The biotechnology diploma programs at the Fortis Institute in Wayne, New Jersey, feature eight classrooms and lab modules that involve 100 training hours each. Students must also perform 180 hours in an externship that provides work experience outside the classroom. The program runs for 11 months and is specifically intended for those seeking to work as biotechnicians, with graduates starting at entry-level positions in industries such as agriculture and pharmaceuticals and in hospitals, environmental companies and forensic laboratories.
The University of Missouri offers a graduate diploma in biotechnology at its St. Louis campus. It requires students to finish 18 credit hours of courses, including required courses such as Advanced Biotechnology Laboratory II, Advanced Molecular Biology and Advanced Molecular Genetics of Bacteria, which have prerequisites, so most students will be expected to have a background in the subject before entering. The other credit hours are completed in a series of electives that include courses on biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology and virology and laboratory classes.
The University of Maryland's University College is its continuing education program, which offers many courses outside the university's usual degree programs. The Certificate in Biotechnology Management provides students with a foundation in the technical, business, and ethical issues that face the biotechnology industry. The program involves 15 semester hours with six required courses that cover library research, societal issues in biotechnology, bioinformatics, techniques, the regulatory environment and commercialization of biotechnological developments. Some of the courses are available at satellite campuses around the world.
The University of Colorado's Denver campus has diplomas in biotechnology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate certificate requires 21 to 22 credits and an internship at a research lab. The prerequisite to entering the program includes one year of lab General Biology and one semester of General Microbiology, also with a lab. To earn the diploma, students must complete a year of organic chemistry and courses in molecular biology, biochemistry and analytical chemistry, as well as biotechnology. Students choose one elective out of virology, immunology, instrumental analysis, biochemistry lab or molecular genetics.