Bioprocessing Science (BS)
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
The B.S Bioprocessing Science degree prepares students for technical careers in biomanufacturing through formal training in fundamental sciences, as well as preparing students for careers in industries whose products are based on biological systems, including biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| ALS 103 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 | |
| or ALS 303 | Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | ||
| Communication | |||
| COM 110 | Public Speaking | 3 | |
| or COM 112 | Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Mathematical Sciences | |||
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 | |
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 | |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| Natural and Physical Sciences | |||
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 | |
| CH 201 & CH 202 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 4 | |
| CH 221 & CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4 | |
| CH 223 & CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4 | |
| BCH 351 | General Biochemistry | 3 | |
| or BCH 451 | Principles of Biochemistry | ||
| MB 351 & MB 352 | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | 4 | |
| PY 211 | College Physics I | 4 | |
| PY 212 | College Physics II | 4 | |
| Major Requirements | |||
| BBS 201 | Introduction to Biopharmaceutical Science | 3 | |
| FS 231 | Principles of Food and Bioprocess Engineering | 4 | |
| BEC 330 | Principles and Applications of Bioseparations | 2 | |
| FS 290 | Careers in Food and Bioprocessing Sciences | 1 | |
| or BEC 220 | Introduction to Drug Development and Careers in Biomanufacturing | ||
| BBS 301 | Process Validation Science | 3 | |
| FS 403 | Analytical Techniques in Food & Bioprocessing Science | 4 | |
| FS 416 | Quality Control in Food and Bioprocessing | 3 | |
| BBS 426 | Upstream Biomanufacturing Laboratory | 2 | |
| FS 475 | Problems and Design in Food and Bioprocessing Science | 3 | |
| BIT 410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA | 4 | |
| or BEC 425 & BEC 445 | Molecular Biology for Biomanufacturing and Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing | ||
| BIT Elective or BEC Elective or BBS Elective | 4 | ||
| GN 311 | Principles of Genetics | 4 | |
| or ZO 250 | Animal Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 5 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2 | 9 | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement.
BIT Elective or BEC Electives or BBS Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEC 436 | Introduction to Downstream Process Development | 2 | |
| BEC 462 | Fundamentals of Bio-Nanotechnology | 3 | |
| BEC 463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| BEC 475 | Global Regulatory Affairs for Medical Products | 3 | |
| BEC 480 | cGMP Fermentation Operations | 2 | |
| BEC 483 | Tissue Engineering Technologies | 2 | |
| BEC 485 | cGMP Downstream Operations | 2 | |
| BEC 488 | Animal Cell Culture Engineering | 2 | |
| BEC 495 | Special Topics in Biomanufacturing | 1-4 | |
| BEC 497 | Biomanufacturing Research Projects | 1-3 | |
| BEC 536 | Introduction to Downstream Process Development | 2 | |
| BEC 562 | Fundamentals of Bio-Nanotechnology | 3 | |
| BEC 563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| BEC 575 | Global Regulatory Affairs for Medical Products | 3 | |
| BEC 580 | cGMP Fermentation Operations | 2 | |
| BEC 583 | Tissue Engineering Technologies | 2 | |
| BEC 585 | cGMP Downstream Operations | 2 | |
| BIO 572 | Proteomics | 3 | |
| BIT 402 | Biotechnology Networking and Professional Development | 1 | |
| BIT 410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA | 4 | |
| BIT 463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| BIT 464 | Protein Purification | 2 | |
| BIT 465 | Real-time PCR Techniques | 2 | |
| BIT 466 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| BIT 467 | PCR and DNA Fingerprinting | 2 | |
| BIT 471 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | 2 | |
| BIT 473 | Protein Interactions | 2 | |
| BIT 474 | Plant Genetic Engineering | 2 | |
| BIT 476 | Applied Bioinformatics | 2 | |
| BIT 477 | Metagenomics | 2 | |
| BIT 479 | High-Throughput Discovery | 2 | |
| BIT 480 | Yeast Metabolic Engineering | 2 | |
| BIT 481 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| BIT 492 | External Learning Experience | 1-6 | |
| BIT 493 | Special Problems in Biotechnology | 1-6 | |
| BIT 495 | Special Topics in Biotechnology | 1-3 | |
| BIT 501 | Ethical Issues in Biotechnology | 1 | |
| BIT 502 | Biotechnology Networking and Professional Development | 1 | |
| BIT 510 | Core Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biology | 4 | |
| BIT 564 | Protein Purification | 2 | |
| BIT 565 | Real-time PCR Techniques | 2 | |
| BIT 566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| BIT 567 | PCR and DNA Fingerprinting | 2 | |
| BIT 571 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | 2 | |
| BIT 572 | Proteomics | 3 | |
| BIT 573 | Protein Interactions | 2 | |
| BIT 574 | Plant Genetic Engineering | 2 | |
| BIT 577 | Metagenomics | 2 | |
| BIT 579 | High-Throughput Discovery | 2 | |
| BIT 580 | Yeast Metabolic Engineering | 2 | |
| BIT 581 | Plant Transformation | 2 | |
| BIT 590 | Independent Study in Biotechnology | 1-3 | |
| BIT 595 | Special Topics | 1-6 | |
| BME 583 | Tissue Engineering Technologies | 2 | |
| CH 572 | Proteomics | 3 | |
| PB 481 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| PO 466 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| PO 566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| BBS 325 | Introduction to Brewing Science and Technology | 3 | |
| BBS 326 | Brewing Practices and Analyses | 3 | |
| BBS 427 | Brewing Equipment, Controls and Operations | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ALS 103 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 |
| BIO 183 or BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| BBS 201 | Introduction to Biopharmaceutical Science | 3 |
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| Free Elective 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 |
| PY 211 | College Physics I | 4 |
| BEC 220 or FS 290 | Introduction to Drug Development and Careers in Biomanufacturing or Careers in Food and Bioprocessing Sciences | 1 |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab | 1 |
| FS 231 | Principles of Food and Bioprocess Engineering | 4 |
| PY 212 | College Physics II | 4 |
| Free Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 |
| CH 202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| MB 351 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| MB 352 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 1 |
| Free Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Anatomy/Physiology Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BCH 351 | General Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIT Electives or BEC Electives or BBS Electives | 4 | |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| BIT 410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA or Molecular Biology for Biomanufacturing and Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing | 4 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| BBS 301 | Process Validation Science | 3 |
| BBS 426 | Upstream Biomanufacturing Laboratory | 2 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| BEC 330 | Principles and Applications of Bioseparations | 2 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| FS 475 | Problems and Design in Food and Bioprocessing Science | 3 |
| FS 416 | Quality Control in Food and Bioprocessing | 3 |
| FS 403 | Analytical Techniques in Food & Bioprocessing Science | 4 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Students are strongly encouraged to complete a minor in a closely related field, and should consult with an advisor in the minor department for the most current requirements. A list of can be viewed online at http://oucc.ncsu.edu/minors. Free elective courses taken as credit only may not apply toward a minor.
Career Opportunities
Consumer demand for safe, high quality, nutritious foods and biopharmaceutical products, as well as for educational programs designed to promote healthy eating, creates a variety of career opportunities in the food, pharmaceutical and the allied health industries. Industrial opportunities include management, research and development, process supervision, quality control and assurance, procurement, distribution, and sales. Public health opportunities include educational program development, delivery, and assessment. In addition, graduates hold positions with government agencies and many with advanced degrees have teaching and/or research positions in colleges and universities.
Bioprocessing Science
The Bioprocessing Science degree is a unique program designed to provide graduates with a special skill set specific to bioprocessing and biomanufacturing. Graduates from this degree program will have exciting opportunities to biomanufacture medicines, vaccines, enzymes and other products that improve the quality of life.
Scholarships
The department provides both merit and financial need scholarships to encourage and assist students preparing for careers in Food, Bioprocessing, or Nutrition Science.