Goals and Objectives

The biotechnology program mission is to provide students with a solid foundation in the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology. The major is interdisciplinary and laboratory intensive. Our goal is to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of current theories, concepts and laboratory practices in biotechnology and an appreciation for the virtues of an open-minded approach to controversial issues.

Program

The bachelor of science degree in biotechnology can be completed in either the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. The major requirements and university general education requirements for the two degrees are identical. The degrees differ only in the college requirements.

Faculty

Biotechnology is an interdepartmental major offered jointly by the departments of biology, chemistry, plant and earth science, and animal and food science. The participating departments employ more than fifty faculty who have doctoral degrees. Many of these faculty members are directly involved in the biotechnology program. Their specialties include: retroviruses, animal cell culture, micropropagation of plants, human genetics, biosensors, immunology, enzymology, protein purification and characterization, virus-induced tumors, plant tissue culture, bacterial metabolism and fermentation, plant molecular biology and the expression of mammalian genes. The departments that offer the biotechnology major are housed in modern facilities with well-equipped laboratories that include state-of-the-art equipment for laboratory teaching and research.

Career Opportunities

Program graduates enjoy an excellent placement rate in industry and in graduate and professional schools. Persons with a degree in biotechnology pursue careers in one of the following areas:

• Medical Biotechnology: The diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease have all benefited from the use of biotechnology. Diagnoses of both infectious diseases and genetic disorders have been improved by assays using biotechnology. The development and production of preventative agents, such as vaccines, and medications by animals and microorganisms have been expanded to include antibiotics, anti-toxins and other medicines. New methods of treating diseases are also being explored, such as injecting active genes into individuals to replace the inherited inactive genes which cause inherited disorders.
  
  
• Plant Biotechnology: Biotechnology is being used to increase crop yields by inserting genes for resistance to diseases or pests using genetic engineering techniques. Crops such as soybean and canola are being modified to increase their usefulness as industrial lubricants and to produce oils lower in saturated fat that will have a longer shelf life.
  
  
• Environmental Protection and Cleanup: Genetically engineered plants and microorganisms are being used to remove toxins from the environment in a process known as bioremediation. In a process called biopulping, a fungus is used to speed the conversion of wood chips into paper pulp. The goal is to reduce both energy use and the production of water-polluting byproducts.
  
  
• Industrial Biotechnology: Microorganisms are a source of biological catalysts called enzymes that are used in the food industry to produce a variety of products including amino acids which serve as sweeteners or as food additives and animal feed supplements.
  
  
• Animal Biotechnology: Animals have been modified to produce drugs that can be recovered from their milk. Dairy scientists are also developing methods to produce many calves from one embryo.

Students completing a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology are well prepared for careers as research scientists in industry, government agencies, foundations, hospitals and clinics. They will also be prepared to pursue advanced degrees in master’s and doctoral programs in the variety of specialized disciplines of biology, chemistry, medicine, animal science, food science and plant science.