BS and MS Biological Sciences Dual Degree at IIT Madras (IITM) Offline Course

This dual degree in Biological Sciences (B.S. & M.S.), offered by IIT Madras, provides a strong foundation in biological sciences. It encompass the study of living organisms and life processes at all levels, including individual organisms, tissues, cells, subcellular structures, and molecules. The application of biological sciences to improve health, agriculture and environment is unlimited and currently there is a dearth of well-trained manpower in this area. Apart from the fundamental courses in biological sciences, the curriculum will emphasize on other areas – chemical biology and computational biology. In addition to a few core theory and laboratory courses, a basket of elective courses will be offered in each of these areas. Each student will undertake an extensive research project, spread over the last 4 semesters of the curriculum. Therefore, this programme provides intense research-based training, which is lacking in traditional M.Sc. Biology programmes. The curriculum imparts specific skills on interfacing cellular, molecular and computational biology, trains students to undertake academic research in frontier areas in world class universities and also equips students with skills to be employed in R&D laboratories of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in India and abroad. The Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, with its large faculty body and diverse expertise in various disciplines of biology, such as cellular & molecular biology, structural biology, chemical biology and computational biology, is uniquely positioned to offer a research-oriented programme in biological sciences. Biology at school level is not a prerequisite for admission to this programme.