If information technology comprises the application of technology to information, then biotechnology involves the application of technology to all things biology. In other words, biotechnology is technology associated with biology and is applied especially in food sciences, medicine and agriculture. The concept covers a large variety of procedures that include the modification of living organisms for the benefit of human beings. The ‘United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’ in an attempt to define biotechnology defines the same as, “Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.” Thanks to the success of biotechnology, the applied discipline now plays a significant role in assisting mankind by contributing gainfully to the industries that revolve around agriculture, health and animal husbandry. Biotechnology also covers the recycling and treatment of waste materials, cleaning up of sites polluted by industrial activity and the general conservation of the environment. It is this significance that biotechnology enjoys at the very moment that has made the discipline such a lucrative career option. Read on to know what it takes to become a biotechnologist, the career prospects that lie in becoming one, and the best institutes offering courses in this field of science.
Biotechnology Courses
Eligibility
An individual looking to build a successful career in biotechnology will first have to do a course in the same. There are a number of courses up for grabs in the world today, but an individual has to first do an undergraduate degree in biotechnology before opting for more advanced ones. In order to be eligible for an undergraduate degree in biotechnology, an individual should have cleared his/her 10+2 or an equivalent with the sciences as his/her core subjects. Undergraduate degrees in biotechnology range from a conventional B.Sc degree to even a 5-year integrated B.Tech degree. Aspiring individuals can also pursue a masters program in biotechnology, or a PhD program in the same. For a masters program, individuals will have to be done with an undergraduate degree in biotechnology. For a doctoral degree, individuals will have to be done with both an undergraduate and masters program in biotechnology.
Career Prospects
Like the IT sector, the biotechnology sector too in recent times has been fortunate enough to witness an encouraging growth. This has thrown open new doors and broadened existing avenues for both students and working professionals. People are more interested in pursuing a career in biotechnology now than ever before. The biotechnology industry in India alone is pumping into the country’s economy around US $100 billion. This in turn has created a lot of jobs. A biotechnologist with the right degree and maybe even the right experience will not find it difficult to land an enviable job in drug and pharmaceutical companies, public funded laboratories and bio-processing plants. Opportunities for growth and increased monetary benefits make for serious incentives for biotechnologists with intimidating degrees and a numerous years of experience.
Some Of The Best Institutes Offering Courses In Biotechnology
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Harvard University, Cambridge, United States of America
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University of Tokyo, Japan
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University of California, San Francisco, United States of America
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School of Chemical & Biotechnology, Sastra University, India
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John Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States Of America
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Yale University, New Haven, University of America
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University of Alabama, Birmingham, United States of America
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R V College of Engineering, Bangalore, India
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, United States of America
