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Are you interested in the mechanics of life and improving human and animal health, food safety, energy production and environmental quality? Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary major that has an impact on almost every aspect of modern human life. Students develop a strong background in the biological sciences with an emphasis on the basic principles of genetics, molecular biology and cell biology. Students focus their studies into one of four areas to gain a more in-depth understanding of these topics: microbial biotechnology, animal biotechnology, plant biotechnology or bioinformatics.

Major Requirements

At the lower division level, you will develop a strong background in general biological sciences, emphasizing basic concepts of genetics, molecular biology, cell biology and recombinant DNA technology. You will choose an animal, plant or microbial biotechnology system as your special focus at the upper division level. Each track of study requires significant hands-on experience including a mandatory internship in a biotechnology company or research laboratory.