http://www.rit.edu/cos/biology/programs_degrees_BSBiotechnology.html

Program overview

The BS degree in molecular bioscience and biotechnology prepares students to immediately assume challenging positions in research, development, and management in biotechnology research. Students are also well-prepared for positions in the fields of plant biotechnology, human genetics, agriculture, food products, pharmaceuticals and vaccine development, environment and energy, forensic science, and genetic counseling.

The advanced nature of the third- and fourth-year courses, as well as the opportunity to participate in faculty-sponsored undergraduate research, provides a sound foundation to those graduates wishing to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree.

The program also can be designed to include the education necessary for the pursuit of a career in a medical field.

Specialized areas of emphasis include recombinant DNA, microbial and plant genetic engineering, mammalian and plant tissue culture, monoclonal antibody production and purification, large-scale fermentation techniques (bacterial and mammalian cell), and methods for characterization and separation of proteins and nucleic acids in yeast, bacterial, viral, and plant systems.

Curriculum

Requirements for the BS degree in molecular bioscience and biotechnology

Students must meet the minimum graduation requirements of the university, as described in this bulletin. In addition, the program requires successful completion of all of the courses listed in the following typical course schedule.

Cooperative education

This program provides students the option of participating in cooperative education. More than 65 organizations in industry, government, and academia employ our students in short-term (10 to 20 weeks), full-time paid positions directly related to students’ academic areas of interest. Co-op positions can be held during the summer and/or during the regular academic year. Tuition is not charged while a student is on co-op. If a student elects to hold a co-op position during the regular academic year, he or she will take the same number of academic quarters and may need to extend the date of graduation beyond the traditional four years.

Bioinformatics option

This BS degree includes a bioinformatics option. Bioinformatics is a developing field that represents a marriage between biotechnology and computer technologies. The field encompasses all aspects of the application of computer technologies to biological data. The option includes curriculum that features a combination of science and biotechnology courses with computer science courses to help students organize, link, analyze, and visualize complex sets of biological data.

Concentrations/Electives

Below are upper-division elective courses suggested for students interested in certain sub-disciplines of agriculture/plant, environmental, industrial, and medical biotechnology. Students may select courses from any suggested concentrations.

Concentrations

Agricultural/Plant

1001-416 Plant Biotechnology
1001-418 Plant Molecular Biology
1001-492 Genomics
1001-450 Genetic Engineering
1001-405 Plants, Medicine, and Technology
1001-559 Special Topics*

*Special topics may include the following: Plant Pathology, Fundamentals of Plant Biochemistry, and Bio-Separations: Principles and Practices.

Environmental

1001-567 Environmental Microbiology
1001-530 Bioremediation
1001-418 Plant Molecular Biology
1001-559 Special Topics*

*Special topics may include the following: Plant Pathology.

Industrial

1001-530 Bioremediation
1001-492 Genomics
1001-416 Plant Biotechnology
1001-315 Hybridoma Techniques
1001-450 Genetic Engineering
1001-403 Cell Physiology
1001-405 Plants, Medicine, and Technology

Medical

1001-312 Immunology
1001-525 Eukaryotic Gene Expression
1001-406 Virology
1001-422 Developmental Biology
1001-451 Introduction to Infectious Disease
1001-715 Genetic Diseases and Disorders
1001-315 Hybridoma Techniques
1001-502 Advanced Immunology
1001-427 Microbial and Viral Genetics
1001-492 Genomics
1001-559 Special Topics*

*Special topics courses include the following: Cancer Biology, Infectious Disease: Impact on Society and Culture, Medical Parasitology, and Bacterial-Host Interactions.