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Bachelor of ScienceBiotechnology

The Biotechnology Bachelor of Science degree program incorporates the foundations of biology, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology and chemistry.

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Biotech focuses on the manipulation of living organisms, their products, and their processes to further knowledge, improve quality of life, and engineer new tools and applications.

Biotechnology is applied to a broad range of industries including the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural, food development and manufacturing sectors, to name a few. Biotechnology has improved the fields of medicine, health, environmental science and technology, and will continue to in the future.

Program Goals

Graduates of the Biotechnology program are able to:

Demonstrate a broad range of basic laboratory skills and technical competencies applicable to the field of biotechnology and to the workplace;
Develop a broad understanding of foundational concepts, mechanisms and principles which can be applied across the fields of applied biotechnology, molecular and microbial biotechnology, food biotechnology, and nanotechnology;
Demonstrate scientific reasoning and critical thinking skills including the ability to evaluate and integrate multiple sources of information, recognize problems, evaluate data, and draw conclusions;
Model independent and collaborative work environments in the classroom, the laboratory, the field and the workplace;
Demonstrate the successful ability to communicate scientific information to a variety of audiences and incorporate multiple modes of technology to achieve that goal; and,
Connect the classroom to the world of work through multi-modal and interdisciplinary learning experiences.

Program Concentrations

Food Safety and Quality Assurance
General Biotechnology
Medical Biotechnology
Nanobiotechnology
Nanobiotechnology and NanoFabrication
Pharmaceutical Design

Interested in a medical career? HU Biotechnology and Integrative Science majors offer programs that set you up for success in medical, veterinary or pharmacy school. You can tailor our programs in Integrative Sciences and Biotechnology to meet the exact requirements of your chosen health professional school. Plus, the experiential learning you’ll gain through the HU academic program can help you score a health-based internship or complete a medically based applied project that will help smooth the way for your entrance into a health professional school.

Capital Area Biotechnology Partnership: HU plays a leadership role in the Capital Area Biotechnology Partnership (CABP). Working with educators and other leaders from Central Pennsylvania’s area biotech firms, government agencies, industry, local community colleges, and area school districts, CABP delivers a quality education to high school and college students, and science career-seekers. Courses taught through the program prepare area students to enter the biotech workforce, thereby decreasing the time companies need to train employees and ensuring biotech firms have access to qualified workers.

Program Lead

Douglas Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Biotechnology

DTaylor@harrisburgu.edu

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Full Time Faculty

Mrunalini (Leena) Pattarkine, Ph.D.

Professor of Biotechnology

lpattarkine@HarrisburgU.edu

Douglas Taylor, Ph.D.

Professor of Biotechnology

DTaylor@harrisburgu.edu

Corporate Faculty

Indu Sinha

Corporate Faculty (Biotechnology)

isinha@harrisburgu.edu

Program Courses

This program requires a total of 48 to 55 semester hours: 23 semester hours from core courses and 25-32 semester hours completed in one of the following concentrations: Food Safety and Quality Assurance, General Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology, Nanobiotechnology and Nanofabrication, and Pharmaceutical Design. The semester hour value of each course appears in parentheses ( ).

BIOL 102 – General Biology Lecture (3 credits)

This course introduces the student to the major themes of biology, including properties of living organisms, comparison of eucaryotes vs. procaryotes, patterns of inheritance, the central dogma, mitosis and meiosis, the diversity of life in both plants and animals, classification of organisms, evolution, metabolism, photosynthesis, cell structures, basic structure of the body, infectious desease, the Hardy-Weinberg principle, biodiversity, ecosystems, and the biosphere. A broad understanding of biology and living organisms in the biosphere is developed through hand-on, mulit-modal engages learning opportunities in both the classroom and the companion laboratory compenent.