Biotechnology Schools and Programs

Located in Syracuse, New York, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry took the No. 1 spot overall by performing impressively on a wide range of metrics in our analysis. It placed second in the graduation rate category, for one thing, and its schoolwide student-faculty ratio of 16:1 tied for the fewest students per faculty member of any institution on our list.

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program in biotechnology at SUNY ESF emphasizes practical experience in the field, providing students with internship opportunities, independent research work at off-site laboratories and a curriculum that's interdisciplinary enough to serve as a stepping stone into the graduate study needed for a clinical medical career.

State University of New York schools dominate at the top of our rankings, landing in both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill stood out in the flexibility category, offering alternative tuition plans, placement services for degree completers and on-campus courses in the evenings and on weekends.

Small class sizes are a focus of the B.S. in biotechnology at SUNY Cobleskill, particularly in the upper division. The natural sciences and mathematics department reports an average class size of around ten students in third- and fourth-year biotechnology courses. Also, if you're a fan of sustainable practices and green living, take note: the biotech labs at SUNY Cobleskill are located in LEED-certifiable facilities.

The University of Nebraska Omaha ranked No. 4 in the affordability category among schools in our top ten, and its nearly 50 percent distance education enrollment made it one of the best schools for biotech students hoping to study online. Biotechnology degrees here require some on-campus study, but some general education courses may be available in the virtual classroom.

Thanks to a cooperative agreement with Nebraska Methodist Hospital, UNO also offers a medical laboratory science technology track for students planning to use their biotechnology training in a clinical medical setting. The program takes place in a 3+1 format -- three years at UNO and the last one on the hospital grounds -- and features 36 hours of clinical prerequisites.

This Orem, Utah, institution placed second for affordability among the more than 50 schools we surveyed nationwide, charging an average of less than $5,400 for the year in 2015. Utah Valley University also earned the No. 4 spot among our top ten schools for online enrollment, with around 29 percent of 2015 students taking at least some courses in the virtual classroom.

UVU focuses the curriculum for its biotechnology B.S. on courses in the hard sciences -- biology, chemistry, genetics, physics and their subdisciplines -- and includes a course in bioinformatics, a cross-disciplinary analytical approach that uses techniques from statistics and computer science to better understand biotechnological data. UVU is also the only school in our top ten with an open admission policy.

Worcester State University had our list's third-largest percentage of biotechnology students among its 2015 graduating class and features a portfolio of degree options that's among the more diverse selections available in 2017. Along with a general B.S. in biotechnology, this Massachusetts school offers concentrations in bioinformatics and nuclear medicine technology, an honors track for exceptional students and a plan designed to meet the prerequisites of an accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program.

For students planning to continue their biotechnology education through the graduate level, WSU also offers a combined Bachelor/Master of Science (B.S./M.S.) program that speeds up the master's degree process. The entire program typically takes just five years -- four as an undergraduate and one as a graduate student -- and requires a minimum 3.0 GPA in your first three years of college.

Our No. 6 school, located in Fargo, North Dakota, emerged as a top destination for students seeking partially online biotechnology degrees. Although North Dakota State University doesn't list strictly biotech degrees in its online catalog, general education courses for B.S. plans can be taken online and more than a third of the student body took at least some courses online in 2015.

The biotech program at NDSU can be taken as either a B.S. or a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree and includes both a senior research section and a senior thesis. A 21-credit biotechnology minor is also available for students who want to expand the scientific horizons of another degree plan.

The flagship location of Brigham Young University is the largest campus in our top ten, awarding nearly 8,000 degrees in 2015 and boasting an undergraduate enrollment north of 30,000 in 2016-17. The Utah school also had the highest graduation rate among schools that made our list, with more than 80 percent of students expected to graduate in 2015 completing their degrees, and its $5,150 average cost of tuition and fees was the most affordable of all the biotech schools we surveyed nationwide.

Multiple study tracks are available for students in the genetics, genomics and biotechnology B.S. at BYU, including plant genetics, biomedical genetics and bio-business. The program takes 120 credit hours to complete and contains eight credits of courses in religious teachings.

The undergraduate biotechnology degree at the Pomona campus of California State Polytechnic University emphasizes the study of cell and molecular biology and requires 20 credits from a list of specialized upper-division subject clusters that includes physiology, agriculture, business and more. A biotechnology internship is also part of the curriculum, typically in an off-site laboratory, to help students gain practical experience in the field.

Cal Poly Pomona posted the third-best graduation rate among schools that made our list and cost less than all but four of the other schools in our top ten. It was also the most selective school among our best colleges for biotechnology degree programs, admitting just over 39 percent of applicants in 2015.

Tuition and fees at this Texas institution were among the lowest in the country, averaging under $5,900 for the year in 2015. The University of Houston also reported more than 45 percent of students taking some of their courses online and earmarked our list's highest percentage of its annual budget for services such as career counseling, student advising and other academic support expenses.

The biotechnology B.S. at UHD is an interdisciplinary program that aims to equally provide a firm academic foundation for continued study at the graduate level and job-ready skills for emerging biotechnology careers. The biotech curriculum also satisfies prerequisite requirements for pre-professional degree programs in health care, including medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dentistry and veterinary medicine.

The University of Kentucky was the second-largest institution to make our top ten and had a better graduation rate than all but three of the other schools on our list. Flexibility was a standout category for the Lexington school, with close to one quarter of students taking some of their classes online and a list of campus-based courses available on weekends and in the evening.

The degree in agricultural and medical biotechnology at UK is designed to allow students to choose their own path to graduation, providing a strong base in biology, chemistry and genetics and leaving room for you to target further coursework toward your career goals. Students also propose and complete a mentored research project, typically in their senior year.