Overview
Biotechnology is a field that has enormous implications for the future and has impacted our lives by revolutionizing how we diagnose and treat disease, lengthen life spans, feed the planet, and remediate the environment.
Our nationally recognized program prepares students with the skills and knowledge needed to enter the biotechnology industry or continue onto a four-year university. Certificates are for students who want to enter the Biotechnology industry without committing to the associate degree.
Why Great Bay?
Students will work in state-of-the-art biotechnology labs which house over a quarter of a million dollars worth of equipment at Great Bay Community College. The low student-to-professor and student-to-equipment ratios allows students to truly master the skills for success.
Career Options
Current graduates may be found in a variety of biotechnology companies, working as Lab Technicians, Manufacturing Associates, Quality Control and Quality Assurance Technicians, and as Validation Consultants.
For more information about the outlook and trends for the Biotechnology industry please visit: www.bls.gov
To learn more about potential earnings visit:
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
The Biotechnology program offers an optional externship. Participation requires the student to follow Great Bay’s immunization policy. Depending upon the site, the student may be required to possess and maintain professional liability insurance. For unpaid externships, students must possess and maintain accident insurance. 100% of recent graduates are employed in the biotechnology industry or are continuing their education in biotechnology or bioengineering.
Curriculum Outline
The classes and coursework required is as follows:
First Year: Fall Semester (Pathway I)
Program Specific Standards
Technical Standards
Students enrolling in degree and certificate programs, and/or enrolling in individual courses within the Biotechnology Program, in addition to meeting the specific pre-requisite requirements for each course, must meet the following general, technical standards:
• Students must be able to comprehend the English language, both oral and written.
• Students must have sufficient manual dexterity to produce legible written documents in a timely manner. Appropriate assistive technology may be used, as needed.
• Students must be able to sit or stand at a desk and laboratory bench, and must possess the necessary focus to stay on task for extended periods of time.
• Students must be able to comprehend and follow instructions in the classroom and laboratory in a timely manner.
• Students must possess the necessary manual dexterity to carry out assigned laboratory tasks.
• Students must be able to perform required classroom and laboratory operations, including mathematical operations, without reference to notes, as directed.
Program Outcomes
Students graduating with the A.S. degree in Biotechnology will be able to:
• Understand the role of biotechnology in human experience, past and in the present
• Understand the “benchtop to bottle” process of bringing a biopharmaceutical or other biotechnology-based product to market
• Understand the Central Dogma, and its role as the theoretical foundation of modern biotechnology
• Understand and be able to apply the scientific method
• Understand and be able to execute a wide variety of laboratory techniques in microbiology, biochemistry and molecular genetics, including (but not limited to) solution preparation, gene cloning, DNA extraction and amplification, library construction, hybridization, forensic analysis, cell culture, and protein production, purification and verification
• Generate and maintain accurate lab documentation, including laboratory notebooks, batch records and log books
• Understand and adhere to the documentation guidelines of cGMP, when required
• Analyze and draw conclusions from generated scientific data, and present findings in a formal laboratory report.
• Understand the basic principles of genomics, proteomics and systems approaches in biotechnology
• Conduct basic bioinformatics-based analysis.
• Use critical thinking and principles of logic to analyze ethical issues raised in the practice of biotechnology.
• Qualify for entry level work in the biomanufacturing sector of the biotechnology industry.
• Qualify for transfer to a four-year college of university with the necessary foundation in biology, chemistry and mathematics for upper level study in a wide variety of biological disciplines.
Testimonials
“I want you to know that you’ve made a huge difference in shaping my future. The biotech program at Great Bay is phenomenal, and you specifically have prepared me for this field better than any other form of education has prepared me for anything. I’m apparently not the only one; I’ve seen plenty of Great Bay alumni here and I know the majority of your students are successful in finding jobs. My experience at Great Bay has helped me immensely; my supervisors and colleagues have been impressed with my level of knowledge and it makes further training much more accessible.”
“Thanks so much for an awesome class. 98% of all my interview questions at all of my interviews came from your class. Best class ever.”
“I believe my experience from the biomanufacturing class was extremely helpful in getting my first job. I learned more about the biotech industry in one semester there than in four years at my college.”
“I absolutely loved your biotech program and thus far it seems to be applying extremely well. Walking into the round robin style interviews was a little intimidating, but after a few minutes, I found that the knowledge I have taken from GBCC replaced the intimidation with confidence. It also seems as though everybody at least knew someone that went, is going or is planning on going to GBCC.”
“I can’t thank you enough for all your help throughout my time at GBCC. You continue to be my mentor and inspire me to reach my goals. You have greatly contributed to making my dreams of becoming a biotechnologist come true and you will always be my favorite teacher! I got the QC analyst job!”
“I am more than grateful to have had you as a teacher, friend and counselor. You have done more than your job description entails. You have made me feel like I could do and be anything I set my mind to. I am really happy to have had you as a professor.”
“I want to thank you for challenging me. I have a job in the field of study already thanks to your help. I have been so lucky during my time in the program at GBCC and couldn’t have succeeded without the instructors. You have been amazing in that you have passion for what you teach which made me even more excited for my future. I will be forever grateful for your guidance and kindness.”
“I wanted to let you know that my internship is going great!! I love manufacturing. My team is really good and everybody loves me there because I understood their process so well and whenever they ask me something I knew the answer right away. Your course was so helpful. They do exactly same things here but bigger scale. I can never thank you enough for getting me this internship! You are such a great professor and such a nice person! Thank you so much for helping me.”
“I wanted to say thanks for all your help. I could not be more happy with the program. You put a ton of work into it and it does not go unnoticed.”
“The biotechnology program prepared me immensely for my current job by teaching me to be an independent researcher, keep proper documentation, and gain experience and expertise in the molecular biology skills needed for the job including: media preparation, microbiology and aseptic techniques, PCR, agarose gel electrophoresis, as well as a multitude of other assays.”
“All of the lab courses and the practice throughout the Biotechnology Certificate Program gave me invaluable insight concerning the processes and daily activity in a cGMP environment.”
Photos of Students and Equipment
STEM and Advanced Manufacturing