Image
Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship, BS
Study biology. Use your knowledge to develop new technology. Then learn how to build a business around it and change the world for the better.
In the biotechnology and bioentrepreneurship program at USF, you’re learning as you’re doing, in the biotech epicenter of the world. You’ll take classes like molecular biology, bioinformatics, and labs alongside courses on regulations and project management. You’ll graduate ready to use the unique combination of hard science skills and business acumen to make a difference.
Christina Tzagarakis-Foster
Program Director
Combining scientific innovation and business acumen provides a comprehensive education — one that equips students with the technical expertise needed for biotech innovation and the entrepreneurial skills required to bring new products and ideas to market."
Christina Tzagarakis-Foster
Program Director
Land an internship in the world's biotech hub
The San Francisco Bay Area is at the center of biotechnology in the United States. Internships are a key feature of the program – all students complete a internship course.
Practice Science With The Latest Technologies
As a student in the Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship program, you’ll practice science in our biotechnology laboratory. Equipped with the latest technologies used regularly by Bay Area life science and biotech companies, it prepares you to work on real-world projects — from developing new drugs that treat diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's, to utilizing cutting-edge technologies like CRISPR to expand our understanding of diseases and how to treat them.
IncuCyte
The equipment in the lab includes an IncuCyte live cell imaging system. Researchers use IncuCyte to measure the behavior of living cells over hours, days, and weeks, gaining insights into how cells develop, mature, and respond under different conditions in health and in disease. This type of research helps us to better understand how treatments kill certain cancer cells, and to identify other cancer cells that evade treatment and cause a resurgence of the disease. Having access to it as an undergraduate allows you to graduate with practical skills most new biotech employees have to learn on the job.
My time at USF, where I earned bachelor's and master's degrees in biology, was profoundly transformative. The mentorship provided by instructors like Professor Tzagarakis-Foster, coupled with access to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge equipment for data generation, was pivotal to my academic and professional development. The opportunities to attend national conferences and the comprehensive curriculum were instrumental in securing my position within the biopharmaceutical sector. A biotech/bioE program is an outstanding addition — I wish it had been available during my studies, as it would have even further enriched my educational and career trajectory! "
Roxxana Beltran, Translational Scientist