Biotechnology B.A.

The Biotechnology Program, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, combines the best features of large and small university programs. Many of its faculty members are nationally or internationally known for their work, and several have experience in the pharmaceutical industry or with government regulations. The program has a dedicated teaching staff which provides mentoring through the small size of its classes. The faculty in the program shares the common goal of providing rigorous practical training in a collegial and supportive atmosphere.

Biotechnology "is technology based on biology – biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet." (Biotechnology Innovation Organization)

The best preparation for the major is rigorous course work in science and math at the high school level. The Biotechnology B.A. degree is designed to give students a strong background in the sciences and the communication skills helpful for a career in pharmaceutical or biotechnological industries. In Biotechnology, students learn about cells, proteins, genes, and other topics critical to careers in scientific fields.

For undergraduates, the Biotechnology Program offers a B.A. major in Biotechnology, a B.S. degree in Biotechnology, and an option to minor in Biotechnology.

Coursework

Getting started

Your starting point for a degree in Biotechnology is to take the following courses:

CHEM-C 117 Principles of Chemistry and Biochemistry I
CHEM-C 127 Principles of Chemistry and Biochemistry I Laboratory
MATH-M 211 Calculus I or MATH-M 119 Brief Survey of Calculus I

Majors typically take BIOL-L 112 Foundations of Biology: Biological Mechanisms in the second semester of first year.

The Biotechnology Program also offers BIOT-T 105 Biotechnology and Society, a course designed primarily for first-year students and sophomores interested in exploring the field.

Students pursuing the Biotechnology major or minor may take BIOT-T 215 Diagnostic and Forensic Biotechnology Laboratory and BIOT-T 270 Alcohol and the Science of Fermentation.

For students with a strong high school science background, HON-H 241, Topic: Biological Processes and Drugs, is offered in the Hutton Honors College.

Tracks and concentrations

The Biotechnology Program offers two degree options: A B.A. major in Biotechnology and a B.S. degree in Biotechnology. The Biotechnology majors are designed to give students a background in the sciences with a focus on the biology and chemistry necessary for a career in pharmaceutical or biotechnological industries.

The B.A. major in Biotechnology is tightly integrated with the needs of numerous life science businesses. The B.A. curriculum is designed for students who will receive rigorous training to pursue aspects of biotechnology such as pharmaceutical sales, marketing, technical writing, or data specializations. Completing a major in Biotechnology is advantageous to those who are planning to undertake non-research-oriented business or sales opportunities in the life sciences.

We also offer a Minor in Biotechnology for students obtaining a degree in other fields who want exposure to the rapidly growing and highly employable biotechnology field.

Contact the academic advisor to discuss your options and goals within the program.

Upper level coursework

In developing the Biotechnology curriculum, the faculty in the Biotechnology Program have worked closely with life sciences industry representatives to design a modern state-of-the-art curriculum that is highly valued by the life sciences industry.

The inclusion of industry representatives ensures that the curriculum provides a graduating class that meets the needs and expectations of employers. The advisory board consists of leaders from various biotech industries. They provide input on the curriculum and serve as contacts for internships and other opportunities for students.

All students pursuing the B.A. degree complete the following Biotechnology courses:

BIOT-T 301 Seminar in Biotechnology
BIOT-T 310 Biotechnology Lecture
BIOT-T 312 Societal Issues in Biotechnology
BIOT-T 315 Biotechnology Laboratory
BIOT-T 322 Biotechnology Writing and Communication
BIOT-T 440 Structure, Function, and Regulation of Biomolecules

They also complete:

STAT-S 303 Applied Statistical Methods for the Life Sciences
BIOT-T 412 Product Development, Regulation, and Commercialization in Biotechnology
SPEA-H 352 Healthcare Finance I or MSCI-M 440 Health Care in America or SPEA-H 432 Health Care Marketing

All Biotechnology majors are encouraged to enroll in BIOT-X 498 Individual Independent Research.

Commonly pursued majors, minors and certificates

Your major represents about one third of your degree requirements. With the help of your academic advisor, you may be able to combine several areas of interest with additional majors, minors, or certificates.

Biotechnology majors are often interested in pursuing a double major in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or Microbiology.

You can also explore other disciplines, choosing course work and pursuing a double major in subjects as diverse as Spanish, Psychology, and East Asian Languages and Cultures, or pursuing a second concurrent degree in Business or Informatics.

Biotech majors may be particularly interested in the Liberal Arts and Management Program (LAMP) Certificate and the Business of Life Sciences Program.

Biotechnology majors may also pursue minors in the disciplines listed above, as well as many others within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Enhance your major

Working with faculty

When pursuing a degree in Biotechnology, you have the opportunity to work with faculty who have expertise and experience in the field. Take advantage of office hours to talk with your instructors about your performance in class, the content of assignments, and how the course helps you work toward your goals.

You can get involved in research as early as your first year. Many incoming first-year students apply to the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE) program. ASURE students experience project-based learning enhanced by a community of supportive faculty and peers. Choose an ASURE path in the arts and humanities, social and historical studies, or natural and mathematical sciences. Consider joining one that will deepen your skills and knowledge in an area related to your major or a different one to become a more well-rounded thinker.

Independent research is an integral part of the Biotechnology Program. Biotech majors are encouraged to enroll in BIOT-X 498 Individual Independent Research or its equivalent.

BIOT-X 498 provides directed research opportunities for undergraduates in faculty research laboratories, giving you experience with state-of-the-art methodologies, instrumentation, and approaches in biotechnology. Biotech majors have participated in research in labs throughout the Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, and Neuroscience programs, as well as within the Biotechnology program. Within the Biotechnology program, labs are researching diseases, antibiotic resistance, and protein structure and function.

Biotechnology majors undertaking independent research projects have access to equipment in individual faculty laboratories, as well as to numerous department-affiliated core research facilities (X-ray protein crystallography, light microscopy, electron microscopy, biophysical instrumentation, genomic sequencing, cell sorting, Mass spectrophotometry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, etc.) that constitute a large investment in life sciences infrastructure on the IU Bloomington campus.

Talk with the the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Biotechnology academic advisor about your research options.

Honors

The Biotechnology Honors program provides well-qualified students with an exceptionally strong foundation in biotechnology, both by encouraging excellence in course work and by recognizing the importance of early participation in research. Students intending to enroll in graduate school are strongly encouraged to pursue the honors option.

Since independent research is an integral part of the Biotechnology Program, students pursuing a degree with honors must enroll in at least two semesters of BIOT-X 498 Individual Independent Research or equivalent. The Undergraduate Advising Office should be consulted for other requirements, but in general, students completing courses with a minimum grade point average of 3.300, a senior thesis, the X498 credits, and, in some cases, a comprehensive examination or seminar, will be awarded a degree with honors.

Interested students should consult the Biotechnology Director of Undergraduate Studies for details.

High achieving students may be recognized for Academic Excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences, or be eligible for admission to the Hutton Honors College.

Undergraduate scholarships and awards

Students majoring in Biotechnology may be interested in pursuing one or more of the scholarships and awards offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. The requirements and conditions for these vary, so it is recommended that you work with the Biotechnology academic advisor before applying to these programs.

Options include:

Internships

Internships offer you a chance to develop both technical and transferable skills while making vital professional contacts with others in the field. Many students begin exploring internship opportunities, including overseas study programs with internships, as early as their first year.

The Biotechnology faculty encourages students to find these opportunities and obtain this type of experience. You can get a sense of the many choices available for internships by perusing the job titles of some of our Biotechnology graduates. The Biotechnology Program also has the Lawrence L. Blatt Internship Fund to help defray the costs of internships.

Talk with the Biotechnology Director of Undergraduate Studies about your internship options. You may also learn more about internships, including the possibility of receiving credit, through The Walter Center for Career Achievement, where you’ll find many resources for both domestic and international internships.

Foreign language study

As one of the premier institutions in the U.S. for the study of languages, IU Bloomington offers courses and resources in over 80 languages.

The B.S. degree in Biotechnology requires third-semester proficiency in a foreign language. The B.A. major in Biotechnology requires fourth-semester proficiency in a foreign language.

Students pursuing a pre-medical track are often interested in earning at least a minor in a foreign language. With careful planning, Biotechnology majors can pursue a double major or dual degree in a foreign language.

Below is a sampling of language study resources available to students at IU Bloomington.

Overseas study

Studying abroad can be an important part of the undergraduate experience our increasingly interconnected world. Due to the sequential nature of the Biotechnology curriculum, with each course building on previous course work, leaving IU for a semester or more must be planned carefully in order to ensure that required courses are finished in a timely fashion.

Summer Overseas Study programs provide a viable alternative. Your planning should be coordinated with the Biotechnology academic advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies as early as possible.

The College of Arts + Sciences also directly hosts a variety of study abroad programs, some even featuring IU faculty, that might be right for you. Learn more about study abroad opportunities and locations through conversation with Biotechnology faculty, your academic advisor, and through the Office of Overseas Study.

Student groups

There is an active Biotech Club for Biotechnology majors and any interested undergraduate students. The Biotech Club meets several times per semester to hear presentations about current topics in science, to learn some 'hints' about applying to graduate school, and to discuss other career options. Watch for an opportunity to join Club members when they volunteer at WonderLab. You may subscribe to the Biotech Club listserv by sending an e-mail request to list@indiana.edu with the following line in the body of the message: subscribe biotech_club_list-l.

There are also many other students groups on the Bloomington campus that may be of interest to Biotechnology majors. Explore beINvolved to connect with any of the 750+ student organizations that already exist, or to start a new one.

Volunteer opportunities

There are numerous opportunities for volunteer engagement, allowing you to give back to the local community while developing useful job skills. The organizations below can help you connect with others from the university and beyond:

Sign up to receive weekly emails from the Bloomington Volunteer Network to learn about local opportunities and organizations.

Professional organizations

The following are just a few of the professional organizations for biotechnologists:

Use the Indiana University Library system to search for Associations Unlimited, an online directory of associations, professional societies, non-profit organizations, and much more.

Build your skills

Through the major

Majoring in Biotechnology provides you with a set of skills and qualities that are relevant and transferable to many areas of study and work. These include:

Critical thinking and analysis: The field of Biotechnology requires critical thinking and analysis of information about a variety of areas in science in order to translate complex concepts and information into developing new questions and ideas, and turn them into products. This analysis requires knowledge from many areas that are all within biotechnology.
Problem solving: Biotechnology is more about applying information and concepts to solving problems than it is about memorization of large amounts of detail. Solving problems requires an understanding of the information, and creativity in applying that information in new settings and to new problems. Understanding which details are important and which aren't can be a key to problem solving. You also need practical skills to understand how quality data was generated, to apply new techniques, to understand the theory behind the techniques, and to troubleshoot problems when they appear.
Use of computers: Today, the most sophisticated analysis uses software such as Excel for data analysis as well as other software for examining the sequence and structure of molecules that are the basis for molecular function. The faculty also strongly emphasizes communication through electronic laboratory notebooks and various forms of computer-generated presentations.
Written and oral communication: In order to find a job, document your work, communicate your ideas to others, report your findings, propose new projects, and so on, you must be able to read the scientific literature, organize your thoughts, and write them down on paper. The Biotechnology curriculum includes an Intensive Writing course that teaches those skills and applies them to a variety of documents and oral presentations.

Through a College of Arts and Sciences degree

Your coursework provides many opportunities to develop the following five foundational skills that will serve you well in every career path:

Question critically
Think logically
Communicate clearly
Act creatively
Live ethically

These foundational skills will aid you in landing your first job and advancing professionally throughout your working life. Not only are these the skills that employers say they value most in the workplace, they provide the best preparation for lifelong success in a world of complexity, uncertainty, and change.

Skills desired by employers

Each year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers asks employers what skills and qualities they are looking for in recent college graduates.

The following abilities are sought in the job market across many employment sectors:

As you explore various career fields, pay attention to specific job descriptions and requirements. If there are areas where your skills or knowledge are lacking, talk with your academic advisor and career coach about how you can develop in those areas while you are at Indiana University.

Your academic advisor and career coach can also help you find ways to strengthen and deepen the knowledge you already have, becoming more prepared for whatever path you select after College.

Launch your career

Plan your search

A good starting point for exploring your career options is an appointment with the Walter Center for Career Achievement career coach.

The Walter Center for Career Achievement offers job search resources, career courses, job fairs, information about internships and full-time jobs, and help with social media networking through professional organizations. Get advice about how to write your resume, ask for letters of recommendation from faculty and workplace supervisors, and prepare for job interviews, too.

Explore and enroll in Career Communities to learn more about industries relevant to your interests. These offer unique information about each field, including alumni spotlights, opportunities and resources, and in-person events.

Maximize your career preparation with a career course. Biotechnology majors should consider enrolling in ASCS-Q296 College to Career II: Navigate Your Arts and Sciences Experience. The section dedicated to Natural and Mathematical Sciences provides the opportunity for you to explore the relationship between your field of study and life after graduation, while developing an academic and career development plan for post-collegiate success. If you are considering continuing your studies after graduation, you may wish to enroll instead in the section dedicated to graduate school preparation. Regardless of the section you select, you will leave the class with your resume, a cover letter or personal statement, and a LinkedIn profile ready to go!

The job market

Approximately 50 percent of recent graduates of the Biotechnology Program obtained jobs in the biotechnology industry upon graduation, with the remaining 50 percent going on to obtain advanced degrees from professional schools such as medical, dental, or optometry schools, or going on to various graduate schools to obtain M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in the life sciences. The exceptional opportunities of this modern degree program thus provide maximum flexibility and opportunities to students who have not yet decided what career track they want to pursue.

Employment opportunities in the biotechnology industry, both nationally and in Indiana, have been rapidly increasing over the past decade. From 2001 to 2010, bioscience industry employment grew 6.4 percent in the U.S. The average annual wages of bioscience industry workers have increased 13 percent compared with a 4 percent increase in wages for workers in the private sector.

Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in bioscience will increase 31 percent from 2010 to 2020 as compared to the 14 percent increase projected for all occupations. Growth in the bioscience industry during 2001 to 2010 was widely distributed throughout the nation with 34 states showing growth, and Indiana being one of the states with the largest increase.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers career information about hundreds of occupations.

Talk with the Biotechnology faculty, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Program Director, and the career coach, as well as recent graduates of the Biotechnology Program, to gain insights into the career paths available to you with this major.

Post-graduate short-term experiences

The beginning of your post-graduate career might be an ideal time to explore an international internship or other short-term experience through organizations such as these:

Using these and other resources, your career coach can help you craft a unique post-graduate short-term experience, whether in the United States or abroad.

Fellowships for post-graduate study

Fellowships are temporary opportunities to conduct research, work in a field, or fund your education. Most opportunities can be found through universities, non-profits, and government organizations.

Good resources for finding fellowship opportunities in the physical sciences include:

Graduate and professional study

When applying to graduate or professional schools, you'll need letters of recommendation from those who are familiar with your work. Independent research is an excellent way not only to get in-depth training, but also to assess your level of passion for training in a particular field. Make a practice of getting to know your professors and mentors by discussing your options for advanced study in the field. Take advantage of office hours and professional organizations.

Students who pursue graduate studies in the life sciences have gone into careers with top academic and research institutions.

A Biotechnology B.A. major will allow you to obtain knowledge and skills that will be useful in the marketing, sales, and finance areas of biotechnology. You can also prepare additional business skills by combinging a Biotechnology B.A. major with the College + Kelly Program. With careful planning, and in consultation with the Health Professions and Prelaw Center, you could also prepare to enter law school, medical school, or other professional programs.
A Biotechnology B.S. degree will prepare you for entry into professional schools such as medical, dental, or optometry schools, or going on to various graduate schools to obtain M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in the life sciences.

Alumni connections

The IU College of Arts + Sciences has thousands of active alumni. Check out the IU College Luminaries program, which connects students with the College's most influential, successful, and inspiring alumni.

Join the Walter Center Success Network to remain in touch, network directly with College of Arts +Sciences Alumni, and let others know where your path takes you.

Is it for you?

Students who choose to major in Biotechnology typically have a passion for science, especially biology and chemistry, and a strong interest in how science and society intersect, with an emphasis on new technologies, skills, and innovations. Most biotechnology majors are interested in topics such as:

Small molecules as medicines
Biologics such as monoclonal antibodies
Agribusiness including genetically modified crops
Regulation of pharmaceutical science and patents
How cells function and the improvement of human lives
Drug development
Animal health
Laboratory instrumentation and diagnostics

Learn more

Contact the Biotechnology academic advisor and schedule an appointment to explore your options. Complete information about the requirements of the major can be found in the College of Arts and Sciences Bulletin.

Department website: https://biology.indiana.edu/index.html
Advisor email address: btechadv@iu.edu