Is Biotechnology a good major?
Yes, Biotechnology is a good major for those who are interested in discoveries and research. People who love to study DNA technology, bacteria, and microbes will definitely love the subject. Students who love reading books on research papers will love the subject.
Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary major that has an impact on almost every aspect of modern human life. Students develop a strong background in the biological sciences with an emphasis on the basic principles of genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology
Biotechnology major is an advanced scientific program that stems from the subject of biology and applied sciences. It basically involves the amalgamation of biology and technology and also encompasses in-depth knowledge of engineering, botany, embryology, immunology, genomics, and medicine with biology.
Biotechnology is an area that has benefited various industrial sectors has revolutionized the world, improved life, and lifestyle, and impacted our environment predominantly. It also had a major role in the mitigation of diseases and viruses, including covid-19, giving way to the development and formulation of effective vaccines during the covid-19 pandemic.
If you want to major in biotechnology it is highly recommended that you also pursue your MSc. The job opportunities for BSc graduates in a highly research-oriented field as biotechnology are very less and most students tend to pursue their MSc in Biotechnology or a specialized discipline of biotechnology.
Is Biotechnology a hard major?
Yes, Biotechnology is a hard major; a hardcore research-based field. It’s a very practical-oriented field and demands extensive hands-on training. Very challenging even for those who are comfortable with mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology. Biotechnology is a demanding course and requires a key understanding of the concepts and theories. You have to brace yourself to work hard once you settle on pursuing a Biotechnology course regardless of the specialty.
Careers for Biotechnology majors
Biotechnology is a good major; a dynamic field with diverse applications across sectors. It has a broad spectrum of applications in various fields such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, environmental sciences, animal sciences, human sciences, and medical sciences. This diversity creates a broad range of careers in the field with varying job titles and responsibilities. Biotechnology majors can find work as:
- Agricultural and Food Scientist
- Agricultural Engineer
- Animal Caretaker
- Animal Scientist
- Biochemist and Biophysicist
- Bioinformatics Specialist
- Biomedical Engineer
- Business Management
- Clinical Research
- Consultant
- Epidemiologist
- Food Scientist and Technologist
- Forensic DNA Analyst
- Government (Policymaking)
- Laboratory Assistant
- Manufacturing
- Production Engineer
- Project Management
- Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer
- Research And Development
- Sales and Technical Support
Biotechnology major salary
Biotechnology is a good major in the United States with a limited number of job roles to explore. There is no standard salary for any Biotechnology jobs. Your salary also depends on if you’re working in the private or public sector. Average wages differ depending on job title and responsibilities. The average Biotechnology graduate salary is $91,410 per year in the United States.
Some core courses/classes in Biotechnology major:
- Advanced Building Production/Process
- Animal Ecology
- Animal Physiology
- Applied Entomology
- Arthropods and Arthropod-borne Diseases
- Basic Entomology
- Biochemical Techniques
- Biology for Agriculture and Biological Science
- Biosystematics
- Cell and Tissue Culture
- Cell Biology
- Chemistry and Toxicology of Pesticides
- Chemistry of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
- Cytology and Histology
- Diagnosis of Parasitic Infections
- Distribution Theory
- Economic Botany
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Enzymology
- Fish Biology
- Fisheries, Policies and Legislation
- Chemistry
- Ecology
- Invertebrate Zoology
- Microbiology
- Physics
- Physiology
- General Vertebrate Zoology
- Immunology and Immunochemistry
- Industrial Economics
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Insects
- Parasitology
- Organic Chemistry
- Palynology
- Parasitology
- Pathogenic Mycology
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology
- Physical Chemistry
- Plant Anatomy/Morphology
- Plant Breeding and Plant Cytogenetics
- Plant Ecology
- Plant Nematology
- Plant Pathology
- Plant Physiology
- Plant Virology
- Population Ecology
- Project Planning and Control
- Seed Plants
- Seminar Topics in Biology
- Shellfish Biology
- Soil Science
- Zoogeography
What other majors are related to Biotechnology?
- Biological/biosystems engineering
- Biology/biological sciences
- Biomedical technology/technician
- Biological and biomedical sciences
- Biological and physical sciences
- Biological/biosystems engineering
- Biology Technician/biotechnology laboratory technician
- Biology/biological sciences major
- Biomathematics, bioinformatics, and computational biology
- Biomedical sciences
Course difficult | 82% |
Acceptance rate | 10% |
Relevance metric | 90% |
Job availability | 52% |
Estimated number of student | Nil |
Biotechnology Majors | 300+ |
References:
- Biotechnology as a Career
- Why You Should Major in Biotechnology
- 12 careers to pursue with a biotechnology degree