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Course Details

UG, PG & Others - Microbiology

Degree Course Type 

Bachelors, Masters, Research

Entry Level Qualification 

Class 10+2

Degree Course Duration 

2 Year

Course Fields 

Other

Degree Course Entrance Exam 

CUET UG, CUET PG

Average Course Fee 

15000 - 500000 Per Year

Average Salary Offered 

300000 - 1000000 Per Year

Course Highlights 

Given below are some of the key highlights related to Microbiology courses in India:

Stream

Biological Sciences,  

Life Sciences

Applied & Pure Sciences

Specialisations

Various branches and sub-branches

Qualifications Available

Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate

Highest Qualification

Doctorate (PhD)

Online Courses

Available

Entrance Exams

CUET, IISER-IAT, IIMK, etc.

Average Course Duration

4 months-10 years

Average Course Fees

INR 15,000-5,00,000

Top Medical Colleges

Indian Institute of Science, Osmania University, University of Mumbai, and Delhi University

Career Opportunities

Clinical, Environmental, or Industrial Microbiologist, Biologist, Virologist, and Biochemist

Average Starting Salary 

INR 3,00,000-10,00,000

About Course 

Microbiology is a good course option to pursue after 10+2. Based on the study of microorganisms, students can apply for bachelors, masters, or doctorate courses in order to pursue microbiology. Admissions to top central government colleges can be achieved through CUET, while there are college-specific entrance exams as well. 

Microbiology courses are available on both full-time and part-time bases. In addition, there are certain online certificate courses available for foundation training. These courses can help students pave their way for getting into top-notch scientific laboratories not only in India but across the world.​​​​​​​

Why Choose Course And Required Skills 

Students, who are confused, as to why they should pick Microbiology as a specialisation for their higher studies, can have a look at the benefits below:


Wide Scope of Opportunities: The scope of microbiology is huge. As is known, there are more microorganisms than humans or animals. In fact, even our body consists of various microorganisms. Hence, there are a lot of sub-specialisations available for students to choose from, which eventually leads to a plethora of eventual career opportunities. 


High-Paying Jobs: The impact of microbiological studies on human life is so huge that it makes up for a very responsible and risky job. While the scope of human error is negligible, the equipment and practices are all conducted on a highly specialised level. As a professional in such an environment, high-paying job profiles are a given. The highest annual salary of a microbiologist can reach up to INR 45,00,000-75,00,000 per year.


Huge Impact on Human Lives: Microbiology is concerned with many responsibilities, including the study of virology and bacteria, which is eventually related to human diseases and their cures. Hence, every win of a microbiologist creates a huge positive impact on human lives, and the same is for the losses.


Required Skills to Become a Microbiologist

As a microbiologist, students will require the following skills to be able to achieve recognition and land lucrative jobs:


Patience: Microbiologists need to work on a single project for months and years. The results during this period may or may not be in their favour. However, they need to carry on consistently, which makes patience of extreme importance in their careers.


Independence and Teamwork: A microbiologist not only needs to undertake group projects but also independent research, where they are building a case for their own theory. The work dynamics of both situations are highly different and they need to easily settle and switch between the two.


Communication Skills: While interaction with the general public of a microbiologist is limited, they do need to present the findings of their research, progress, and other relevant details. They need good communication skills to express their ideas and project status to research financers and reviewing committees.


Observational & Analytical Skills: Research projects naturally demand working individuals to have observational and analytical skills. In order to draw conclusions from the experiment analysis is important, and to even track the changes and reactions, observation is required.​​​​​​​

Eligibility  

The eligibility criteria for Microbiology undergraduate courses are as follows:

1. Have at least 50% in 10+2 examination,

2. Have completed 10+2 education with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Mathematics as compulsory subjects,

3. Clear the cut-off score required for the entrance exams.​​​​​​​

Entrance Exams Details 

The entrance exams for microbiology courses are available at the national and university levels. These exam scores can be used not only to get admission but also for a discount on tuition fees. Some common entrance exams for admission to courses in microbiology are:

CUET: CUET is conducted by the central government for entrance to universities under their jurisdiction. The exam is available on both UG and PG levels.

College-Specific Entrance Exams: These exams are individual to various universities and colleges, and are often conducted by the respective faculty departments. They are also available on both UG and PG levels.

Degree Course Syllabus 

The common microbiology subjects included in the Indian college course curriculum are:

Microbiology Syllabus

Microbial Physiology, Ecology & Genetics

Biochemistry

Molecular Biology

Cell Biology

Enzyme Technology

Food Microbiology

Virology & recent trends

Medical Bacteriology

Recombinant DNA Technology

Parasitology

Bioinstrumentation & Biophysics

Fermentation Technology

Immunology

Biotechnology

Tissue Culture

Industrial, Medical & Environmental Microbiology


Top Colleges 

The best colleges in India to study microbiology courses are summarised here along with their annual tuition fees:

Name of Institute/University

Annual Tuition Fees (in INR)

Aligarh Muslim University

30,000

Banaras Hindu University

2,000-30,000

Guru Nanak Dev University

45,500

Indian Institute of Science

5,000-31,000

Lovely Professional University

1,60,000

Mahatma Gandhi University

1,900-5,500

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

1,30,000

Osmania University

2,260-4,520

University of Calicut

3,500-22,000

University of Kerela

25,000-32,000

University of Mumbai

2,000-20,000


Microbiology Study Abroad

Indian students can always opt for universities abroad to study microbiology courses. Just like India, it is a prestigious course of study in foreign countries as well. Here are certain picks from the 50 best global universities for microbiology (biological sciences) according to the QS Subject Rankings 2022:

Name of University 

Country

Harvard University

United States

University of Cambridge

United Kingdom

ETH Zurich

Switzerland

University of California (Berkeley, San Diego, & Los Angeles)

United States

NUS

Singapore

University of Toronto

Canada

University of Tokyo 

Japan

University of Copenhagen

Denmark

Tsinghua University

China

Ludwig Maximilians Universität München

Germany

Sorbonne University

France

Karolinska Institutet

Sweden

Seoul National University

South Korea

University of Melbourne

Australia

Wageningen University & Research

Netherlands

Course Fees 

Here is an average course fee analysis of different microbiology courses in India:

Microbiology Course

Annual Tuition Fees (in INR)

Certificate Courses & Online Courses

500-70,000

Diploma & PG Diploma Courses

10,000-80,000

Bachelor’s Courses

50,000-3,00,000

Master’s Courses

1,00,000-3,00,000

Doctorate Courses

2,000-8,00,000

Top Recruiters And Salary 

Here is a summary of common microbiologist job profiles and their annual salary in India:

Job Profile

Annual Salary (in INR)

Biochemist

3,00,000-14,00,000

Biologist

6,00,000-12,00,000

Clinical Microbiologist

7,00,000-20,00,000

Environmental Microbiologist

3,00,000-10,00,000

Food Technologist

3,00,000-5,00,000

Industrial Microbiologist

2,50,000-7,50,000

Mycologist

10,00,000-20,00,000

Parasitologist

10,00,000-28,00,000

Virologist

15,00,000-30,00,000

Course Scope And Career Options 

​​​​​​​The career options available for microbiology graduates in India are:

1. Clinical Microbiologist

2. Environmental Microbiologist

3. Industrial Microbiologist

4. Mycologist

5. Parasitologist

6. Virologist

7. Food Technologist

8. Biochemist

9. Molecular Biologist

10. Cell Biologist

11. Bacteriologist

Admission Process 

Students can refer to the following steps to get admission to any of the microbiology courses in India:

Step 1: Shortlist the college and courses they want to apply for. Check the eligibility criteria of the courses.

Step 2: Attempt the entrance exam(s) required for admission to the shortlisted courses.

Step 3: Compile the admission application along with the application form and fee, entrance exam scores, additional documents, etc. Submit the same.

Step 4: Await the decision of the college