Curriculum Breadth and Versatility

Penn's cross-disciplinary approach echoes the nature of biotechnology, an interdisciplinary field contributed to by biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, bioengineering, computer and information science and plant science. The Biotechnology Program exposes students to the broad range of biotechnology, giving them both the skills and knowledge they need to assume leadership in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. As a student, you can:

• Tailor your studies to your existing or future career in biotechnology. Each student selects one of four parallel tracks--1) molecular biotechnology, 2) biomedical technologies, 3) engineering biotechnology and 4) computational biology/ bioinformatics. The first track emphasizes molecular biology. The biomedical technologies track focuses on clinical issues such as biomaterial, tissue engineering, and imaging. The engineering track stresses bioprocess engineering and drug discovery, which is central to pharmaceutical industry. The computational biology and bioinformatics track prepares students for analysis of ever-expanding genomic databases. Core courses common to all tracks insure each student's exposure to the fundamentals of biotechnology.
  
  
• Benefit from interaction with a diverse student base. This program's cross-disciplinary approach attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds including biology, chemistry, computer science, and engineering. These different perspectives add to the learning experience.
  
  
• Develop the ability to look at projects from various biotechnology perspectives. In today's workplace where working in teams across disciplines is key, multidisciplinary training prepares students for the flexibility and versatility they need for business success.
  
  
• Get an understanding of the issues you need to tackle to bring product to market. You will attend seminars that keep you up-to-date with the latest scientific, regulatory and ethical issues in biotechnology. In these seminars, you will learn about drug discovery, elements of pharmaceutical patent law, designing clinical trials and the FDA approval process.