Photo Courtesy: UBC
Sergio Cisneros
Lantern Staff
Students that choose to major in biotechnology have the opportunity to work in many different fields in the scientific community. Individuals who choose to study biotechnology can pursue careers in fields such as biomedicine, environmental conservation and even forensics.
To receive an Advanced Biotechnology Certificate (ABC), a student must first be accepted into the program by meeting the requirements of completing a minimum of Basic Chemistry, Microbiology and one college biology lab course which includes General Biology, Cell Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology or Molecular Genetics. A student can also be accepted by the approval of other credentials by the MATC Director of Bioscience. Those students with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree may be preferentially accepted. Students taking the program can also earn their associate’s in biotechnology while working towards their ABC.
Those who receive their ABC/associate’s can continue their education at a four-year institution and work towards a bachelor’s degree, or in the case of some current and former students, can look for a career with a company that looks for potential employees armed with an ABC.
According to Professor of Biology and Biotechnology and Co-Lead of the Biology Department Dr. Alan Brown, the vast variety of the many fields one could enter is one of the most advantageous parts about majoring in biotechnology.
“There is quite a range,” Brown said. “It could be basic research in biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, biology, drug development, quality control for food industries, diagnostic environments, forensics, biofuel research. It’s also applicable in environmental and conservation sciences. A lot of companies have to look at these issues in their workplace to keep from breaking environmental laws and policies.”
Anyone with an interest in science would easily find themselves intrigued in studying biotechnology.
“[Individuals could thrive in the biotechnological field with] interests in biological science mostly,” Brown said. “They have to be comfortable with hands-on work and be able to focus on the intricacies that lab work involves. They also have to be able to use both well to be very interested. It requires a passion for science.”
The biotechnology program is a three-semester program with the first two semesters involving online lectures through Manhattan Area Technological College (MATC) and face-to-face labs in Butler’s facilities in El Dorado. The program ends with an internship in the summer in a biotechnological lab or with a biotechnological company.
According to Brown, the purpose of the program is to prepare students for an entry-level position in the biotechnological field by taking knowledge from most science classes that a student would learn at Butler and applying them in a lab setting.
“Some of our students already have bachelors, and in this major, we run labs just like a professional research lab to emulate an actual lab environment,” Brown said. “Most come back for this certification to be more effective in the lab, and many businesses look for this certification.”
A student who receives their ABC does not have to go on to a four-year institution; they can look for jobs in the field with the ABC certification. Looking for job listings online for jobs through search engines such as Google in the biotechnology industry is the best way to find an entry-level position for a company in the field.
For more information regarding the biotechnology program and potential in the field, students can meet with an academic adviser in the 600 building on the El Dorado campus, in the 6000 building on the Andover campus or contact Dr. Brown at arbrown@butlercc.edu.