Biotechnology

This program is offered under the written consent of the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities for the period from September 14, 2021, to January 18, 2028. Prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs (e.g., acceptable to potential employers, professional licensing bodies, or other educational institutions).

• Four available concentrations
• Industry-aligned faculty
• Delivered through a hybrid model of online and on-site learning
• Opportunities to participate in wet lab coursework experience
• Co-op opportunities with a leading industry, academic, or government employer
• Designed to prepare students for the high-demand jobs and industry needs in Portland, the state of Maine, and the Northeast region.
• Proximity to a growing community of biotechnology startups and more than 450 life sciences organizations, including the Jackson Laboratory and Maine Health Institute for Research, and several biotechnology companies focusing on medical, veterinary, and environmental diagnostics (IDEXX, Abbott, and Envirologix).

Students choose from concentrations in which core courses are combined with specialization and elective study. All concentrations feature a co-op work experience with an industry, academic, or government employer. All concentrations include wet lab coursework designed to provide students with fundamental bench/technical skills they will need to access cutting-edge advances in the industry.

Available concentrations include:

Agricultural biotechnology: The agricultural concentration goes beyond the production of biological drugs and focuses on the key agricultural biotechnology (agritech) principles and methods used today. The concentration addresses plant, animal, food, and ecological biotechnology.

Biodefense: The biodefense concentration is designed to prepare students for the initial homeland biodefense and bioterrorism response. Students have an opportunity to learn the microbiology and epidemiology of biological agents that are potential threats, identify and propose countermeasures, and develop expertise in response and recovery strategies and policies.

Biopharmaceutical technologies and analytics: The biopharmaceutical technologies and analytics track focuses on structures, variants, and activities of biological molecules, as well as how to convert purified proteins to biopharmaceutical drug products that are compatible for clinical use. Students learn the diversity of molecular forms derived from biological products, techniques to analyze and characterize these forms, and the impact of these structural changes on the safety and efficacy of biopharmaceuticals. The track addresses design of product formulation, development and implementation of drug product manufacturing processes, and relevant process technology, such as aseptic operations and freeze-drying needed for drug product manufacturing.

Biotechnology operations: The biotechnology operations track is an operationally inclusive concentration that offers relevant insights to the inner workings of a biotech company while preparing students for new entry or promotions to a variety of biotech functions. Students learn the principles of quality, regulatory science, process science, and manufacturing, while integrating business and management skills with the science of biotechnology. The track covers the science behind compliance and the principles and practices of state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical manufacturing and quality operations, enabling students to move across positions in discovery, clinical operations, manufacturing, quality, regulatory affairs, and consulting for operations and operational strategy and/or remediations.

Interdisciplinary: Students are not required to declare a concentration. With the interdisciplinary option, students select 17 credits of electives in place of concentration-specific courses.

Learn more about applying to the College of Science and our admissions deadlines.

• Online application

• Application fee

• Transcripts from all institutions attended

• Personal statement

• Resumé

• Two letters of recommendation

• GPA 3.0+

• GRE is not required

• English language proficiency:

  • Degree earned or in progress at a U.S./Canadian institution

  • Degree earned or in progress at an institution where English is the only medium of instruction

  • Official exam scores from either the TOEFL iBT (institution code is 3682), IELTS, PTE exam, or Duolingo English Test. Scores are valid for 2 years from the test date.

• Prerequisite coursework:

  • Applicants may be admitted to the program without first satisfying these pre-requisite requirements but will be expected to complete this coursework in parallel during their first year in the program.

    • Biochemistry (lecture, no lab required)

    • Advanced biology, such as genetics, physiology, or molecular biology (lecture, no lab required) 

  • Statistics recommended, not required