Biotechnology Online (MS)

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which 15 credit hours must be in Biology & Biotechnology.  Additionally, the following requirements must be met:

• 9 credits in skills-based courses, chosen from an approved list
• 15 credits in Biology & Biotechnology or other approved department courses for depth
• 6 credits in elective courses, chosen from an approved list

Thesis option: Currently, WPI’s online graduate programs do not offer a thesis option, as theses cannot be completed online. If you wish to pursue a thesis on campus, it is the student’s responsibility to find an advisor. Please note that depending on the project’s subject and timeframe, there might not be a faculty member willing or able to advise.

Course Schedule

Please note that courses with an asterisk*, have an on-campus lab requirement.  Labs will be planned with the working professional in mind. View academic term start dates for online courses.

Academic Year 2020

FALL TERM

• BB 570 ST. Genetic Engineering and Synthetic Biology*
• BB 504. Molecular Biology of the Cell
• BUS 546.  Managing Technological Innovation 
• OIE 542.  Risk Management and Decision Making
• FIN 500.  Financial Information and Management

EARLY SPRING TERM

• Skills-based or Science Course (see list below)
• BB 555 ST.  Drug Regulations
• MIS 576. Project Management 
• OBC 505. Teaming and Organizing for Innovation

LATE SPRING TERM

• BB 509.  Scale-Up of Bioprocessing* or
• Skills-based or Science Course (see list below)
• OIE 598.  Engineering Economics 
• OIE 542.  Risk Management and Decision Making

SUMMER TERM

• MA 511.  Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists 
• MIS 576. Project Management
• Skills-based or Science Course (see list below, as needed)

ADDITIONAL SKILLS-BASED COURSES

These skills-based courses will be offered every other year (as needed):

• BB 508. Animal Cell Culture*
• BB 570 ST.  Medical and Applied Immunology*
• BB 565.  Virology*
• BB 581.  Bioinformatics*
• BB 553.  Exper​imental Design and Statistics in the Life Sciences*
• BB 570 ST.  Genetic Engineering and Gene Expression*

ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES

Students can choose their six (6) credits of electives from any department approved by their faculty advisor. 

Additional management and math electives can be found here.

ADDITIONAL SCIENCE COURSES

• BB 570 ST.  Advanced Topics in Biotechnology
• CH 555 ST.  Drug Regulations
• CH 555 ST.  Drug Safety and Regulatory Affairs
• CH 555 ST.  Membrane Protein-Targeted Drug Design
• CH 538.  Medicinal Chemistry

Course offerings are subject to change. If you are interested in enrolling, please contact us for the most up-to-date information.

A BS in the life sciences or an engineering field with a foundation in the life sciences, or in another field that demonstrates a knowledge of basic biochemistry principles.