Biotechnology centers around a wide range of technologies that use living organisms or parts of them to create healthcare-related products. It largely contributes to diverse fields like Agriculture, Medicine, Flora and Fauna, Environment to produce therapeutic drugs, nutritional essentials, eco-friendly chemicals and materials, and biofuels. In today’s world conscious consumers, biotechnology is more crucial than ever to reduce harmful chemicals and agents to preserve the environment. In a broader sense, biotechnology plays a salient role in human welfare and has transfigured humanity since its initial beginning. The biotechnology field has taken a quantum jump since the beginning of the 1990s. The industry has given birth to leading firms in the medical sector like Celgene, Amgen, Biogen Idec, others.
To elaborate on that, a report according to - Atlas Biyoteknoloji – a Turkish biotechnology website - over 13.3 million farmers across the globe use agricultural biotechnology to surge yields, avert damage from insects and pests and prevent the environment from harmful elements caused due to farming. The report also says that as many as 50 biorefineries are being constructed in all parts of North America to examine technologies to produce biofuels and biomass chemicals, which will lessen the use of greenhouse gas emissions.
Scope of BSc in Biotechnology, Its significance and impacts
The Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biotechnology is a 3-year undergraduate degree that involves a deep study of a biological process and applied science, meant for industrial requirements such as antibiotics, hormones, etc., used in producing medicine and for health-related purposes. Pursuing a BSc in Biotechnology guides students to understand topics like vaccine production, genetic engineering, research and design, epidemiology, Cell Structure, and others.
There are innumerable scores that you will study in a BSc Biotechnology major. These subjects are Genetics and Evolution, Biophysics, Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Microbial Diversity, to name a few.
There are so many substantial medical changes happening worldwide, and the credit for this goes to the rapid advances in biotechnology. Over the last few years, we have witnessed some brilliant developments in healthcare and the medical sector. For example, during the COVID-19 outbreak, biotech firms ran from pillar to post to develop vaccines to combat the deadly virus. Biotech firms such as Moderna and BioNTech extensively researched, developed and helped produce coronavirus vaccines.
In other words, new complicated natural compounds from bio-sources are on the fleek of pharmaceutical needs in today’s uncertain world, leading to increased employment opportunities in the subject. BSc biotech graduates can apply in several fields such as autonomous institutions, biology and chemistry, Research and Development (R&D) departments, agriculture, environment, human welfare and medical science.
B.Sc in Biotechnology graduates are likely to get a decent salary package that initially starts from Rs.25000/ per month and could extend to Rs.45000/- per month in a very early phase of their career. With ample exposure in the field, students can earn better. In addition to that, several international organizations also offer multiple career opportunities to graduates with reasonable remuneration.
A roadmap to Bsc in biotechnology degree for a budding biotechnologist
Shiv Nadar University, one of the finest research-oriented universities in India, offers BSc (Research) in Biotechnology under its Department of Life Science. The undergraduate degree is facilitated with the help of prominent faculty members who come from globally recognized universities like Harvard medical school, Yale University, University of Maryland, Sussex, others. While doing the course here, the students can opt for research projects of their interest in Virology, Oncology, Vascular Biology, Malaria and Drug discovery.
Students can conduct a small project in the Laboratory through the course - which has excellent instruments like FACS Aria, Fluorescent Microscopes - which likely lasts from 6 months to 1 year. In addition, Shiv Nadar University has collaborated with international educational institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Duke University to offer students world-class experiences - practical and theoretical. For the latest admission details for B.Sc in Biotechnology, interested applicants can find Shiv Nadar University's official website.
