About the BTEC program
Goal: The Biotechnology degree program provides students with strong core science concepts and an application-oriented undergraduate education.
Objectives: Recognizing the need to strengthen undergraduate education that fosters cross-disciplinary training and collaborative interactions our program:
- Develops adaptable students with a strong foundation in skills that are relevant to the changing world of biotechnology.
- Provides students with practical training in the skills and techniques of biotechnology.
- Integrates the laboratory and lecture components of the program through the use of an experimental approach to learning.
- Uniquely combines practical, hands-on biotechnology training with cutting-edge biotechnology research and teaching.
Interdisciplinarity: Two tracks (Bioprocessing and Bioinformatics) with applicable minors
Benefits: In agriculture and medicine, biotechnology techniques have produced new and improved foods, virus resistant crop plants and animals, advances in insect resistance, new antibiotics, vaccines, improved ways of producing insulin, diagnostic tests and treatment for cancers, sickle cell and Huntington's and AIDS. Breakthroughs in Biotechnology are helping to produce sustainable biofuels, food, and biochemicals, clean water and clean environment for healthy productive life.
Undergraduate and Graduate Research: Students contribute and engage in advance on-going research projects. These cutting-edge frontier sciences help to develop skills of students in Biotechnology.
History of the Program: The BTEC undergraduate program was started 2009 and graduate program was started in 2015.
Accreditation: BTEC programs are accredited by Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) since 2013. The primary purpose of ATMAE accreditation is to encourage and recognize the attainment of certain professional goals and standards for technology and to encourage continuous quality improvement through a voluntary and comprehensive evaluation process. The accreditation is done once in five years.
Biotechnology Track
- The Master of Science in Engineering Technology — Biotechnology Track has been offered at the University of Houston since 2015 and emphasizes bioprocessing, protein engineering, computational biology, and federal regulations.
- There are two focus area the students can choose depending on their career goals.
- (i) Bioprocessing focuses on the uses of living cells to manufacture a desired biological product for medicine, agriculture and other industries. Students will study specialized course in Standards in Biotechnology, Bioprocessing in Biotechnology, Project Management principles and other electives. (Learn more about different career opportunities.)
- (ii) Bioinformatics focuses on application of computer technology to the management of biological information. Students will study specialized courses in Biomedical Data Mining, Applied Statistics for Technology and other electives. (Learn more about different career opportunities.)
- This 30-credit hour graduate program was designed to help prepare individuals to conduct or supervise research and development in biotechnology or medical field.
- This degree is a highly inter- and multi-disciplinary field that defines biotechnology education and research for the future.
- Students may choose from thesis, project or course only options for completion of the Master of Science in Engineering Technology — Biotechnology Track.
