Life Science and Biotechnology
Introduction
The Life Science and Biotechnology (LSBT) major has been methodically created to prepare undergraduate students who aspire to join the ranks of cutting edge scientists solving society’s problems today as well as anticipating tomorrow’s challenges. Disease, famine, and drought create human health and environmental struggles, which can be confronted and overcome by professionals who have been educated and trained in the basic sciences as well as applied- and integrated-scientific fields. Genomics and proteomics have led the scientific frontier to integrative omics, the culmination of interdisciplinary research and collaboration. It is through this integration of scientific study and research that society will triumph over disease and natural disaster by: crafting personalized medical treatments based on an individual’s genome and proteome, creating plants that can nourish and immunize human populations, resisting insect and microbiological pests without the need for pesticides, and surviving drought conditions.Download LSBT Degree Requirements
Curriculum
The LSBT Major curriculum consists of courses in the basic, applied, and integrative scientific disciplines. The freshman year curriculum focuses on the basic scientific disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The curriculum of the sophomore through senior years makes a transition from the basic sciences of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Cellular and Molecular Biology, to the applied and integrative sciences of Environmental Toxicology, Cancer Biology, and Biotechnology. Based on each student’s individual interests, the curriculum includes major elective courses in Microbiology, Physiology, Neurobiology, Immunology, Virology, and Chemical Biology.
Careers
Alumni of the LSBT major have pursued careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, business, and scientific research. Most have gone directly into graduate or professional schools after the completion of the program. Graduates are currently working as doctors, dentists, pharmacists, lawyers, scientific researchers, and business professionals.
Faculty
The faculty of LSBT is joint appointed in UIC and the College of Life Science and Biotechnology, which includes the Departments of Systems Biology, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology. The faculty of the LSBT major includes both dedicated teaching and research professionals. The teaching faculty do not have research laboratories and can therefore focus their full efforts on educating students in the program. The research faculty each run a research laboratory in their respective fields, thereby allowing undergraduate students to have the opportunity to learn from active experts in their fields as well as to receive training in a research setting.