Scope for biotechnology engineering in India

Is it worth your while to enrol for a biotechnology engineering course in India? Let’s find out.

Have you ever looked with wonder at a transparent capsule that the doctor prescribed, and at the globules contained inside it? If the subject of how medicines are created and how they improve the human condition – among other allied topics of the same nature – hold your interest, then you should consider a course in biotechnology engineering.

What is Biotechnology engineering?

As the term ‘bio-technology’ suggests, it is a stream of study that combines the features of biology with technology.

  • In terms of biotechnology engineering, it means that the student combines the streams of biology, chemistry, physics and engineering technology to create tools for contemporary biomedical R&D.
  • As a biotechnical engineering, you will study how to use cells from living organisms and the materials inside them to create solutions to current problems in a gamut of fields, from medicine to food supply, and from agriculture to ecology.
  • It has tremendous applications in studying genetic information inside animal cells, so that those serious diseases that currently do not have a cure may find a cure in the future. Biotechnical engineers are in huge demand in industries like pharma and medicine, in both research and development.

Who benefits from studying it?

Biotechnology engineering is still in the nascent stages in India, and at present, it is a highly competitive field. Only the best students can enrol for admission in prestigious technical universities offering this course.

  • Studying biotechnology engineering enables you to study the anatomy of living cells, their evolution over the years, and how their own capabilities may be used to find hitherto unknown solutions across a variety of fields.
  • As a student enrolling for the course, you will study how molecules and atoms work, and how this knowledge can be manipulated for the benefit of mankind. Broadly, it forwards the cause of several industries like forensics, health, pharma and diagnostics in medicine.
  • Students qualified with this degree are able to study genetics in a way as to be able to manipulate DNA to conceptualise new medicine, improve resistance to disease, etc. Other applications include genetic sequencing and molecular biology, among others.
  • Some students opt for a PhD after completing the course, or go abroad for a Masters’ Degree.

What are the employment applications of it?

  • Most people qualified in the field of biotechnological engineering are hired by pharma companies engaged in R&D for new products. At the moment, the job prospects for these students is lower in India than in the West.
  • The B.Tech curriculum includes subjects for life sciences with engineering subjects like mass transfer and thermodynamics, to name just a few. The course primarily equips the students for a career in research and development.
  • However, enrolling for the course with a prestigious technical university increases your chances of being hired, and the chances of companies arriving for on-campus recruitment as well.

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