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Plant and Environmental Biotechnology (PEB) Program (BS Degree)

During the past decade, biotechnology has brought about major changes in the applied agricultural biological sciences. The biotechnology program utilizes faculty from several departments across the College and is designed to train undergraduate students for careers in the new and growing areas of the life sciences emphasizing the use of biotechnology in agriculture, environmental management, the medical sciences, teaching and other professions. The program provides a strong foundation in biotechnology and the life sciences including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and aquaculture biotechnology.

Students all share common training and camaraderie and embellish their training by selecting elective courses in Environmental and Microbial Biotechnology; Plant Biotechnology; Insect and Pathogen Biotechnology; General Biotechnology and Aquaculture and Animal Biotechnology. Students also share participation in hands-on laboratory research culminating in a publicly presented senior thesis. Students could work as genetic engineers developing more nutritious, pest resistant, or otherwise superior crops by genetic engineering, engineering suicide genes into insect pests, and so on. They could also be restoring parts of the environment by bioremediation, working in the marine biotechnology industry, or going off to graduate or professional school for graduate degrees.

Requirements

Students must fulfill the General Education Requirements of the University and college. Among the courses they must include in these requirements are

In addition student complete the following major core requirements.

Finally students must take electives in one of the five options below.

Option one: The Environmental and Microbial specialization prepares students for employment in teaching, industry, and government activities dealing with environmental monitoring, clean-up, and quality. The specialization also prepares students for graduate education in the environmental sciences.

Required courses:

Option two: The Plant Biotechnology specialization uses the tools of molecular biology, genetics, and tissue culture to learn how plant cells work and to develop plants with improved traits. The specialization prepares students to enter the plant and agricultural biotechnology industries, various government agencies, or to pursue an advanced professional degree or a teaching career.

Required courses:

Option three: The General Biotechnology specialization is for students who want to go to professional school. This specialization will also prepare students for careers in academia.

Required courses:

Option four: The Insect and Pathogen specialization prepares students for academic or industrial careers that integrate the traditional disciplines of entomology and plant pathology. The goal is to develop environmentally safe technologies to protect plants and agriculture from pest and pathogen attack.

Required courses:

Option five: The Aquaculture and Animal specialization prepares students to participate in the increasingly technology-driven areas of bio-based industries such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and large-scale production of valuable organisms and compounds for the agricultural, food, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. The specialization prepares student to enter commercial, university, or government jobs directly, to become entrepreneurs, or to continue on for further graduate training.

Required courses:

Instructional Faculty