Biotechnology is the use of living organisms, or products of living organisms, for human benefit, and it has had a tremendous impact on many aspects of modern life. Its effects, however, are perhaps most keenly felt within the food/agricultural and medical fields. Biotechnological processes are used in the production of specific foods and have allowed the genetic modification of food crops to be hardier and to have increased nutritional value. The health care sector likewise has benefited from biotechnology to produce medicines and vaccines that prevent or cure disease. Moreover, biotechnological theory and methodologies will be central to the realization of personalized medicine.
At Drexel University, we are proud to offer the Master of Science in Biotechnology (BIOT), an innovative graduate degree program that emphasizes hands-on training in state-of-the-art laboratory techniques used across the biotechnology and biomedical industries.
This program is targeted to individuals who will be seeking employment in biotechnology/pharmaceutical firms or academic laboratories and furnishes students with the necessary technical skills to successfully seek gainful employment in both biotechnology/pharmaceutical firms and academic laboratories. It does so by using a two-pronged approach that combines theory with hands-on instruction under the direct supervision of our diverse and accomplished research faculty. The program is appropriate for recent college graduates or experienced technicians wishing to bolster their methodological base.
Is Biotechnology for Me?
The Master of Science in Biotechnology program is ideally suited for enhancing the scientific skill set of the following groups:
- New college graduates
- Recent college graduates interested in career changes
- Laboratory technicians (academic and industrial/biotech)
- College graduates seeking to acquire research experience before pursuing doctoral programs in the biosciences
Meet an Alumnus
"The Biotechnology master's program provided me with an excellent opportunity to gain a diverse set of technical skills, including those in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, while exploring multiple areas of biomedical research. In addition, the experienced principal investigators and accelerated course work strengthened the knowledge I had gained throughout undergrad. Overall, the program’s productive and focused curriculum at both the bench and in the classroom left me well qualified for positions in both academia and industry. On the strength of the Biotechnology Master of Science program at Drexel University, I have successfully secured positions in local biotech/pharma, and now work in the Screening Group at Janssen R&D (Johnson & Johnson) as an associate scientist."
Jeff Branson, Class of 2016
Career Advancement
The program encompasses both classes and hands-on practica. It is the inclusion of practica that makes this program unique, stressing applied learning of key methodologies used throughout academia and industry and their practical use in addressing research questions in bioscience and biomedicine. This innovative combination of technical theory and application will provide graduates of this program with a knowledge base and a set of skills that will make them very competitive for laboratory jobs in the academic or industrial sectors or enhance their potential for advancement at their current place of employment.
Graduate Placement
Swetaben Patel and Aishwarya Subramanian have taken positions at GlaxoSmithKline.
Lina Maciunas is currently pursuing a PhD at Drexel and works in the Loll Laboratory.
Jeff Branson is currently working as an associate scientist at Janssen R&D (Johnson & Johnson) in the Screening Group.
Ayonika Mukherjee has an internship at GlaxoSmithKline.