
Biotechnology (BT) Discipline started its journey in Khulna University in 1995 with 20 students (19 male and 01 female) and 02 teachers. It started its MS program in 2001. At present PhD program is also available along with undergraduate and MS program. In 2003, the discipline changed its name to Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (BGE) as Bangladesh government took initiative to open this named department in all public universities. Currently it has about 170 students with a male to female ratio of 5:4. After completion of their degree many students are successfully working in national and international institutes. Apart from this, a good number of students go abroad with prestigious fellowships to pursue their higher studies. Biotechnology is a series of enabling technologies which utilizes biological processes, organisms, or systems to produce/manufacture goods, products and services intended to improve the quality of life. The technologies that enable us to modify any product for human welfare includes recombinant DNA technology, genetically modified food, biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, enzymes, single cell protein, immune biological, antibodies, interferon etc. The biotechnological practice has been used for long years to create products from microbes and develop plant and animals with better productivity. Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology has enabled further manipulation to introduce disease and insect resistance verities and industrial production of biotechnology products. At present the discipline operate 4 years undergraduate and 18 months postgraduate (MS) program. The course curriculum of the discipline has been designed to cover wider range of subjects from basic to advance level so that students can face the global challenge. Important research areas include plant, animal, microbes, environment, food, medicine and industrial biotechnology. The discipline has seven laboratories which include Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Microbiology Laboratory, Animal Cell Culture Laboratory, Plant Cell and Tissue Culture Laboratory, Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Bioprocess Laboratory and Food and Animal Biotechnology Laboratory. The faculty members have PhDs and postdoctoral experiences from various famous universities from home and abroad. They are keen to collaboration and networking for advancement of biotechnology research in Bangladesh and have been successful in securing research funds from different national and international funding bodies including Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, UGC, HEQEP, Khulna University research cell and other funding agencies. In fine, the faculty members, students, office staff work as a big family towards the improvement of Biotechnology education and research in this discipline for the welfare of the nation, country and mankind.