Accelerated MS in Biotechnology

Highly motivated Georgetown BS in Human Science students can complete the requirements for the MS in Biotechnology in one semester after completing the bachelor’s program.

The Master of Science in Biotechnology program integrates science and biotechnology-based business, allowing flexibility for self-discovery and career orientation.

We focus on developing leadership skills, teamwork and entrepreneurship that are essential for career success. A highlight of the program is the capstone internship, which allows students to gain the desired work experience. Internship opportunities include research in industry, academic, and government laboratories and in business development, marketing, commercialization, finance, regulatory affairs, and technology transfer.

Application

HSCI students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major are eligible for the accelerated master’s program. Apply to this program by October 1 of your junior year. Students who wish to apply should inquire with Sumaira Akber, Assistant Dean, School of Health.

For more information about our program and admissions, please contact us.

Timeline

Undergraduates start taking master’s courses in their senior year, earning the master’s degree in the fall after completing the Bachelor of Science.

Human Science Accelerated Master's Program Timeline. HSCI Junior Fall/Spring: Apply to M.S. program. HSCI Senior Fall: 2 HSCI core courses, 2 M.S. courses. HSCI Senior Spring: 2 HSCI core courses, 2 M.S. courses. M.S. Program Fall: Complete M.S. requirements.

Degree Plan

Senior – Fall

Course NameCredit(s)
HSCI 4972: Human Science Seminar/Capstone I3
HSCI 4510: Physiological Adaptations4
BIOT 7130: Principles of Biochemistry3
BIOT 5007: Lab Applications of Biotechnology3
13 Credits

Senior – Spring

Course NameCredit(s)
HSCI 4973: Human Science Seminar/Capstone II3
HSCI 3090: Immunology3
BIOT 5100: Entrepreneurial Biotechnology3
BIOT 6100: Biomedical Tissue Engineering & 3D Cell Culture
or
BIOT 5270-1: Industrial & Agricultural Biotech
2
BIOT 6590: Intro to Biotechnology Internship0
11 Credits

Master’s – Fall

Course NameCredit(s)
BIOT 7950: Biotech Capstone Internship4
BCHB 5140: Intro to Bioinformatics1
BIOT 5390: Basic Laboratory Safety0
BIOT 6590: Intro to Biotechnology Internship0
Graduate electives
?? Credits

Note: The internship is about 20 hours per week and will require careful scheduling with electives.

Master’s Courses

Senior – Fall

BIOT 7130: Principles of Biochemistry

3 credits

This is a survey course of core topics in biochemistry and molecular and cell biology, with emphasis on applications to biotechnology.

3 credits

This is a comprehensive hands-on, laboratory-based course that introduces students to core techniques such as electrophoretic analysis of nucleic acids and proteins, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern and Western blotting, ELISA, protein purification, tissue culture, DNA cloning, cell culture and Bioinformatics.

Senior – Spring

3 credits

This course gives an introduction to problems and opportunities of start-up biotechnology companies and provides in-depth look at starting a biotechnology company to exit strategies for investors. Students will develop and report assigned case studies based on their ideas for start up biotechnology companies. Contributions will be made from senior venture capitalists, industrial scientists and business managers.

BIOT 6100: Biomedical Tissue Engineering & 3D Cell Culture in Drug Discovery
2 credits
Instructor permission required

3-dimensional (3D) cell culture system is an important study model in drug discovery pipeline for its better mimicry of cellular microenvironment in vivo. This course will introduce students to essential cell culture concepts and techniques. In particular, it will focus on hands-on laboratory training of spheroid culture from tumor cells and organoid culture from primary cells. Different 3D culture techniques will be introduced including scaffold based and non-scaffold based. High throughput drug toxicity screening will be performed to examine effects in tumor proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Students will be exposed to the biomedical assays to screen for personalized medicine.

BIOT 5270-1: Industrial & Agricultural Biotech
2 credits

The Food Biotechnology course provides an introduction to the fascinating field of biotechnology and its role in the food industry. With broad-brush strokes, it covers many facets of the world of foods, which is very diverse yet very personal to all of us. The topics covered relate to food ingredients, fermentations, bioterrorism, FDA regulations, rapid detection techniques of food born pathogens, chemical senses, nutrigenomics and nutraceuticals. Laboratory component is provided as part of the course.

0 credits

This course will prepare and guide Biotechnology students for Internship (BIOT 7950) and inform them of the search process.

Master’s – Fall

4 credits
Prerequisite: BIOT 6590 Introduction to Biotechnology Internship

This is the capstone course in which students will be working to pursue defined objectives in companies in the biotechnology industry and agencies and institutions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Internships can be in basic research, business functions, industrial and biomedical sciences or intellectual property.

1 credit

The sequencing of the human genome that was completed in 2001 and the explosion of ”omic data” has accelerated our understanding of basic genetics and how we think of biology. We are now in the “omic” era of molecular biology that has given birth to the new field of Bioinformatics. All this data can be used meaningfully for biological and clinical research only if we can extract the relevant functional information from them and convert biological data into knowledge of biological systems. Fortunately, by using bioinformatics we can make headway in understanding and extracting relevant biological information from these sequences. The aim of this course is to introduce the various tools and resources that are available as applicable to biomedical research. This course is highly experiential with both lectures and “hands-on” sessions.

0 credits

This is a required course for any student who will be in a course with a lab component.

0 credits

This course will prepare and guide Biotechnology students for Internship (BIOT 7950) and inform them of the search process.

Our program includes many electives you can take to specialize your course of study. Browse electives within our master’s tracks.

Learn More

The Georgetown Difference

Find out what sets our program apart in preparing students for impactful careers.

The Georgetown Difference

Internship Opportunities

Learn about internship experiences in the MS in Biotechnology.

Internships

Career Readiness

Our students benefit from the services of the Biomedical Graduate Education career office, including one-on-one advising, skills workshops, leadership programs and more.