Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

Bianca Gonzalez
By
Updated on September 5, 2024
Edited by
Do you want to contribute to the future of agriculture, medicine, and more? Consider these online master’s in biotechnology programs.

So many of us rely on effective prescriptions to treat and manage underlying conditions. Thanks to genetically modified organisms, we can grow crops that are resistant to diseases and herbicides. DNA testing can reveal if we are genetically at a higher risk for conditions like cancer. All of this is possible because of advancements in biotechnology.

With a master’s in biotechnology, you can work in many critical industries and access jobs with competitive salaries. Here are the best online master’s programs in biotechnology.

Popular Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

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Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

#1 Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

Johns Hopkins University

  • Location-markerBaltimore, MD
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Average Undergrad Tuition
  • In-State$60,480
  • Out-of-state$60,480
Average Graduate Tuition
  • In-State$60,480
  • Out-of-state$60,480
  • Retention Rate97%
  • Acceptance Rate7%
  • Students Enrolled31,275
  • Institution TypePrivate
  • Percent Online Enrollment62%
  • AccreditationYes
#2 Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

Columbia University in the City of New York

  • Location-markerNew York, NY
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Average Undergrad Tuition
  • In-State$61,989
  • Out-of-state$61,989
Average Graduate Tuition
  • In-State$52,016
  • Out-of-state$52,016
  • Retention Rate98%
  • Acceptance Rate4%
  • Students Enrolled29,661
  • Institution TypePrivate
  • Percent Online Enrollment14%
  • AccreditationYes
#3 Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Location-markerChampaign, IL
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Average Undergrad Tuition
  • In-State$12,254
  • Out-of-state$29,704
Average Graduate Tuition
  • In-State$14,891
  • Out-of-state$29,176
  • Retention Rate93%
  • Acceptance Rate45%
  • Students Enrolled57,006
  • Institution TypePublic
  • Percent Online Enrollment62%
  • AccreditationYes
#4 Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

George Washington University

  • Location-markerWashington, DC
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Average Undergrad Tuition
  • In-State$60,856
  • Out-of-state$60,856
Average Graduate Tuition
  • In-State$33,930
  • Out-of-state$33,930
  • Retention Rate90%
  • Acceptance Rate49%
  • Students Enrolled25,939
  • Institution TypePrivate
  • Percent Online Enrollment25%
  • AccreditationYes
#5 Best Online Master’s in Biotechnology Programs

Case Western Reserve University

  • Location-markerCleveland, OH
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Average Undergrad Tuition
  • In-State$61,040
  • Out-of-state$61,040
Average Graduate Tuition
  • In-State$50,838
  • Out-of-state$50,838
  • Retention Rate93%
  • Acceptance Rate27%
  • Students Enrolled12,201
  • Institution TypePrivate
  • Percent Online Enrollment13%
  • AccreditationYes

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What Can I Do With a Master’s in Biotechnology?

In 2023, the global biotech market was valued at $1.55 trillion and is expected to grow at a rate of 13.86% from 2024 to 2030, driven by new opportunities to apply biotech in different industries. Given the career growth potential, biotechnology is set to be a high-demand field with job opportunities that will continue to evolve as technology advances.

With a master’s in biotechnology, you can go into careers such as epidemiology, or the study and control of diseases and health conditions in different populations. Epidemiologists have a median salary of $88,750 and a projected growth rate of 27%, much faster than the average growth rate of all occupations at 3%.

Agricultural engineering is another career you may want to consider. It has a projected growth rate of 6% and a median salary of $88,750. The job’s outlook is expected to improve alongside the demand for agricultural applications such as micro-propagation, molecular breeding, and genetically modified crops.

Popular Careers in Biotechnology
JobDescriptionProjected Job Growth (2023-2033)Salary
EpidemiologistLooks at patterns and causes of disease for public health safety19%$81,390
MicrobiologistStudies organisms to conduct research for promising drug treatments7%$85,470
Agricultural EngineerTries to solve agricultural problems to improve systems and products8%$88,750
Biomedical EngineerCombines engineering with biology to design and create biomedical equipment7%$100,730
Materials EngineerDevelop and test materials at the atomic level to be used in products7%$104,100
Computer and Information Research ScientistDesign uses for data analytics and computing technology for biological information26%$145,080
Source: BLS

7 Biotechnology Career Paths

If you want to work in biotech, there are a variety of career options available. Here are seven popular biotechnology career paths.

Pharmaceutical Product Development

Biotech tools can be used to discover and develop drugs that can treat different illnesses. By screening genes and proteins for therapeutic potential, pharmaceutical product specialists can identify more promising candidates for further research.

Other job titles: Formulation scientist, analytical chemist

Quality Assurance

Quality control and quality assurance are critical to establishing credibility in biotech advancement. Quality assurance specialists make sure policies and procedures are implemented and followed in operations. In this role, you’ll provide guidance and set internal quality standards.

Other job titles: Quality compliance manager, design quality engineer

Manufacturing

Biotech manufacturing roles involve overseeing the manufacturing processes to check for efficiency and quality. In manufacturing roles, you’ll likely represent the company in meetings with business clients. You might also develop reports on overall manufacturing quality.

Other job titles: Biotech manufacturing supervisor, external manufacturing analyst

Regulatory Affairs

This career pathway is at the intersection of law, economics, and biotech. As a regulatory affairs officer, you’ll use strategies to comply with regulatory bodies such as the FDA. You’ll keep track of products through stages of development and be responsible for completing paperwork to pass regulatory agency inspections.

Marketing and Sales

If you have an entrepreneurial mindset, consider going into marketing and sales, particularly business-to-business sales. In marketing roles, you’ll need to produce informative and persuasive content by demonstrating a product’s value and how it works.

Law

Patent lawyers and agents are essential in the biotechnology industry since companies want to protect their intellectual property. Legal counsel for employment law, marketing and distribution compliance, and healthcare products are also critical.

Information Technology

An information technology career in biotech will involve organizing, storing, and analyzing biological data. As an IT professional in biotech, you might develop applications to store and manage information.

Other job titles: Computer scientist, cloud engineer, full-stack developer

5 Popular Biotechnology Market Trends in Technology

From wastewater processing to AI in drug development, there are several hot research areas for biotech. Here are 5 popular trends in biotechnology.

DNA Sequencing

Increased government funding, declining sequencing costs, and rising advanced techniques contribute to the recent expansion of DNA sequencing. mRNA vaccines, such as the COVID vaccine, leverage genetic sequencing for disease immunity. Researchers analyzed the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen to understand the immune response to the virus and to diagnose unique presentations of COVID-19 in infected patients.

Nanobiotechnology

Nanobiotechnology refers to the development of nanoscale devices, materials, and systems for disease diagnosis and treatment. Theranostic nanoparticles can be used to customize treatment and show promise in revolutionizing cancer treatment. It can potentially combine imaging and drug delivery, allowing for real-time monitoring of cancer-treating therapies.

Fermentation and Bioreactors

Bioreactors and fermentation technology have improved in recent years, contributing to the growth of the biotech market. Vortex bioreactors can improve the operations of wastewater treatment systems.

Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine takes an individual’s unique environmental, biological, and genetic factors to tailor treatments and care for individuals. This strategy can help doctors predict, prevent, and treat rare diseases. Biotechnology powers the development of orphan drug formulations — drugs used to treat rare medical conditions.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has uses in materials design and can help identify the best candidates for drugs. AI recently helped discover a new antibiotic by screening 7,500 molecules and identifying 250 candidates for further testing. AI was also used to identify the genetic sequence of the COVID-19 virus for vaccine development.

Education Requirements for an Online Master’s in Biotechnology

To get into an online master’s program in biotechnology, you’ll need an undergraduate degree in biology or a closely related field. The interdisciplinary nature of biotechnology means you’ll need a background in related STEM topics. Common prerequisites include undergraduate coursework in molecular biology, statistics, physics, data analytics, and chemistry. You’ll also usually need a 3.0 undergraduate GPA.

Some programs may require you to take business, genetics, and physiology coursework. Most programs will require you to maintain a GPA of 3.0 during your studies. GRE requirements vary by program.

11 Biotechnology Concentrations

With the expansive nature of the biotech industry, there are a variety of ways to hone your studies to a particular career path or industry. Here are some common biotechnology concentrations.

Agricultural

Also known as agritech, concentrating in agricultural biotech will teach you the fundamentals of ecological biotechnology. You’ll learn about plant engineering, genetics, crop science, and food science.

Possible courses: Plant breeding methods, biology of plant pathogens, molecular genetics

Biodefense

Biodefense is the intersection of biotechnology and national defense. You’ll study bioethics and bioterrorism and be prepared to contribute to national security by combating chemical and biological threats. You’ll study infectious disease, vaccinology, threat response, and forensics. You’ll also likely take coursework in science, as well as policy, in biodefense.

Bioinformatics

With a concentration in bioinformatics, you’ll learn how to leverage computer technology to collect and analyze biological information. You’ll study how to use computational tools to analyze data such as genetics, cells, and molecules.

Possible courses: Relational database systems, advanced bioinformatics, Java for biotechnology applications

Molecular Biotechnology

Molecular biotechnology leverages molecular biology and biotech towards the progression of chemical and textile manufacturing, agriculture, and food processing. This concentration focuses on the transfer of genetic information.

Possible courses: Molecular genetics, stem cell biology, DNA methods

Process Science

Process science refers to biological manufacturing processes. You’ll explore biochemical engineering, mammalian cell culture process development, and protein purification.

Possible courses: Bioprocess fundamentals, downstream processes for biopharmaceutical production

Manufacturing and Quality Operations

With this specialization, you’ll learn about quality control in biotech operations to facilitate the research, development, and manufacturing process of biomedical products.

Possible courses: Microbiology, sterile manufacturing operations, drug safety and immunogenicity

Biopharmaceutical Analytical Sciences

In this concentration, you’ll learn about manufacturing and discovery of biopharmaceuticals. You’ll study the biological and chemical mechanisms that create biological products and their impact on the safety and efficacy of the resulting product.

Possible courses: Biochemical engineering, biostatistics, pharmacology

Pharmaceutical Technologies

Pharmaceutical technology focuses on the drug manufacturing process. You’ll learn about materials used in biopharmaceutical product design and development. You’ll also study the conversion of proteins into drug products.

Possible courses: Vaccines and immunizations, molecular tools for vaccine design

Scientific Information Management

In this concentration, you’ll learn how to apply data science to biotechnology. You’ll focus on the collection and analysis of large scientific data sets.

Possible courses: Introduction to data mining and machine learning, big data for cities, information analysis

Biotechnology Regulatory Science

This concentration focuses on regulatory compliance. You’ll study regulatory affairs about biological processes, cGMP compliance, international food regulations, and ethical, legal, and regulatory elements of a biotechnology enterprise. You’ll also learn about the regulation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Biotechnology Enterprise

This concentration will give you entrepreneurial and leadership skills to prepare you to manage the business aspects of biotech. You’ll learn about intellectual property in biotechnology, finance, regulatory affairs, and project management. You’ll also study funding options and problem-solving.

Possible courses: Managing a biotechnology company, biotechnology project management

Is an Online Master’s in Biotechnology Worth It?

An online master’s in biotechnology may open up career opportunities in innovative, growing fields that drive the future of medical treatment, environmental processes, and more. The biotechnology market is projected to be valued at USD 3.90 trillion by 2031.

The average online master’s degree program takes about two years to complete. While there aren’t many accelerated options, you could pursue a graduate certificate and enter or re-enter the workforce sooner.

Frequently Asked Questions About an Online Master’s in Biotechnology

A master’s in biotechnology is useful. You can work in a variety of critical industries, pioneering the way for herbicide and disease-resilient crops and personalized medicine, among others. You can also improve earnings by pursuing a career in higher-paying industries and roles.

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