Biotechnology, M.S.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to: 

• demonstrate a basic level of competency in the general field of study related to Biotechnology.
• explain ideas and results through written, numerical, and graphical forms of communication.
• conduct research in their field of study in Biotechnology and present that research at the annual Biotechnology Symposium in May.
• conduct laboratory-based research in the context of biotechnology, including mastery of common and specialized techniques and instrumentation used in performing molecular biosciences (biochemical, cell/molecular biology etc.) experimentation, and test a hypothesis or answering scientific questions formulated independently or in conjunction with the advisor and committee members.
• evaluate relevant scientific literature in molecular biosciences (biochemistry, cell/molecular biology, etc.).

Contact Information

Biotechnology Masters (M.S.) Program Director –

Dr. Karla Hernandez

karlah@unr.edu

775-784-1029

Admission Requirements

Contact the Graduate Program Director (Dr. Patricia Santos; pfsantos@unr.edu) for more information on available spaces within the program. Students entering this program should have a Bachelor of Science degree or equivalent in the biological sciences or a related field. In order to be considered for this program, prospective students must have the following qualifications.

• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Minimum of 75 semester units towards a biological science degree
• Preferred minimum GPA of 3.0 in the sciences (last two years are strongly weighted)
• Two semesters of documented research or internship experience (e.g. credit on transcripts)
• Completion of the following courses with a “C” or better:
  • Two semesters of college English (ENG 101  and ENG 102  or equivalent)
  • Two semesters of general biology
  • Two semesters of inorganic chemistry with laboratory
  • One to two semesters of organic chemistry with a minimum of one semester of laboratory
  • At least one semester of general physics with laboratory
  • One semester of sophomore or junior level genetics (BIOL 300  or equiv.)
  • One semester of upper-division molecular biology lecture (BCH 405  )
  • One semester of upper-division molecular biology laboratory (BCH 406  or equiv.)
  • One semester of upper-division biochemistry lecture (BCH 400  or equiv.)
  • One semester of biochemistry laboratory (BCH 303  or equiv.)
  • 12 credits of upper-division coursework in biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, and/or microbiology are strongly recommended
• Students on a one-year path must have completed undergraduate research in their chosen lab and provide contact information for their principal investigator (PI) to be used for reference purposes.
• International students are required to have TOEFL scores above 600 unless they possess an undergraduate degree from the United States, Australia, or the United Kingdom.
• Promising prospective students will be phone interviewed by a member of the Biotechnology faculty or designated faculty representative.
• Students admitted with academic deficiencies must work with their advisors and the Program Director to create a plan to remediate deficiencies by the end of the first year.

Application deadlines and additional information can be found on the Graduate School website.

I. Program Requirements (30 units)

Candidates for the M.S. degree in Biotechnology must satisfy all general requirements of the Graduate School. Because of the diverse skills needed by biotechnologists, additional units beyond the University minimum may be required to overcome deficiencies. A minimum of 30 units, with at least 15 units at the 700-level, are required for graduation with a non-thesis M.S. in Biotechnology. Students should consult with their research and academic advisors for guidance on the choice of coursework.

II. Recommended Schedule - 1 Year Program

III. Recommended Schedule - 2 Year Program