Behavioral Concerns Advice LineStudy Abroad and Research Opportunities
Study Abroad
Research opportunities by organizations:
By contacting research faculty for opportunities directly:
Biotechnology Certificate with Austin Community College
Together we prepare students to start a career in biotechnology
Graduate ready to start a career in Biotechnology
The College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin has partnered with Austin Community College’s Biotechnology Program, to enable students to simultaneously earn their bachelor’s degree from UT and the ACC Biotechnology Certificate acquiring skills for biotechnology industry careers.
Overview of the UT/ACC Biotechnology Program
Once accepted into the Biotechnology Program students enroll in specialized coursework offered through Austin Community College. Students will learn through advanced laboratory courses the skills for a career in biotechnology or post-graduate education. Some of the topics include biomanufacturing and medical device manufacturing, antibody purification, eukaryotic biomanufacturing in a reactor, HPLC and GC applications to biotech project management, as well as how the highly regulated biotechnology industry environment functions to assure quality and safe product manufacturing.
2022-2023 Cohort Application Timeline |
Spring |
Summer |
Fall |
Sign-up to attend an Information Session |
Early November |
Early January |
Early May |
Submit internal application |
December 1 |
January 27 |
July 8 |
Notification of admission: begin registration for ACC courses |
December 5 |
February 5 |
July 15 |
Take BIOL 1414 and BIOL 1415 Placement Exams IF you take a laboratory course(s), NOT needed to take BITC 1340. |
December 16 | February 15 | July 31 |
View the Biotechnology Certificate courses and examples of how to fit these into your schedule
PLACEment Exams for BIOL 1414 and 1415.
The BIOL 1414 or BIOL 1415 placement exams will be offered several times throughout the year at UT (times to be arranged, plan for 2-3 hours per written exam) and a lab practical (plan for 2-3 hours per practical) to be arranged in person at ACC ($50 per course for exam/practical). The lab manuals for BIOL 1414 and 1415 are available here. BIOL 1414 is primarily basic biology/molecular biology and “upstream” skills (e.g., cloning) and BIOL 1415 is primarily basic biochemistry and “downstream” skills (e.g., protein purification for biomanufacuturing/biotechnology). These placement exams are to gauge your current knowledge and are needed prior to taking your first laboratory course, but are NOT needed to start with BITC 1340 (Quality Assurance for the Biosciences).
UT Spring Cohort: If you want to take the ACC BITC 2431 (Cell Culture Techniques) lab course in Spring you should complete the application form by Dec. 1 and plan to take the BIOL 1414/1415 placement exams by Dec. 16 (you will need to take the exam and practical in person). To register for Spring BITC 1340 (Quality Assurance for the Biosciences), you do NOT need to take the placement exam, just complete the application form by Dec. 1.
UT Summer Cohort: To register for Summer BITC 1340 (Quality Assurance for the Biosciences) ONLY, you do NOT need to take the placement exams and lab practicals. If you want to take the ACC BITC 1491 (Biomanufacturing) lab course in Summer plan to take the BIOL 1414/1415 placement exams and lab practicals by Feb. 15.
UT Fall Cohort: To register for Fall BITC 1340 (Quality Assurance for the Biosciences) ONLY, you do NOT need to take the placement exams and lab practicals. If you want to take the ACC BITC 2441 (Molecular Biology Techniques) and/or BITC 2411 (Biotechnology Laboratory Instrumentation) lab courses in Fall take the BIOL 1414/1415 placement exams and lab practicals by July 31.
Step 1: ASSess your eligibility
- Be in second-year standing or beyond
- Be in good academic standing
Step 2: SIGN UP to ATTEND A VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION
Online Information Session RSVP system
Step 3: Submit your application
Submit the internal application to be considered by UT Austin and Austin Community College Biotechnology faculty and program directors.
Step 4: Receive notification of admissioN
Admitted students will be contacted by UT and ACC program directors. If you are not accepted we strongly suggest to try again for another semester.
Step 5: START THE PROGRAM
Once you are accepted into the program:
- Make a plan of what courses you will take and when. Be sure to share this with your regular academic advisor.
- Meet with ACC program directors to register and pay for classes. Eventhough UT Austin is your home instiution for financial aid you still will need to pay ACC directly.
- Submit a financial aid consortium every semester you take a course(s) with ACC.
Questions? Email biotechcert@cns.utexas.edu
Hear what past participants had to say...
“I graduated with my B.S. in Biochemistry in May of 2022, and I took Biomanufacturing and Quality Assurance over the summer. I have accepted an offer at Molecular Templates as an Associate Scientist in the Research and Development department. I hope to use this position as a stepping stone for graduate school, where I want to pursue a Ph.D. in either gene therapy or biotherapeutics.
From these courses, I have gained a better understanding of how biotech companies operate, what they look for in prospective employees, and most importantly, I have a marketable skill set that is sought out by these companies. I also learned about the various departments within a biotech company, and I figured out which departments I would like to seek employment in. I want to become a researcher, and the job position that I have accepted involves active research as part of the role, which I can use this experience to boost my graduate school applications in the future. I cannot recommend the biotech program at ACC enough for UT students who want to expand their knowledge and technical skills in this field. If I had known about this program prior to my last semester of college, I definitely would have joined sooner!” - Mackenzie Chapman
“Biotech is the future, plain and simple. As technology advances and researchers keep discovering new things, our ability to manipulate biological matter improves all the time. The demand for new and better ways of fighting disease, crops that can withstand harsher environmental conditions, and even wilder applications like gene editing are going up as well. The limit of what's possible is still being explored since the industry is so new. I'm beyond excited to be here relatively close to the start, where I have a chance to participate in and possibly even shape the evolution of the industry.” Kyle Folkers, UT Biology, Class of 2023
Why Biotech
Biotechnology has the power to improve health, agriculture, the environment and improve industrial manufacturing processes. There are biotechnology hubs all across the US and in Austin alone there are over 200 life sciences companies, working to find solutions to infectious diseases and chronic conditions. Austin and Texas continues to attract biotechnology industries and you could have a career in healthcare, agriculture, environmental industry or regulatory bioscience. You can have a career in cutting-edge research, manufacturing, and many more aspects of biotechnology that you will discover along your educational journey.
The skills that you will learn can lead you to a career in biotechnology, or gain valuable skills and real-world experience for further post-graduate studies.
Questions? Email biotechcert@cns.utexas.edu
