3 Innovative Undergrad and Graduate Life Sciences Courses in India

Economy is really bad right now globally.  However, even in this economy students can do certain courses that can help them get into useful and paying careers down the road.  Here are a few courses that I found would be very useful to students in India who are looking for alternative career paths.

1. Post Graduation in Clinical Research and Clinical Data Management: Clinical Research Education and Management Academy (CREMA) offers three post graduate courses:  Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (PGDCR), Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Data Management (PGDCDM), Post Graduate Diploma in Pharmacovigilance (PGDPhV).  In an economy which is contracting but diseases are not, more and more pharma companies from US and Europe will outsource the Clinical Research and testing to countries like India.  So, such a course will prepare the students for a good and paying career by the time they graduate.

Contact: 1800 209 3731 or email to mumenquiry@cremaindia.org
Eligibility: Graduate or postgraduate in Life Sceiences/ Microbiology/ Biotechnology/ Pharmacy/ Medicine/ Nursing/ Physiotherapy/ Dentistry/ Homeopathy/ Ayurvedic and Veterinary Science.

2. B.Tech. Bioinformatics:   This is another interesting program that will equip the students with knowledge and career of the future.  The program helps teach the students Computational methods to study, organise, analyse and interpret biological information at molecular, genetic and genomics levels.  Genetic research and work specially with respect to its interface with IT and computation is going to be hot going forward.  This course from VIT University, Vellore, India helps prepare the kids for that.  Btw, the last date for issue and submission of application forms is February 28, 2009.

The University has some very interesting programmes other than this one in the broad area of Biotechnology:

Undergraduate Programmes
   * B.Tech. (Bioinformatics)
   * B.Tech. (Biomedical Engineering)
   * B. Tech. (Biotechnology)
   * B. Tech. (Chemical Engineering)
   * B.Sc. (Biotechnology)
   * B.Sc.(Microbiology)

Postgraduate Programmes

* M.Tech. (Biotechnology)
   * M.Tech. (Biomedical Engineering)
   * M.Sc. (Applied Microbiology)
   * M.Sc. (Biomedical Genetics)
   * M.Sc. (Biotechnology)
   * M.Sc. (Biotechnology) (5-Year Integrated programme)

Contact: director.sbcbe@vit.ac.in

3. Msc Regenrative Medicine:  This is a two year course in Stem Cell area.  Stem cell research is going to be a major investment area specially with Barack Obama’s Government in.  So, if you are a Life Sciences professional, then it probably makes sense to be in this area and specialize yourself.  Not many folks out there will have this as their specialization anyways.  The courses include: Basic Stem Cell Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, Therapeutics application of Stem Cells etc.

Eligibility: The candidates must have passed BSc with at least one subject of Biological Sciences or MBBS or BPharm or BVSc or BE Biotedhnology or any other professional graduate from a recognized University.  Candidates must have obtained not less than 60% at the qualifying examination.

For more information please check out this site.