Biotechnology Major
Major Requirements
Degree Type: B.S. Minimum Credits Required: 120
University Degree Requirements
For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.
- Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
- Complete the University General Education requirements.
- Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
- Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
- Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.
University General Education Requirements
A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category C: Communication | 12 | |
| Category R: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Category S: Science and Technology | 10 | |
| Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts | 6 | |
| Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6 | |
| Category W: Wellness | 2 | |
| Category D: Cultural Diversity | ||
| Category G: Global Perspectives | ||
| Category L: Digital Literacy | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Major requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology Requirements | ||
| MICR 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| CSCI 114 | Computer Applications | 3 |
| or CSCI 122 | Visual BASIC | |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 4 |
| PHYS 211 & 211L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYS 212 & 212L | College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| PLSC 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory Cross-listed as BIOL 315/L | 4 |
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 122 & 122L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 341 & 341L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 342 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| BIOC 460 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I | 3 |
| BIOC 461 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| BIOC 474 | Methods of Recombinant DNA Technology 2 | 4 |
| MICR 350 & 350L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| MICR 470 | Basic Immunology 2 | 3 |
| MICR 471 | Immunology and Serology Laboratory 2 | 2 |
| MICR 485 | Capstone Experience I: Reflecting and Planning | 1 |
| MICR 486 | Capstone Experience II: Reflection and Dissemination | 1 |
| Ethics - Select one philosophy/ethics course from the following: | 3 | |
| Professional Responsibility and Ethics | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Contemporary Moral Issues | ||
| Business Ethics | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Ethics, Engineering, and Technology | ||
| Capstone - Select one of the following capstone experiences from the following: | 2 | |
| Undergraduate Research (Research Experience) 3 | ||
| Individual Study | ||
| FE/Coop Ed/Internship (Internship Experience) | ||
| Biotechnology Elective - Select one course from the following: | 2-3 | |
| Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | ||
| Microbial Biotechnology 2 | ||
| Genetics Elective - Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Animal Genetics 2 | ||
| Microbial Genetics 2 | ||
| Intermediate Genetics 2 | ||
| Physiology Elective - Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Microbial Physiology 2 | ||
| Principles of Plant Physiology 2 | ||
| Animal Physiology 2 | ||
| Major Electives - Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Biological Materials Processing | ||
| Biobased Energy 2 | ||
| Process Engineering for Food, Biofuels and Bioproducts 2 | ||
| 3D Printing and Manufacturing | ||
| Methods of Biochemical Research 2 | ||
| Molecular Biology of Gene Expression 2 | ||
| Food Ingredient Technology 2 | ||
| Analytical Chemistry I 2 | ||
| Biopolymers and Biocomposites 2 | ||
| Microbiological Principles for Environmental Engineers | ||
| Program and Project Management | ||
| The Science Toolkit: Skills for Scientific Success | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques 2 | ||
| Biotechnology for Sustainability 2 | ||
| Microbiomes: Agriculture and Environmental Resilience 2 | ||
| Microbial Genomics with Computational Laboratory 2 | ||
| Genomics 2 | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology 2 | ||
| Total Credits | 90-91 | |
- 1
MICR 189 is required for first-year students and transfer students new to NDSU.
- 2
Courses that offer a 600 level dual course can be taken for the B.S./M.S. accelerated program. The 600 level courses have additional outcomes/requirements that students will have to complete. Students approved for accelerated programs must complete and submit the Accelerated Declaration form, which will require the student and advisor to identify which graduate courses (no more than 15 credits) will be counted toward the B.S. degree.
- 3
The research may also be completed as BIOC or PLSC.
Degree Notes:
- An accelerated undergraduate to master's degree program is available for the B.S. in Biotechnology major to the M.S. in Microbiology. Students must have a 3.00 GPA. Instructions to apply can be found in the online catalog and a sample 5-year plan can be found on the departments website. Students may complete a thesis-based or comprehensive study-based master's program.