Prospective and Current BCP Students
About our Program
The Biotechnology Certificate Program (BCP) is a competitive, limited enrollment program emphasizing close supervision and instruction in current theoretical and practical training in molecular life sciences. It was established in 1986 to meet the personnel requirements of the rapidly expanding Bay Area biotechnology industry.
Each course within this program is fifteen weeks in length, and most courses have a minimum of 90 hours of hands-on training. The current curriculum was designed after extensive consultation with representatives from academic and commercial laboratories in biotechnology.
Students interested in careers biotechnology but do not want to commit to a three-year MS program should consider the Biotechnology Certificate Program in Biological Science.
Keep in mind, financial aid is only available for students enrolled in degree-granting programs. The BCP is NOT a degree-granting program. Thus, financial aid is only be a possibility for students that are accepted into the MS or MS+BCP (the combined program). Click more information about tuition and financial aid.
The Biotechnology Certificate Program
University Requirements (essential)
- Possess a 4-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited Institution*.
- Possess an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 (A=4.0) or greater.
- Possess a GPA of 2.5 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted.
Departmental Requirements (recommended)
- Major in (or possess a degree) in any field in the biological sciences.
- Complete undergraduate courses equivalent to those required of biological science majors at CSUEB including:
- a year of introductory biology
- a year of general chemistry
- a year of organic chemistry
- a quarter/semester of Microbiology (BIOL 330 or equivalent)
- a quarter/semester of Biochemistry (CHEM 441 or equivalent)
- a quarter/semester of Genetics* (BIOL 310 or equivalent)
- a quarter/semester of Molecular Cell Biology* (BIOL 426 or equivalent)
- Possess an overall GPA of 2.75 or greater.
- Possess a GPA of 3.0 or greater in all biology courses taken as an upper division student.
*a strong applicant has taken these courses within the last 3 years.
Visit ACCE (Academic Advising and Career Education). You can find a variety of career advice, resources, and services on this site. By providing guidance to students throughout the academic and career readiness process, the office helps students understand program completion requirements, explore majors, explore graduate school options, and develop professional skills through career development platforms and services.
You can make an appointment with one of a Career Counselor and schedule a one on one interview critique!
The College of Science has two designated Career Counselors: Please include your Net ID and use your horizon email for any official University communication.
Alan Lemus
Academic and Career Counselor
Email: alan.lemus@csueastbay.edu
Susana Moraga
Academic and Career Counselor
Email: susana.moraga@csueastbay.edu
To see a list of all the faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at Cal State University, Â鶹ÃÛÌÒAV, click . Below is a list of our faculty that have active research labs and may have space to host undergraduate or graduate students. In the table at the top of this page you will get a sense for each faculty member's broad areas of interest. Scroll down to click on a photo to review more specific details about an individual's research interests and how to best contact them.
Research Interests of Our Faculty (Broadly Defined)
Baysdorfer, Chris
Kitting, Chris
Wildy, Erica
Lauzon, Carol
Murray, James
Stone, Claudia
What to do if you are accepted into the BCP
Assuming you have successfully applied to the University, you should be able to go to and accept your admission. Failure to do so will delay your ability to enroll in classes in a timely manner. For more detailed information click .
If you have not received your official acceptance from the University, your application may not have been processed (check back periodically) or it may be incomplete. To check the status of your application and determine if you have anything on your “To Do List”, log into . Under the “Student Center” tab, you will find your “To Do List” on the right-hand side of the page. Please click on “details”.
Next, you must enroll in courses for Fall. Failure to enroll in fall courses will cause you to be dropped from the BCP program. This process is automatic. We recommend that you enroll in courses at least four weeks prior to the first day of classes. If this is not possible due to admission issues, please contact the BCP coordinator.
IMPORTANT: As a BCP student (or MS student wanting to take BCP courses), enrollment into BCP lab courses is guaranteed (Fall courses: Biol 601A, BIOL 415, BIOL 424 and BIOL 616).
To enroll into your fall (and spring) courses please email Kathy Palmer (kathy.palmer@csueastbay.edu) and CC: Natalie Granera (natalie.granera@csueastbay.edu) the office manager in the Department of Biology and Maria Gallegos (maria.gallegos@csueastbay.edu), the BCP coordinator as soon as you are able prior to the first day of the semester. Use your horizon email account and provide your net ID along with the list of courses and preferred section times.
Once the BCP coordinator approves your request you will be enrolled.
The process for enrolling into your Spring courses (Biol 601B, 425, 622 and 620) will be the same as above.