When Will Academia Catch-up to the Needs of the Medical Device Industry?

This past weekend I had a really great discussion with some neighborhood friends that really didn't know much of my background (where had I grown up, gone to school, etc.) and the question came up "what did you study in college?" This is a question that I'm sure everyone has been asked, especially during the early years of your professional career. My area of study was Plastics Engineering and Technology and upon stating that 99% of the time people are like "what the heck is that?" I'm very used to this response and it's usually followed by "how did you decide to do this?' or "is there really a need for that degree?"

During this discussion with my neighbors I was asked these questions as well as a few other but this really had me thinking, if there was a need for my degree and a large educational institution (Penn State, The Behrend College) was able to add this to their offerings, why hasn't academia responded to the need for programs of study in regulatory and quality engineering? Penn State - Behrend (located in Erie, PA) was (and still is) surrounded by plastic molding and tool building companies so it was forward thinking of the university to recognize a need and develop a curriculum (with help from members from these companies donating their time for teaching or class trips) to provide educated professionals to local businesses. In fact, I know for certain that at least up until my graduation (I could not locate this information post graduation) everyone that had ever gone through that program had been placed in a job by the time that they received their degree.

My question to educational institutions is when will the need for regulatory and quality engineering disciplines result in programs of study that will provide educated professionals to the life sciences industry? My hometown of Pittsburgh, PA is a hub for biomedical companies (both established and start-ups). Yet, to my knowledge, there are only a few courses offered and no degree programs in this area.

My hope is that within my lifetime I will be able to see an educational institution make this type of offering a reality. It may seem crazy but if it worked for Penn State - Behrend why would it not work for any academic institution surrounded by life sciences developers/manufacturers.

-MJB