A day in this work
You use living cells to make vaccines, medicines, better crops and cleaner industry. Lab work, data and strict quality rules.
Ways in
- B.Tech in biotechnology (4 years) or BSc in biotechnology (3 years)
- MSc or M.Tech, which most research roles expect
- PhD for research leadership
After Class 10
Science with Biology (PCB) or Science with Maths (PCM)
Entrance exams to know
- JEE Main (B.Tech)
- CUET-UG
- GAT-B (for MSc)
- IIT JAM
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 3 to 6
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- ₹2 to 8 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- ₹8 to 25 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- ₹3 to 6 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes some of the daily work.
AI is accelerating drug and protein design, which makes wet-lab skill and data skill together very valuable.
Try this week
Make curd or grow yeast under three different conditions and record which works best and why.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.