Minor in Biomanufacturing
The undergraduate minor in biomanufacturing was specifically designed to educate and train students in all aspects of biomanufacturing. With a heavy focus on in-depth and hands-on learning opportunities, our students learn to support the large-scale production of biopharmaceutical products while following FDA regulations and Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP). As such, students are well prepared to enter the industry and begin their careers.
Core Competencies
Students who complete our undergraduate minor gain the following competencies:
- Overview of Biomanufacturing
- Microbiology and Molecular Biology: Expression Systems & Genetic Engineering
- Upstream Processing: Cell Growth and Optimization
- Downstream Processing: Recovery and Purification
- 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:
Upstream Processing
Upstream processing refers to the steps used to optimize cell growth and expression of the target biopharmaceutical product. Students gain an understanding of bioreactor design and operation, oxygen transfer and mixing, growth of recombinant bacteria in batch and fed-batch mode and scale-up production.
This specialization is great for students who are interested in:
- Bioprocessing science
- Chemical engineering
- Fermentation
- Genetic engineering
- Microbiology
Downstream Processing
Downstream processing refers to the steps used to harvest and purify the target biopharmaceutical product. Students gain an understanding of biopharmaceutical analytical, recovery, separation and purification methods such as spectroscopy, flocculation, precipitation, electrophoresis, membrane filtration, centrifugation, and chromatography.
This specialization is great for students who are interested in:
- Biochemistry
- Chemical engineering
- Chemistry
Undergraduate Minor Students by Major
BTEC attracts students from a variety of different majors across campus. The education and training we provide prepares students well for varies roles in the biomanufacturing industry. Below is an example yearly breakdown of undergraduate minor students by their academic majors and colleges.
In addition, students with the majors listed below have also earned the BTEC minor.
- Material Science & Engineering
- Science, Technology & Society
- Plant & Soil Science
- Zoology
Requirements
Prerequsites
Students interested in adding our minor should have a strong background in biology and chemistry. The majority of our courses require one or more of the following courses:
| 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 CH 225 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH 223 or CH 227 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
To be eligible to apply for the minor, students must have:
- Completed at least 12 credit hours at NC State University
- Completed BIO 183 AND CH 101 (or 103) with a C- or better
- Have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
To meet preferred requirements, students must have:
- Completed at least 12 credit hours at NC State University
- Completed BIO 183 AND CH 101 (or 103) AND CH 221 (or CH 227) with a C- or better
- Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
Minor Requirements
A minimum of 15 credit hours is required to earn the minor. Review the five categories below to see how hours are allocated.
1. Introductory Seminar Pertaining to Biomanufacturing (1 Credit)
| Course # | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BEC 220 | Introduction to Drug Development and Careers in Biomanufacturing | 1 |
2. 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 |
3. 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 |
4. 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 |
5. Electives (5 Credits Minimum)
Students must complete at least 5 credits of courses from the list below. Courses used to fulfill the biomanufacturing specialization (see section above) may not be counted toward this category of requirements.
| 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 |
Minors are awarded at graduation; they may not be awarded after a student has received the associated degree at NC State except in those cases in which a student continues enrollment for a second or third undergraduate degree.
Contact and Declaring Minor
For additional information about the BTEC undergraduate minor, contact BTEC’s manager of student programs.
To officially declare the minor, you may submit your application on the Minor CODA page. We recommend you met with BTEC’s manager of student programs before submitting your application.