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Biotechnology Program (BIT)

Graduate Certificate in Molecular Biotechnology Requirements

Admission Requirements

The applicant must:

  1. Baccalaureate degree in a science or engineering discipline.
  2. Minimum GPA of 2.75 in his/her undergraduate program, and a recommended minimum GPA of 3.0 in the science courses.
  3. All prerequisites (or their equivalent) to BIT 510 completed before beginning the certificate program. The minimum requirements for BIT 510 are: MB 351 or GN 311 (or equivalent) and two semesters of organic chemistry (equivalent to CH 221 and 223). Prerequisites for the coursework electives vary, and those prerequisites may be taken after admission to the certificate program if necessary.
  4. Note that currently the Certificate is only available to students enrolled in a Masters Degree program at NC State.
  5. Applications to the certificate program must be submitted at least one semester prior to the student’s graduation deadlines. Applications that do not meet this requirement will not be accepted.

Program Requirements

The Graduate Certificate Program in Molecular Biotechnology will require a minimum of 12 hours of required and elective courses as listed below. Coursework transferred from another institution is not applicable toward the Certificate.  Award of a certificate requires an overall GPA of 3.0 or better for the certificate courses (required and elective) WITH a minimum grade of B- in any of the BIT courses and a minimum grade of C in the coursework elective.

Required Courses (5 credits)

  • BIT 510 – Core Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology (4 credits)
  • BIT 501 – Ethical Issues in Biotechnology (1 credit) or an approved research ethics or bioethics course
  • BIT xxx – Capstone Cloning Project (assignment in BIT 510, required grade ≥80)

Biotechnology Laboratory Electives (4 credits)

For the most up to date list of courses please visit the BIT website Courses tab.
Any two BIT module laboratory courses (2 credits each), for example: 

  • BIT 564 – Protein Purification
  • BIT 566 – Animal Cell Culture
  • BIT 577 – Metagenomics
  • BIT 579 – High Throughput Discovery
  • BIT 595 – Special Topics Biotechnology Module Courses

Other Electives – Choose One (3 credits)

– Many (500-level or higher) courses may be considered by special request.  Some examples:

  • GN 513 – Advanced Genetics
  • MB 714 – Microbial Metabolic Regulation
  • MB 758 – Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics
  • BCH 553 – Biochemistry of Gene Expression
  • MB 725 – Fermentation Microbiology
  • GN 721 – Genetic Data Analysis
  • GN 701 – Molecular Genetics
  • GN 735 – Functional Genomics
  • CHE 551 – Biochemical Engineering

Apply to the Program

To enroll in the Certificate Program, please complete this linked form and select the academic plan 11MOBCTG. Print and email the completed form to Dr. Melissa Srougi, Director of Graduate Certificate Program (DGP) in Biotechnology.