Introduction to Genetics
Genetics is the branch of biology that deals with the study of heredity in living organisms. Heredity is a biological process where the parents pass certain genes onto their children or offspring. The child inherits genes from both of their biological parents and these genes in turn, express specific traits.
Genetics is basically the study of these traits such as hair colour, eye colour and risk of disease are passed from the parents to their children. The main idea of genetics is to understand in detail about the gene structure that controls the existence of the living organisms on this planet.
Few lines about M.Sc Genetics
M.Sc Genetics is a 2-year post graduate programme that is divided into 4-semesters. The main aim of the course is to train the students on various aspects of genes and also give them an in- depth knowledge of genetics and gene structure. The course teaches students about the ability to supervise, administer and direct the operations of a clinical biochemical genetics diagnostic laboratory, including technical proficiency and knowledge in quality control or quality assessment procedures.
The course as a whole covers the study of biology, heredity, the science of genes and variation in living organisms. The commonly studied subjects under genetics are Cell Biology, Genetics, Biostatistics, Microbial Genetics & Technology, Population Genetics, Gene Development, Genome Organisation, Biochemistry, DNA Technology, etc.
Eligibility for M.Sc Genetics
The students who have completed their bachelor’s science degree with 50% aggregate in all the subjects, and have studied any of the following three subjects such as Chemistry, Biochemistry, Botany, Applied Botany, Zoology, Applied Zoology, Environmental Science, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Genetics, Applied Genetics and Sericulture from recognised university are eligible to apply for M.Sc Genetics course.
Admission Procedures
The students can join the M.Sc Genetics course via two modes, the first one is merit admission and second one is direct admission.
Let’s discuss in detail both of them
1.Merit Admission
There are many reputed colleges and universities that conduct institution-based entrance exams for the merit seats, where the students have to qualify the entrance exam to get admitted to these merit seats. This type of admission is called merit admission. The main motto of the entrance exam is to filter out the best and serious hard working students from non- serious ones. The qualified students are allotted merit seats and the fees for merit seats is nominal.
2. Direct Admission
The students can also take admission to M.Sc genetics via another mode called direct admission. Under this mode the students can get direct admission to their desired colleges under management quota. The main advantage of this mode is that the students are not required to attend or write any entrance exams and students are given such special privileges. Another important benefit of direct admission is that the students can choose their desired colleges and book in advance their seats even before the academic year starts. The students interested in direct admission are required to contact educational advisory centres to know more about direct admission procedures.
Course Curriculum for M.Sc Genetics
The students of M.Sc Genetics course will be studying the following subjects in their course duration.
| Sl. No. | Subjects of Study |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Genetics |
| 2 | Chromosome, Genes and Genomes |
| 3 | Cell Biology |
| 4 | Molecular Biology |
| 5 | Population, evolutionary and quantitative genetics |
| 6 | Bioinformatics and Biostatistics |
| 7 | Regulation of Gene Expression |
| 8 | Recombinant DNA Technology |
| 9 | Genetics in Crop Improvement and Human Health |
| 10 | Microbial Genetics |
| 11 | Human Genetics |
| 12 | Plant Genetics and Breeding |
| 13 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transgenic Technology |
| 14 | Developmental Biology and Immunology |
| 15 | Advances in Drosophila Genetics |
| 16 | Biology of Dictyostelium |
| 17 | Cancer Biology and Genetics |
| 18 | Genetic Counselling |
| 19 | Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions |
| 20 | Non-coding RNA Biology, Gene silencing and applications |
| 21 | Yeast Molecular Genetics |
Career & Scope
The M.Sc Genetics students have ample career opportunities soon after the completion of their course. They can find job openings in various biotechnology, microbiology, pharmaceutical companies. If they are interested in research they can join PhD programmes and take up research in the field. If they are interested to have in-depth knowledge about genetics, then they can join M.Phil programmes. They can appear for various competitive exams like CSIR-NET, UGC-NET and join universities as professors and also join various research agencies as research associates. They can join as lecturers in different colleges and universities.
Career roles available for M.Sc Genetics students
There are numerous career roles available for M.Sc Genetics students, some of the important roles are:
- Geneticists
- Senior Scientific Officer
- Principal Plant Breeder
- Genomes Associate
- Genetic Counsellor
- Genetic Engineer
- Research Associate
Earning Potential
- The fresh M.Sc Genetics graduate will be earning around 5 lakhs to 8 lakhs per annum
- The experienced professionals will be easily earning around 8 lakhs to 12 lakhs per annum
- The salary varies according to the location and recruiter
Companies Hiring M.Sc Genetics students
Top companies hiring M.Sc Genetics students are:
- Biocon
- Serum India Pvt Ltd
- Bharat Biotech
- Kemwell Pharmaceuticals
- Himalaya Drug Company
- Natural Remedies
- Cavin Care
- Glaxo Smith
- Glenmark
Concluding Words
The M.Sc Genetics students are largely preferred by many biotechnology and life science companies in today’s era. The advancements in the field of medical technologies has increased the demand and scope for skilled professionals in the field of life science and genetics. Many organisations are investing huge funds for development of new drugs and treatments for different life threatening diseases. So, naturally the demand for M.Sc Genetics students has increased. The increase in research and development has created a lot of job opportunities for the M.Sc Genetics students.
The students who are interested in genes and willing to know more about the gene technology can choose to join M.Sc Genetic course. They can also find excellent job opportunities with good pay scales and offer excellent career growth.