Webster University :: College of Arts and Sciences

Webster University is consistently ranked as a top Midwest master's university by U.S. News & World Report.

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GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Counseling (MA)
Environmental Management (MS)
Gerontology (MA)
International NGO (MA)
International Relations (MA)
Legal Analysis (MA)
Legal Studies (MA)
Nurse Anesthesia (MS)
Nursing (MSN)
Patent Agency (MA)
Professional Science Management & Leadership (MA)

Brochure pdf

PATENT AGENCY MASTER'S PROGRAM
The Patent Agency program prepares students who have a natural science or technology background to practice as patent agents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in patent cases. Students who have completed undergraduate coursework in fields such as engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, or computer science are eligible for participation.

A patent agent is a non-attorney whose license, issued by the Patent and Trademark Office, allows the person to prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications. The global legal community is experiencing an increasing demand for intellectual property law services, thereby resulting in an increased demand for patent agents knowledgeable in the field of intellectual property law.

This program does not administer the USPTO registration examination, commonly referred to as the “patent bar”, as the administration of the examination is the exclusive province of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. However, a student can utilize this mater’s program in preparation for the examination, and to gain a solid foundation in legal study courses in order to pursue a career as a patent agent.

The Patent Agency program provides the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to prepare and prosecute patent cases. Many patent agents who pass the examination, without any formal education or real-life training in their field, are entering the work force with virtually no preparation in patent application drafting. A course of study that teaches students the art of patent drafting, such as this program offered exclusively at Webster University, will result in the student being more competent, marketable, and more highly compensated than other unprepared professionals.

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Graduate Program Director

Robin Jefferson Higgins
Director & Adjunct Faculty/Lecturer
Patent Agency
314-968-7068
robinjefferson85@webster.edu

Robin Jefferson Higgins is the Director of Patent Agency and our newly appointed Assistant Director of Legal Studies. She has served the college as an adjunct professor since 2000. She earned her B.A. in Economics and a M.A. in Spanish from the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as a Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University. She was previously employed at Lashly & Baer, P.C., where she practiced School Law, Administrative Law, and Employment Law.

©2005 Webster University College of Arts & Sciences
Office of the Dean • Webster Hall Rm 218 • 470 E. Lockwood Ave. St. Louis, MO 63119 • 314.968.7160