Boston Native Steven Shainker On the Road to Masters Degree Thanks to MSU Online Program

By Chuck Carlson

Steven Shainker doesn’t know much about the state of Michigan or the Michigan State University campus. But that’s OK because, next spring, Shainker, a lifelong Boston native, will be in East Lansing for his graduation from the online Masters Program in Pharmacology and Toxicology at MSU.

“We’ll be there for graduation,” he said. “My father, my mom, Pam (his fiancée) – we’ll all be there for the weekend. I’m looking forward to it.”

It will be the culmination of an intense, fulfilling two and a half years in which he juggled a full-time job and family obligations (including two dogs) as well as rooting for his beloved Boston sports teams, finding time for a little hiking and officiating high school hockey games.

And when the journey is complete, he will have in hand the master’s degree he had wanted for years but was never quite sure how he could attain it.

“In a year, I plan to come for graduation and see the school and feel accomplished about finishing,” he said.

Steven Shainker is an ideal example of an MSU Pharmacology and Toxicology online graduate student.

He earned his BS in Veterinary Technology in 2012 from Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass., and is a Certified Veterinary Technologist. His goal had always been to gain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, but he said, “I decided I didn’t want to be half a million dollars in debt.”

In the years after earning his BS degree, he worked in numerous roles in research, veterinary medicine and in pharmaceutical companies doing training, cancer research and toxicology work.

Eventually, he decided he enjoyed doing safety pharmacology and toxicology studies and wanted to advance his career. That’s when he decided to look into earning his master’s degree.

While working at the biomedical research firm Novartis in Boston, his supervisor, an MSU grad, suggested he look into the school’s online program for a master’s degree in Pharmacology & Toxicology.

“She said it was pretty unique, and I’d get a good education from it,” he said.

He was intrigued by the opportunity to gain that degree online while continuing to work, and in the Fall of 2022, he started with plans to finish as soon as possible.

“All the professors have been easygoing and really helpful,” he said. “Overall, it’s been an easy program to navigate.”

Along the way, he has worked in nearby Cambridge as a non-clinical outsourcing manager with Sanofi, a French healthcare and pharmaceutical company. With his advanced degree, he hopes to advance in the research industry.

“I think this gives you opportunities,” he said. “And I was lucky enough to be able to do it while I was working. It’s challenging, and you have to be really good at time management. I study mostly nights and weekends, so you have to be organized.”

It has been a learning experience on several levels for Shainker, and along with the knowledge gained in the pharmacology field, he has also learned a little about himself.

“You definitely learn to communicate better,” he said. “Even though I was online, the students communicated really well with each other, and you make connections with your professors. And even though you’re far away, you feel a connection with the school. I’m proud to be part of the community.”