The medical field is one of the leading career paths for those who have a medical background. Not only healthcare doctors but Microbiologist also plays an important role in diagnosing and preventing diseases. An individual who is enrolled in the Microbiological programme studies the function and structure of plants, animals, cells, pathogens & toxins, and plant tissues. Over the past few decades, microbiology has gained immense popularity among youth.
No doubt, the healthcare system of the country requires talented and young generation Microbiologist who have in-depth knowledge of related aspects. Not only healthcare sectors microbiologists are getting hired by research companies, food production houses, and the Agriculture department. In this article, you should get to know about the edibility criteria, top-institutes, job prospectus, career option, and future scope of the Microbiology course. All the details about the microbiology programme can be checked here.
Who is Microbiologist?
Microbiology is a scientific study of microorganisms by using a Microscope. It is a vast field that covers various fields like – Parasitology, Mycology, Virology, and Bacteriology. Here, Microorganisms include viruses, bacteria, fungi, and others. These microorganisms are small in size which can’t be seen by naked eyes. So, a person who specializes in the field of microbiology is known as a microbiologist.
Microbiologists are those specialists who give their contribution to studying infectious patients. He or she also studies the communication of bacteria and viruses with man-kind and other organisms. They are getting trained with special technologies which help them to recognize the harmful and non-harmful bacteria in the human body. Well, to become a Microbiologist you need to have enough knowledge of biology subject.
Roles and Responsibility of Microbiologist:
A Microbiologist plays acrucial role in the medical field and has major responsibilities that are mention below-
- A Microbiologist is a qualified scientist who examines culture, physiological and morphological descriptions.
- He or She is specially trained to provide medical service such as, diagnosis & treating patients in the healthcare department.
- He or she can use a microscope to differentiate and find microorganisms in water, food, human & food Specimens.
- A Microbiologist monitoring the patient health status of agents/ patients.
- A Microbiologist explores the usage of microorganisms and bacteria to create antibiotics, vaccines, amino acids, polymers, vitamins, and polymers.
- Find the interactions between diseases and microorganisms.
- Try to find a possible way to control the epidemics & the effects of antibiotics on bacteria and fungus.
- Give recommendations based on research and prepare a technical medical report.
- Try to figure out the leading products and processes for food & pharmaceutical delivery.
- Have technical skills to control specialized tools and equipment like gas chromatography, microscopes & high-pressure liquor chromatography.
- Microbiologist mainly focuses on the observation part such as dead organics, tissues of plants, microorganisms, etc.
- A microbiologist can do experiments on food particles, water, and the environment to find hazardous bacteria and other microorganisms.
- He or she can study the structure and function of human, animal, and plant tissues, cells, pathogens, and toxins.
These are the key responsibilities that a microbiologist will have to focus on. Keep in mind that these are the important ones only, there are many other roles played by a microbiologist during the work.
What is the basic eligibility required to become Microbiologist?
To become a microbiologist in India, you should fulfil some eligibility requirements that we mention below-
Academic Qualification: Here are mentioned some UG, PG, and M.Phil program that you can consider becoming a Microbiologist
For Undergraduate Courses: (BSc in Microbiology)
- Candidates must have passed their Class 10 + 2 with science stream from any recognized board. Candidates must study PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) in their Senior Secondary.
- Candidates must score at least 50% and above marks in 12th.
- For the Undergraduate programme, there is no specific entrance exam.
For Postgraduate Courses: (MSc in Microbiology)
- To get admission in MSc Microbiology, candidates should have passed Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Zoology/Biology from an authorized university/college/institute. For the postgraduates programme, botany is a compulsory subject.
- The minimum aggregate for M.Sc Microbiology is 60% but it may vary from college to college or university to university
For Doctorate and M.Phil Courses:
- An aspirant having a master’s degree in discipline subject is considered eligible for the doctorate and M.Phil level courses.
- He or She must have scored at least 60% or above in the Master’s degree course.
Entrance exams: Mostly undergraduate courses are done through merit-list. Admission for Postgraduate Course and Master’s and Doctorate courses are done through entrance exam. Certain universities and colleges offered direct admission. On the other behalf universities that are especially enrolled for the Biology programs offered admission based on the following entrance exam-
B.Sc Microbiology entrance exams list –
- AMUEEE – Aligarh Muslim University Engineering entrance exam
- LPUNEST – Lovely Professional University eligibility and scholarship test
- HPU MAT – Himachal Pradesh University Management Admission Test
- Assam CEE – Assam Common Entrance Exam
- IISc – International Social Science Council
M.Sc Microbiology Entrance Exam list:
- KIITEE – Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Entrance Exam
- KSOU – Karnataka State Open University
- HPU Shimla Msc test – Himachal Pradesh, Shimla Master of Science entrance test
- HNBGU – The HemavatiNandan Bahuguna Garhwal University entrance test
Some other National Level entrance exams for M.Sc Microbiology:
- CSIR NET exam
- Joint Graduate Entrance Examination for Biology and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (JGEEBILS)
- AICE JRF/SRF(PGS) – All India Competitive Examination
- The Indian Council of Medical Research- Junior Research Fellowship ( ICMRE- JRF)
- GRE/TOEFL/IELTS Exams
- ARS-Agricultural Research Service
- University entrance exams for PhD. – PET
- DBT-BET Exam
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Exam
What are the major topics/ subjects should read to become Microbiologist?
At the start of the article, we have mentioned that for becoming a microbiologist you should read Bachelor’s and Master’s course curriculum. The major subjects and topics including under this specialization as per the following-
B.Sc Micro Biology Course Curriculum–
Students willing to become microbiologist can choose a B.Sc. microbiology course. The subject through this stream will be –
For the first year:
- Introduction to Biology
- Information Systems
- Creative Writing
- Introduction to Microbiology
- Physics
- Biochemistry
- Mathematics
- Microbial Ecology
- Cultural Education II
For the second year:
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
- Biostatistics
- Analytical Biochemistry
- Inheritance Biology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
- Mycology
- Enzyme Technology
- Microbial Physiology
- Food Microbiology
- Inheritance Biology etc.
For the third year:
- Environmental and Agricultural Microbiology
- Pharmacology
- Research methodology
- Industrial Microbiology
- Recombinant DNA technology
- Medical Bacteriology
- Project Work
M.Sc Mirco Biology Course Curriculum –
After completion of the B.Sc. course, students can opt for the master’s course. The M. Sc microbiology course syllabus for the next four-semester is as follow –
Semester 1:
- Biostatistics
- Molecular Biology
- Microbial Metabolism
- Enzymology
- Microbial Diversity
- Lab Work
Semester 2:
- Bacteriology
- Virology
- Phycology and Mycology
- DNA Technology
- Bioinformatics
- Lab Work
Semester 3 :
- Infection Immunity and Diagnostic
- Environmental Microbiology and Waste Management
- Intellectual Property Rights and Ethical Issues
- Microbial Genomics
Semester 4:
- Host-Pathogen Interaction
- Food Microbiology
- Fermentation Technology
- Dissertation- II (DSE)
Key Topics of Microbiology:
Apart from studying the syllabus, there are many other niches to study during the entire course. The focus on both courses is on below given subjects –
- Pathogenicity and Virulence
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- Environmental Microbiology
- Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology
- Microbiomes
- Food Microbiology
If you complete the course through a reputed institution in India, chances are higher that you can get an excellent placement. There are many colleges offering bachelor and master’s program but choosing a reputed one will be an excellent choice for your career.
What is the best college/university/institute for Micro Biology in India?
In India, several private and government colleges and institutes offered BSc and MSc in Microbiology. The list of top colleges is listed below-
- Presidency College, Chennai
- Madras Christian College, Chennai
- Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
- Fergusson College, Pune
- Xavier College, Kolkata
- All Indian Institute of medical science ( Delhi, Jaipur)
- Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow
- Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
- Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
- Solan University, Solan
- GITAM Institute of Science, Vishakhapatnam
- Amity University, Noida
These are the top private colleges/institutes that offer microbiologist course. You can easily find these colleges’ official website and apply.
Different Job Roles for Microbiologist
A microbiologist is required for different jobs. The following job roles that microbiologist can receive after completing the microbiological course-
- Food Technologist – A Food Technologist plays a major role in the manufacturing industries. Such Specialist is enabling to modify the food production and manufacturing process of food products. He or she has responsibility for safe and fresh food production.
- Research Assistant – A research assistant is the helping hand of the main microbiologist. They can perform various tasks like do research activities to find the microorganisms and their relationship with humans, find alternatives to treat diseases, and others. Such types ofmicrobiologists work under high-level researchers in various areas.
- Biomedical Scientists – He or she can specially train to diagnose various diseases and find.
- Environmental Microbiologist –This category of microbiologists study the microorganisms that stay alive in the non-natural environment.
- Clinical and Veterinary Microbiologists –A person who specializes in the study of microorganisms that are found in animals is called a veterinary microbiologist.
- Industrial Microbiologist –Such specialists are trained with conceptual knowledge of science and engineer along with microorganisms research. This microbiologist focuses on the study of animals and plant cells that can be used in making efficient products.
- Pharmacologist – Such expertise are trained for the specific field of research such as toxicology, Pharmacokinetics, etc.
No doubt these are all the well-known job profiles that a microbiologist get after completion of the course. Keep in mind that there are many other roles that a microbiologist play and the scope of career is excellent due to high demand in the past several years.
Job Opportunities for Microbiologists
Microbiology is a vast field that covers various domains of the science field. So, job opportunities are also offered by various sectors to Microbiologists. They can find job opportunities in the private and public sectors. For government jobs, candidates need to qualify for recruitment exams. A qualified microbiologist can get lucrative salary packages. Here is some sectors mention that will hire microbiologist-
- Chemical industries
- Agriculture Field
- Food Industry
- Beverage Industry
- Environment Agencies
- Private Hospitals
- Universities/colleges/institutes
- Laboratories
- Pharmaceutical Industries
- Research Organizations
Among the top career field for a microbiologist, the above-mentioned ten posts are highly reliable to choose for a secure career. No one would like to work in a company that isn’t allowing the microbiologist to grow. So, you must choose the right industry based on your interests and education.
Salary packages of Microbiologist
The salary package varies based on the experience and responsibility factor. Here are the top four career options salary for microbiologist –
- Microbiologist – Minimum pay scale 1,50,000 per annum; Maximum pay scale 8,00,000 per annum
- Biomedical Scientist – Minimum pay scale 3,00,000 per annum; Maximum pay scale 5,00,000 per annum
- Food Technologist – Minimum pay scale 3,00,000 per annum; Maximum pay scale 5,00,000 per annum
- Industrial Microbiologist – Minimum pay scale 1,50,000 ; Maximum pay scale 5,00,000 per annum
Top 7 Recruiting Agencies for Microbiologists
No doubt that India is growing at a faster rate and there are numerous companies offering jobs to microbiologist. If you want to work in this field and want to work in a reputed company then our list of top companies will come in handy to you. Here are some top agencies that hire microbiologists-
- Lakshmi Life Science Limited
- Pfizer
- The Indian Hotels Company Limited
- Siron Technology Private Limited
- Mascot International
- Alpha-Pharma Healthcare India Private Limited
- Krauter Healthcare Limited
Hope the above mention information will give you the right guidance. To become a microbiologist in India, candidates need to focus on the biology subject after works on technical and medical skills. Works on equipment and long-term experience will help for your immense growth in respective job areas which you can choose.
Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.
