Associate in Science Degree

(61 Credit Hours)

Program Manager

Dr. Matthew Thomas
941-752-5624
ThomasM1@SCF.edu

Program Goal:

This program is designed to prepare students for employment as technicians who will work in a laboratory or industrial setting. Biotechnology is a wide-ranging field encompassing DNA/RNA and protein isolation, characterization and sequencing; cell culture; genetic modification of organisms; toxicology; vaccine sterility testing; antibody isolation and production; and the development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. This hands-on program is designed to meet local, statewide and national needs for laboratory technicians. Graduates are grounded thoroughly in basic laboratory skills and trained in advanced molecular biology techniques. Students are acclimated to both research and industrial environments. The program emphasizes laboratory-based, universal and scalable technician skills resulting in a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the methodology.

Potential workplace environments for graduating students include laboratories specializing in: food safety; environmental quality control; the production of new medicines; forensics; alternative fuels; bio-manufacturing; and industry, academic and government research.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate communication skills.
• Demonstrate safety skills.
• Demonstrate basic laboratory skills.
• Demonstrate regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrate appropriate decision making and problem-solving techniques.
• Demonstrate specific laboratory skills.
• Demonstrate quality assurance/control.
• Maintain facility and equipment.
• Demonstrate knowledge and proper care/use of test animals/plants. (optional)
• Demonstrate skills in bioinformatics. (optional)