The post-baccalaureate certificate in biomanufacturing may be a good option for you! This transcript-recognized program allows students who already have some background in science and technology to gain key skills they need to make a transition to the biomanufacturing industry. The post-baccalaureate certificate offers a comprehensive overview of the biomanufacturing process while providing hands-on training in high demand areas. A key component of the post-baccalaureate certificate is a focus on understanding and following FDA regulations and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).

BTEC welcomes students with non-STEM bachelor’s degrees to apply for our post-baccalaureate program as well. These students will need to complete all prerequisite courses before starting any BTEC coursework, which will extend the timeline to complete the certificate.

The post-baccalaureate certificate requires 13 credit hours and, for students who have already completed the prerequisites, normally takes about two to three part-time semesters to complete. Actual time to complete the post-baccalaureate certificate depends course availability.

This program is NOT intended for students interested in preparatory studies for pre-health degrees and will NOT meet any prerequisites requirements.

Core Competencies

Students who complete our undergraduate certificate gain the following competencies:

1. Overview of Biomanufacturing
2. Microbiology & Molecular Biology: Expression Systems & Genetic Engineering
3. Upstream Processing: Cell Growth & Optimization
4. Downstream Processing: Recovery & Purification
5. Industry Standards: Equipment, Regulations & CGMP

After completing introductory courses, students choose a specialization area in either upstream or downstream processing to further develop their expertise in highly valued areas in the biomanufacturing industry.

What is the difference in the undergraduate certificate, post-baccalaureate certificate, and graduate certificate?

Requirements

Prerequisites

Students interested in the post-baccalaureate certificate should have a background in biology and chemistry. Students should complete the following courses with at least a C- or better before starting the post-baccalaureate certificate. If you attended a university other than NC State, you may contact our academic team to discuss if you meet these requirements. Depending on a student’s background, experience and area of interest, prerequisites may be waived.

Course #	Course Title	Credit Hours
BIO 183	Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology	4
CH 101 or CH 103	Chemistry – A Molecular Science	3
CH 221 or 225	Organic Chemistry I	3
CH 223 or 227	Organic Chemistry II	3

Please note that the chemistry department at NC State University requires students to take a one credit hour laboratory per chemistry course.

Certificate Requirements

A minimum of 13 credit hours is required to earn the post-baccalaureate certificate. Review the four categories below to see how hours are allocated. Courses taken as part of an undergraduate or graduate minor, certificate, or degree may not count toward the post-baccalaureate certificate.

1. Basic Microbiology Laboratory Skills (1 credit minimum)

Any of the following courses fulfill this requirement. (Student transcripts will note all credit hours earned.)

Course #	Course Title	Credit Hours
BEC 425	Molecular Biology for Biomanufacturing	2
BIT 410	Manipulation of Recombinant DNA	4
MB 352	General Microbiology Laboratory	1
MB 354	Inquiry-Guided Microbiology Lab	1

2. Base Biomanufacturing Sequence (4 credits)

Both of the courses listed below are required.

Course #	Course Title	Credit Hours
BEC 330	Principles and Applications of Bioseparations	2
BEC/CHE 463	Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms	2

3. Biomanufacturing Specialization (4 credits)

Students must complete a two-course specialization sequence focused on either upstream or downstream operations. Course selections are listed below.

Upstream operations

Course #	Course Title	Credit Hours
BEC 426	Upstream Biomanufacturing Laboratory	2
BEC 480	CGMP Fermentation Operations	2

Downstream operations

Course #	Course Title	Credit Hours
BEC 436	Introduction to Downstream Process Development	2
BEC 485	CGMP Downstream Operations	2

4. Electives (4 credits minimum)

Students must complete at least four credits of courses from the list below. Courses used to fulfill the biomanufacturing specialization (see section above) may not be counted toward this requirement.

Course #	Course Title	Credit Hours
BAE/BBS 425	Industrial Microbiology and Bioprocessing	3
BBS/BEC 426	Upstream Biomanufacturing Laboratory	2
BCH 351 or BCH 451	General Biochemistry / Principles of Biochemistry	3 / 4
BEC 436	Introduction to Downstream Process Development	2
BEC 445	Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing	2
BEC 448	Bioreactor Design	2
BEC 462	Fundamentals of Bio-Nanotechnology	3
BEC 475	Global Regulatory Affairs for Medical Products	3
BEC 480	cGMP Fermentation Operations	2
BEC/BME 483	Tissue Engineering Technologies	2
BEC 485	cGMP Downstream Operations	2
BEC 488	Animal Cell Culture Engineering	2
BEC 495	Special Topics Course in Biomanufacturing	Varies
BEC 497	Biomanufacturing Research Projects	2 maximum
BEC 4**	Any 400 Level BEC Course	Varies
BEC 5**	Any 500 Level BEC Course	Varies
BIT 410	Manipulation of Recombinant DNA	4
BIT 466	Animal Cell Culture Techniques	2
GN 311	Principles of Genetics	4
MB 455	Microbial Biotechnology	3

Contact

For additional information about the BTEC post-baccalaureate certificate, contact the Assistant Director of Academic programs.