Biotechnology Courses: Eligibility, Top Exams, Career Scope, Jobs

Students interested to make a career in the field of Biotechnology can pursue different Biotechnology courses offered by top institutes including AIIMS, JNU, IIT and other central universities. Read the article to know more about Biotechnology courses and career scope.

Biotechnology is a branch of science that is an integration of natural science processes fused with engineering sciences to develop useful products for humankind. It is an amalgamation of different subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Technology. Biotechnology has huge applications in different fields including healthcare, pharmacy, food production, animal husbandry, agriculture, textiles, and nutrition. One can witness its application in our day-to-day life in different products developed through genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. Genetic Modified Crop is one of the applications of Biotechnology in the field of Agriculture. The Discovery of new drugs and other innovative technology-based products has changed our life completely and the credit goes to Biotechnology.

Biotechnology Courses

Universities and Colleges offer different courses in Biotechnology to impart students with theoretical knowledge and practical exposure to application-based skills. Those who have a keen interest in research and development can opt for different Biotechnology courses. Various diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate level courses are available in the Biotechnology field. After doing relevant courses in Biotechnology, students can opt to work in the fields of Healthcare, Pharma, Food Industry, Agriculture, and many related domains.

Biotechnology Courses Highlights

Below are the list of all the important details:

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Biotechnology Courses Eligibility Criteria

Those who want to make career in Biotechnology field can opt for different courses as per their eligibility. The table given below highlights different Biotechnology courses, duration and eligibility requirements for the same.

Biotechnology Courses Entrance Exams

Candidates get admission to various Biotechnology courses on the basis of the scores in the entrance examinations. They have to qualify for the respective entrance exam conducted by respective institutes. The list of exams for admission to Biotechnology courses has been given below:

For Undergraduate Biotechnology courses

BSc Biotechnology Exams

Some colleges/institutes conduct exams or accept scores of any national/state-level entrance exams. However, some colleges also provide admission on the basis of the merit. Some of the popular exams for BSc Biotechnology courses are as follows:

• AIIMS Biotechnology Entrance Test
• Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Entrance Examination (KIITEE)
• Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET)
• IPU CET
• Anna University Biotechnology Entrance Examination
• Jamia Millia Islamia Entrance Exam

BTech Biotechnology Exams

Most of the colleges provide admission in BTech courses in Biotechnology on the basis of the marks in the entrance tests. Some of the entrance examinations are given below:

• JEE Main: Conduced by National Testing Agency(NTA), JEE Main is the single entrance examination to get admission to BTech course in any institutes across the country. It is screening exam for JEE Advanced.

• JEE Advanced: It is conducted by IIT Council for admission to different IITs. Candidates have to clear JEE Advanced after JEE Main to get admission to IITs.

• Birla Institute of Science and Technology Admission Test (BITSAT)

• Uttar Pradesh Combined Entrance Test (UPCET)

• Kerala Engineering Architecture and Medical (KEAM)

• DPU AIBTCET

For Postgraduate Biotechnology Courses

Admission in master course in Biotechnology is exam-based. The list of some of the exams for PG admission in Biotechnology is given below:

• BHU PET: It is conducted by Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
• TISS NET: Tata Institute of Social Sciences conducts the entrance test.
• IPU CET: Indraprastha University conducts the exam.
• Graduate Aptitude Test-Biotechnology (GAT-B)
• IIT-JAM
• DTU Exam
• CUET-PG

Biotechnology Courses Curriculum

Biotechnology curriculum aims to make students understand the fundamentals of scientific experiment and to apprise them about laboratory techniques, lab equipment and their uses in different research methods. The undergraduate course focuses on basic concept related to research and development while postgraduate course delves deep into the theoretical and practical part of the subjects. The list of subjects/topics for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Biotechnology is given below.

BSc/MSc Courses

Some of the subjects which are taught in BSc/MSc are as follows:

• Cell Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Recombinant DNA Technology
• Macromolecular Structure and Analysis
• Analytical Techniques
• Biomathematics/ Statistics
• Principles of Bacteriology and Virology
• Organic Mechanisms in Biology ·
• Principles of Transmission Genetics
• Principles of Microbiology
• Microbial Genetics
• Molecular Genetics
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Plant and Animal Tissue Culture

BTech/ MTech courses

Some of the subjects which are taught in BTech/ MTech are as follows:

• Engineering Mechanics

• Engineering Graphics

• Principles of Environmental Science

• Probability and Random Process

• Bio Analytical Techniques

• Biomedical Instrumentation

• Principles of Communication Engineering

• Medical Imaging Techniques

• Diagnostic and Therapeutic Equipment

• Structural biology

• Vaccine biotechnology

Fee Structure for Biotechnology Courses

The fee structure varies from college to college. The course fee is comparatively more in private college than government college for the same course. The fee structure of different biotechnology courses has been tabulated below.

Career Scope in Biotechnology

Due to new-age technological advancements and innovative practices, the field of Biotechnology is growing as never before. As Biotechnology encompasses both biology and technology and both have stake in our day to day normal lives, it offers a huge scope to students. There are ample job opportunities available in this field for those who have required degree in the Biotechnology. After completing the course, students can make a career in both government and private fields. They can work in private hospitals, laboratory, and pharma companies. In government sector, they can build career as research associate, scientist, or in the department of biotechnology. They can even opt for teaching as lecturer or professor with handsome salary.

Job Profiles in Biotechnology

Some of the job profiles in the field of Biotechnology have been listed below:

Biomedical Engineers: Biomedical engineers leverage their engineering and biological skills to check the quality of medical devices, diagnostic machines, and medical software and their effectiveness on patients’ health.

Clinical Researcher: They are responsible for conducting on-site/ remote monitoring of clinical trials and various aspects related to it. This includes document review, ensuring accurate data recording, source document verification and adherence to the protocol.

Biochemist: They are the one who have expertise in identifying the effects of drugs, hormones, and nutrients on tissues. On the basis of their knowledge about the chemical attributes of living things and biological processes, Biochemists dwell on inventing innovative products and solutions for the benefit of humankind.

Microbiologist: Microbiologists study the microorganisms that include viruses, bacteria and human defense mechanism against them. Through different experiments, they diagnose different treatment against the infections caused by these microorganisms.

Pharmacist: These professionals check prescriptions to ensure there is no scope of error and it is safe for patients. They have expertise in identifying required doses of drugs and their side effects.

Lab Technician: One who is responsible for entire experiment related activities in labs. It includes analysis of samples, reporting, checking reports, records, analysis & validation.

Biotechnology Courses: Salary Structure

As Biotechnology lacks the required number of professionals, the field offers bright career to students who wish to make a career in this field. The average salary offered to Biotechnology graduate is INR 3-4 lakh. The table below mentions the annual salary as per the job profiles in the field of Biotechnology.