Biotechnology
Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary field based on a combination of biology and technology. It includes the application of science and technology to the design of new plants, animals, and microorganisms that have improved characteristics. The methodologies include the use of recombinant DNA for gene cloning and gene transfers between organisms, culture of plant and animal cells and tissues, fusion of animal cells or plant protoplasts, and the regeneration of whole plants from single cells.
Biotechnology also is concerned with the large-scale fermentation processes that utilize some of these novel organisms for the production of pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tests for diseases, feed additives, enzymes, and hormones.
Biotechnology offers seemingly unlimited opportunities to combine genes from related or unrelated species to produce useful organisms with desirable properties that were not previously found in nature. The development of crop plants that are resistant to herbicides or insects, the production of human growth hormone and insulin by genetically engineered bacteria, and the development of unique vaccines are all examples of successful biotechnology.
The Biotechnology program is offered in either the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources or the College of Science and Mathematics and leads to the Bachelor of Science degree or Bachelor of Arts degree (College of Science and Mathematics only). The curriculum is designed to provide students with knowledge and experience in both basic and applied sciences. Students have an opportunity to work with scientists in various areas including, animal science, biochemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, horticulture, microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences, plant pathology, plant science, and zoology. Faculty in each of the cooperating life-science departments has been identified to serve as advisers and research mentors for students who select the biotechnology major. Graduates of this program have excellent opportunities for employment in the biotechnology industry or for graduate education.
Students majoring in biotechnology are required to perform a research project in the laboratory of a faculty member/scientist, and to prepare a senior thesis describing their research project. A 2.50 institutional grade-point average is required to graduate from the program.
Biotechnology Minor
A minor in biotechnology requires satisfactory completion of 21 credits in the following courses. A minimum of eight credits must be taken at NDSU.
Major Requirements
Major: Biotechnology
Degree Type: B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 128
General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree
- A list of approved general education courses is available here .
- General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review the major, minor, and program emphases requirements for minimum grade restrictions, should they apply.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Communication (C) | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (R) † | 3 | |
| Science and Technology (S) † | 10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (A) † | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) † | 6 | |
| Wellness (W) † | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D) *† | ||
| Global Perspectives (G) *† | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
| * | May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category. |
| † | May be satisfied with courses required in the major. Review major requirements to determine if a specific upper division writing course is required. |
Major requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology Requirements | ||
| BIOC 460 & 460L | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and Foundations of Biochemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOC 461 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| BIOC 474 | Methods of Recombinant DNA Technology | 3 |
| CHEM 465 | Survey of Physical Chemistry | 4 |
| MICR 350 & 350L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| MICR 470 | Basic Immunology | 3 |
| MICR 471 | Immunology and Serology Laboratory | 2 |
| MICR 482 | Bacterial Genetics & Phage | 3 |
| MICR 491 | Seminar (Biotechnology) | 1-5 |
| MICR 494 | Individual Study (Senior Research) | 2-4 |
| MICR 494 | Individual Study (Senior Thesis) | 1 |
| Supporting Requirements | ||
| AGRI 150 | Agriculture Orientation (Applies only to students earning this degree out of the College of AFSNR;Not required for students transferring in 24 or more credits ) | 1 |
| AGRI 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| CHEM 122 & 122L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| CHEM 341 & 341L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 342 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CSCI 114 | Microcomputer Packages | 3 |
| or CSCI 122 | Visual BASIC | |
| Select one from the following: (May satisfy general education category R) | 8 | |
| Applied Calculus I and Applied Calculus II | ||
| Calculus I and Calculus II | ||
| Select one from the following: (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 or 5 | |
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| University Physics I and University Physics I Laboratory | ||
| Select one from the following: (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 or 5 | |
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
| University Physics II and University Physics II Laboratory | ||
| PLSC 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general edcuation category R) | 3 |
| Major Elective in Physiology: Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Bacterial Physiology | ||
| Major Elective in Biotechnology Technique: Select 4-6 credits from the following: | 4-6 | |
| Methods of Biochemical Research | ||
| Molecular Biology of Gene Expression | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology | ||
| Additional Humanities & Fine Arts or Social & Behavioral Sciences Credits | 6 | |
An additional 6 credits from these General Education categories is required for earning a B.S. degree from either the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources or the College of Science and Mathematics. | ||
| Total Credits | 87-103 | |
| 1 | AGRI189 is only required for first-time, first-year students--A first-time, first-year student is defined as a student who has not yet completed a college course as a college student. Students that are not first-time, first-year students that either transfer into the university or change their major are not required to take AGRI 189. |
Degree Notes:
- The Bachelors of Science degree is the default degree type for this program of study. However, a Bachelor of Arts degree is available if the degree is being earned from the College of Science & Mathematics.
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree Requirements: An additional 12 credits of Humanities and/or Social Sciences courses and proficiency of a modern foreign language at the second year level (example: SPAN 201 & 202). Courses for the Humanities and/or Social Sciences may be fulfilled by any course having the following prefix: ADHM, ANTH, ARCH, ART, CJ, CLAS, COMM, ECON, ENGL, FREN GEOG, GERM, HDFS, HIST, LA, LANG, MUSC, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, RELS, SOC, SPAN, THEA, WGS, or any course from the current Humanities & Fine Arts (A) and/or Social & Behavioral Sciences (B) General Education list.
Minor Requirements
Biotechnology Minor
Required Credits: 21
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOC 460 & 460L | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and Foundations of Biochemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOC 461 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| PLSC 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| Biotechnology Technique Electives: Select 4 credits from the following: | 4 | |
| Methods of Biochemical Research | ||
| Methods of Recombinant DNA Technology | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology | ||
| Specialized Electives: Select 6 credits form the following: | 6 | |
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Basic Immunology | ||
| Immunology and Serology Laboratory | ||
| Bacterial Genetics & Phage | ||
| Introductory Plant Pathology | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.
