Biotechnology Courses
Biotechnology is a rapidly developing field of study that grows through research and development. Biotechnology offers excellent opportunities in the areas of medicine, agriculture and cell biology. It utilizes a blend of natural sciences and engineering. It involves and array of disciplines, such as microbiology, biochemistry, immunology, virology, Chemistry, and engineering genetics. There are many branches like cell biology, health and medicine, crop management, animal husbandry, ecology, bio-statistics, soil science and soil conservation, plant physiology, seed technology, etc. Biotechnology is a research oriented science which involves the application of organism to the engineering process. The need of professionals in India is rising as the Asian market is booming in this field.
There are plenty of career opportunities in this field. You can get into medical lab technology, clinical research (a major industry in Asia), pharmaceuticals, health care, medical diagnostics, molecular diagnostics, bio-pharma, etc. You can venture into related areas like research and development, quality control, patent administration, manufacturing and production, or choose self entrepreneurship.
Scope in India
In India, until 2001, entry into biotechnology was limited to the Post Graduate level, but many universities now offer UG Courses. The basic criterion for taking up a BSc or BTech after class XII is that students would have studied science with Zoology, Biology or chemistry
There are many applications of Bio-technology in the fields of medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, improving energy conservation and increasing productivity. It is applicable in various fields with are relevant to daily life, like agriculture, dairy farming, animal husbandry, horticulture, etc.
Job Prospects
Many opportunities exist in the private and public sector in the agrichemical , fertilizer and pharmaceutical processing industries. Industries dealing with tracking new energy sources and finding new methods of waste management also require the assistance of biotechnologists. They can also find employment in the R&D laboratories of government as well as private companies.
