Microbiology Course Details: Eligibility, Career, Syllabus, Fees, Scope

Among the diverse range of courses that a candidate could peruse after completing 12th. Microbiology is one of the best fields of study that could be opted. While this field might not be good for all candidates, there are some candidates whose interests match this course, for such candidates this course might be a turning point in theirs.

So what exactly does the microbiology course deal with? As the name itself suggests, the microbiology course is designed to deal with microorganisms such as fungi, protozoa, viruses, bacteria, etc. In simple words, microbiology is a combination of mycology, virology, parasitology, bacteriology, and other branches of microorganism studies. The course focuses more on these microorganism studies to prevent and treat human diseases.

While the course might seem to be simple, it is not simple. To peruse this course, the candidate should be proficient in biology. There are a lot of complex names and topics to learn. Disease transmission, microbial organisms, microbial techniques, epidemiology, nosocomial techniques, immunology, chemical microbial control, fungal and viral disease characteristics, etc. are a few of the key subjects and topics covered in this course.

Microbiology Course India

Let us now look into the course. There are two types of microbiology courses.

  1. B.Sc. Hons Microbiology
  2. B.Sc. Microbiology

Almost everything about these two courses is the same except for the fees, degree title, and syllabus. Therefore, we would mention the syllabus and fee of both the courses.

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology Course Duration

Both the B.Sc. Hons Microbiology and B.Sc. Microbiology courses have the same course duration of 3-years and it is a UG program. In both the courses, these three years are split into 6 semesters. Each year would have 2 semesters and each semester a set of different topics and subjects are taught.

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology Course: Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology is the same. However, in some universities or colleges, there might be a few differences. But, the basic eligibility criteria would be the same all around India.

  1. The candidate should have completed 12th
  2. The candidate should have completed 12th from an Indian government-recognized board of education.
  3. He/she should have studied physics and chemistry as the main subject along with biology, botany, or zoology.
  4. To join the course, the candidate should have appeared and passed the adequate entrance test conducted by the state, central, university, or college. (Not mandatory as of now)

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology Course: Admission Process

The admission procedure to enroll for this course is almost the same for all the states and universities. There are two types of admission processes that colleges and universities follow these days.

  1. Merit-based admission
  2. Entrance-based admission

Merit-based admission is provided based on the marks a candidate scores in the 12th board exam. While the overall marks are important, for the microbiology course, the marks secured in physics, chemistry, and biology/botany/zoology are important. The candidate needs to apply for admission and then wait for the college or university to publish the merit list based on the cut-off marks.

Entrance-based admission is becoming one of the prominent ways of enrolling candidates. However, when it comes to B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. microbiology course, only a few colleges, and states conduct entrance tests. In simple words, it all depends on the college or university you choose.

Here are some of the common entrance tests for B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. microbiology course.

  • Assam CEE
  • AMUEEE
  • IISc Entrance exam
  • MGU CAT
  • HPU MAT
  • UOM Entrance exam
  • LPUNEST
  • UOC entrance exam

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology Course Syllabus

B.Sc. Hons microbiology syllabus –

Semester 1 –

  1. Chemistry
  2. Biochemistry
  3. Cell structure and dynamics
  4. Introduction to computer
  5. Macromolecular structure and analysis
  6. Practical
  7. Basic microscopy and instrumentation
  8. Biophysics and instrumentation

Semester 2 –

  1. Microbiology
  2. Organic mechanisms in biology
  3. Principles of microbiology
  4. Cytogenetic techniques
  5. Introduction to C-programming
  6. Practical
  7. Principles of transmission genetics
  8. Microbial growth and reproduction

Semester 3 –

  1. Principles of immunology
  2. Tissue culture techniques
  3. Introduction to data structure and computer organization
  4. Immunology
  5. Microbial diversity and classification
  6. Microbial genetics
  7. Plant and animal tissue culture techniques and applications
  8. Practical

Semester 4 –

  1. Bio-informatics
  2. Practical
  3. Microbial biotechnology
  4. Biodiversity and taxonomy
  5. Molecular genetics
  6. Computational biology and bioinformatics
  7. Molecular biology techniques
  8. Introduction to DBMS, computer networks, and numerical analysis.

Semester 5 –

  1. DNA typing, proteomics, and beyond
  2. Applied microbiology
  3. Environmental biotechnology
  4. Genetic engineering techniques
  5. Practical
  6. Recombinant DNA technology
  7. Industrial microbiology

Semester 6 –

  1. Food and agriculture microbiology
  2. Model organisms in the human genome project
  3. Microbial technology- social, ethical, and legal
  4. Practical
  5. Dissertation on microbiology
  6. Project
  7. Medical microbiology

B.Sc. Microbiology syllabus –

Semester 1 –

  1. Introduction to biology
  2. Microbiology lab
  3. Information system
  4. English
  5. Cultural education
  6. Chemistry
  7. Cultural education 1

Semester 2 –

  1. Biochemistry
  2. Physics
  3. Creative writing
  4. Mathematics
  5. Microbial ecology
  6. Cultural education lab 2
  7. Physical science lab
  8. Biochemistry lab

Semester 3 –

  1. Virology
  2. Mycology
  3. Analytical biochemistry
  4. Microbial physiology
  5. Molecular biology
  6. General microbiology lab
  7. Molecular biology lab

Semester 4 –

  1. Biostatistics
  2. Cell biology
  3. Enzyme technology
  4. Inheritance biology
  5. Immunology
  6. Food microbiology
  7. Food microbiology lab
  8. Immunology lab

Semester 5 –

  1. Genetic engineering lab
  2. Medical bacteriology
  3. Industrial microbiology lab
  4. Genetic engineering lab
  5. Research methodology
  6. Recombinant DNA technology
  7. Industrial microbiology
  8. Environmental and agriculture microbiology

Semester 6 –

  1. Parasitology
  2. Pharmacology
  3. Project

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology course: Course fee –

The course fee for B.Sc. Hons Microbiology is different from B.Sc. Microbiology. Here are the details.

B.Sc. Hons Microbiology – Government colleges – Around INR 2000 to 5000, private colleges – Around INR 15000 to 150000.

B.Sc. Microbiology – Government colleges – Around INR 1500 to INR 4000, private colleges – Around INR 25000 t0 175000.

However, recently we enquired 15 different colleges about the fee structure and each of the colleges had different fees. So, you should remember that the annual fee for this course could vary based on the college, university, and state. Some of the colleges with high reputation is more expensive.

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology course: Career scope –

As of today, the demand for microbiologists is comparatively very high. The demand is predicted to grow in the future. While the stream is not suitable for everyone, the ones who are interested could find good job opportunities.

While it is not just the career, even after completing B.Sc. Microbiology course, the candidate could peruse post-graduation and even a doctorate. In the field of the microbiology research field, the career option is diverse and immense. As the Coronavirus has shaken the world, in the coming years, every nation would put a lot of manpower into the microbiology field, therefore, a sudden boom in job opportunities could be expected in both the public and private sector.

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology course: Job opportunities –

The career opportunities for both B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiologists are almost the same. However, some international and national companies prefer B.Sc. Hons Microbiology candidates over B.Sc. microbiology candidates. As you have already seen, the syllabus of both these courses are different and therefore, the level of knowledge also differs. Here are some of the common job titles for microbiologists.

  1. Bacteriologist – Job role includes studying different types of bacteria, how they are changing, what chemicals could be used to control, prevent, or destroy them.
  2. Virologist – Job role includes the study of development, structure, growth, characteristics, of different viruses. Culture viruses to learn their characteristics and use this knowledge for the development of medicine and standard practices.
  3. Biochemist – Job role includes the study of the chemical compositions of microorganisms to produce medicines and vaccines.
  4. Mycologist – Job role includes studying fungus and prepares medicine for industrial, agriculture, and other industries.
  5. Cell biologist – Job role includes the study of cell molecules in a living organism and based on the study prepare medicines, chemicals, and vaccines.

B.Sc. Hons/B.Sc. Microbiology course: Salary package –

The salary package of a microbiologist could depend on the sector he/she is working in. If he/she is working in the public sector the salary package would be comparatively lesser than the private sector. However, some public sector microbiologist jobs offer a good salary package. In general, as far as we know, the salary package could be around INR 300000 to 1000000/-.

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