory role in one of Northern California’s biomedical companies.

The Master’s in Regulatory Science Program offers an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to give Ajoku, and others like her, the knowledge and skills to manage the regulatory and legal requirements of medical devices, drugs and food.

In addition to the School of Pharmacy, faculty teaching in the program come from the Keck School of Medicine, Viterbi School of Engineering, School of Independent Health Professionals, Marshall School of Business, Gould School of Law, Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

The program also relies on the expertise of working professionals in both the public and private sectors who are knowledgeable in specific areas relevant to the regulatory profession.

When the program started seven years ago, only the traditional classroom approach was offered but demand for a distance-learning version soon became apparent.

To meet the need, Frances Richmond, the program’s director, established a full learning experience for distance students, which includes lectures streamed live or on demand, weekly videoconferencing opportunities and group projects using state-of-the-art multi-media tools.

Richmond has developed a technical staff capable of offering the classroom experience to distance enrollees without interfering with the work of the traditional classroom.

“Technology has really made this possible for us. It took a little time to work out the bugs, but we did it and, in fact, the distance program, like our traditional program, has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,” Richmond said.

To date, 90 students have graduated from the regulatory science program. Most immediately are offered regulatory jobs upon course completion, a need created by the enormous growth in the biomedical industry. For example, one recruiter who is regularly in touch with the department has more than 30 immediate openings for regulatory positions in California alone.

The student body is diverse in background with about 65 percent already holding graduate-level degrees. The program is available on a full-time or part-time basis, and courses are generally concentrated on weekends to accommodate students who are fully employed.

“The regulatory science program is an outstanding opportunity for new and recent graduates from both baccalaureate and graduate programs who are interested in industry or government. However, it is also popular with mid-career science professionals who are interested in broadening their career paths in the industry,” Richmond said.