Biotechnology, BS

Contact:

Ramesh Raina (Executive Director of Biotechnology Program)
464 Life Sciences Complex
raraina@syr.edu

Surabhi Raina (Director of Biotechnology Graduate Programs)
462 Life Sciences Complex
sraina@syr.edu

Allison Oakes (Advisor)
436 Life Sciences Complex
adoakes@syr.edu

Faculty

Yasir Ahmed-Braimah, Abrar Aljiboury, David M. Althoff, Katie M. Becklin, Melanie J. Blanden, Carlos A. Castañeda, Arindam Chakraborty, Heather D. Coleman, Jennifer Cook, Steve Dorus, Robert P. Doyle, Scott E. Erdman, Christopher W. Fernandez, Austin M. Garner, Sarah E. Hall, Julie M. Hasenwinkel, Heidi Hehnly, James H. Henderson, James A. Hewett, Sandra J. Hewett, James Hougland, L. Jamie Lamit, Katharine Lewis, Sarah Lucas, Yan-Yeung Luk, Jessica MacDonald, Eleanor Maine, Lauren Mavica, Mathew M. Maye, Vera McIlvain, Alexander McKelvie, Liviu Movileanu, Davoud Mozhdehi, Allison Oakes, Angela Oliverio, Susan Parks, Melissa E. Pepling, Scott Pitnick, Ramesh Raina, Surabhi Raina, Dacheng Ren, Kari Segraves, Robert B. Silver, Michael B. Sponsler, Nancy I. Totah, Roy D. Welch, Michele Wheatly, Jason R. Wiles, and Weiwei Zheng

Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary program that offers students an opportunity to take courses in biology, environmental sciences, chemistry, engineering, management, public policy and law that will be important for addressing biotechnology-related issues. This program will help students prepare for jobs in areas such as the biotechnology industry, health professions, pharmaceutical and agricultural industry, environmental conservation and research in academia. The program requires many of the same basic courses as the B.S. degree in Biology, with additional courses in engineering, management and public policy. A variety of elective courses in biology, engineering, law, management and public policy can be used to fulfill the major requirements as well. A senior year capstone class (Biotechnology Seminar) and valuable industry internships and research opportunities are also part of this major.

For all Arts and Sciences|Maxwell students, successful completion of a bachelor’s degree in this major requires a minimum of 120 credits, 96 of which must be Arts and Sciences|Maxwell credits, completion of the Liberal Arts Core requirements, and the requirements for this major that are listed below.

Dual Enrollments:

Students dually enrolled in Newhouse* and Arts and Sciences|Maxwell will complete a minimum of 122 credits, with at least 90 credits in Arts and Sciences|Maxwell coursework and an Arts and Sciences|Maxwell major.

*Students dually enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences|Maxwell as first year students must complete the Liberal Arts Core. Students who transfer to the dual program after their first year as singly enrolled students in the Newhouse School will satisfy general requirements for the dual degree program by completing the Newhouse Core Requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Be able to recognize and distinguish theories, concepts and principles from the major sub-fields of biology relevant to biotechnology

2. Recognize and practice methods and techniques of molecular biology that are often applied to problems in biotechnology

3. Identify and apply concepts and methods in selected areas of Bioengineering and Materials Science that can be relevant to biotechnology applications

4. Identify and apply concepts and methods of Public Policy and Management that can be relevant to biotechnology applications

5. Employ experimental design and practice, including presentation of data and findings in written and oral formats

6. Apply quantitative methods to solve problems in the biological sciences

B.S. Degree Requirements (65-71 credits)

To Declare the B.S. in Biotechnology

A student may declare the B.S. major in Biotechnology during the admission process or anytime thereafter by contacting the Academic Coordinator of the Biology Department.

Introductory Biology (6 credits)

BIO 121 - General Biology I
BIO 122 - General Biology I Laboratory
BIO 224 - Integrative Biology Laboratory
BIO 224 can not be omitted nor substituted. No transfer credit petitions will be accepted for BIO 224.
(Students with AP credits of Biology with laboratory may omit BIO 121 and BIO 122)

Core Courses (8 credits)

All core courses should be completed by the end of a student’s sophomore year.

Upper-Division Courses (32-36 credits)

1. Biotechnology (8 credits)

BIO 463 - Molecular Biotechnology (4 credits; 3 credits count towards lab)
BIO 464 - Applied Biotechnology (4 credits; 3 credits count towards lab)

2. Bioengineering/Biomaterial Sciences (3 credits)

BEN 568 - Biomaterials & Medical Devices

3. Public Policy/Management (12 credits)

Note:

ECN 301 ; PREREQ (ECN 101 and 102 ) AND (MAT 285 or MAT 295 )

4. Elective courses (6 credits)

Choose two of the following courses:

Elective Courses by Petitioning to the Biology Department

In addition, other courses related to biotechnology from other departments (for example, Chemistry, Bioengineering, Physics, Psychology, Biomaterial Institute, Maxwell School, Law School, Whitman School, ESF and Upstate Medical University) can be used as elective courses by petitioning to the Biology Department.

5. Senior Capstone Seminar Course (3 credits)

BIO 421 - Capstone Seminar in Biotechnology

6. Internship/Independent Research (0-4 credits)

This requirement can be fulfilled by a) completing an approved internship during spring and/or fall semester of junior or senior year or b) completing an approved internship over the summer after a student’s junior year, or c) completing approved independent research in any biotech-related field, including biology, chemistry, engineering, public policy, law or management. For example, if a student chooses to do independent research in biology, they can register for 1-4 credits of BIO 460 . If a student chooses an internship instead, they can register for 0 credits of BIO 461 .

Math and Chemistry Requirements (19-21 credits)

CHE 106 - General Chemistry Lecture I and
CHE 107 - General Chemistry Laboratory I
CHE 116 - General Chemistry Lecture II and
CHE 117 - General Chemistry Laboratory II
CHE 275 - Organic Chemistry I and
CHE 276 - Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
MAT 285 - Life Sciences Calculus I OR
MAT 295 - Calculus I AND
MAT 221 - Elementary Probability and Statistics I
OR
APM 391 - Intro to Probability & Stats (7 to 8 credit hours total)

Distinction in Biotechnology

Students may earn a B.S. in Biotechnology degree with Distinction by meeting the following requirements:

The student must have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.4, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 in upper-division courses needed to satisfy the BS Biotechnology major requirements.
The student must take a minimum of 6 credits of BIO 460 Research in Biology and BIO 495 - Distinction Thesis in Biology combined (exceptions granted on a case by case basis: contact directors for details).
The student must complete four semesters of BIO 419 Junior and Senior Thesis Seminar (three semesters for students studying abroad.)
The student must give a presentation (either poster or oral) based on their thesis research before completion of their final semester.
The student must write a Senior Thesis or Honors Capstone Thesis judged to be of high quality.