MSc Biology Eligibility, Top Colleges, Distance Learning, Admission Process, Entrance Exams, Syllabus, Scope, Salary 2024

Information and details about the MSc Biology course are as follows.

• This course lays emphasis on theoretical and practical expertise on studying various living organisms and how they evolve over time when subjected to consistent changes in their environment. 
• MSc in biology specializes in studying these transitions and transformations that take place in living organisms when they are introduced to various different environmental changes and how these changes affect their ecology, growth and evolution.
• This program acquaints students with the fundamentals of biology and equips them with the necessary knowledge needed to conduct such meticulous research ability. 
• The students are made aware of current biological techniques such as DNA sequencing, analysis of genetic variation, metabolic networks, physiological measurements in humans, field experiments on plants and animals etc. 

There are so many reasons why an individual should pursue an MSc Biology course. Students can pursue this course because of the following benefits of the course:

• Individuals who wish to understand genetic reforms and are interested in witnessing structural change and anomalies of living organisms as well as to study such concepts in depth are welcome to pursue this course.
• Graduates of this discipline can seek employment with prestigious pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and biocon as research associates and eminent personalities to contribute their research and analysis into development of medications to tackle ailments of the human body.
• Aspirants who wish to contribute their skills in plant and botanical industries can be employed as research associates in agricultural industries where they can study various species of plants and their uses to assist in making organic farming better as well as their uses in modern medicine in treatment of diseases and health issues
• Candidates who wish to study plants and animal genomes and genetic variation can become agrochemicals and botanists or horticulturists and exclusively study species of plants by conducting experiments and deriving conclusions to improve or provide assistance to modern medicine and organic farming.
• MSc in biology graduates are in extreme demand in the education sector as they are needed and required by Universities and institutions on teaching positions to impart their expertise to Students who wish to study this discipline for Higher Education and are offered exclusive incentives and money for the same.
• After completion of this course, students will be able to get a job with an average annual salary ranging between INR 2,00,000 and 5,00,000. 

What is the MSc Biology Admission Process?

Admission to this course is usually based on the score obtained by a candidate in an entrance exam. Some of the major all India entrance exams conducted for this purpose are BHU PET, IIT JAM, DUET etc. Some colleges also offer admission on merit basis. The various steps involved in the admission process are given below.

Merit-based selection

• Submit the application to the colleges or universities you are interested in. 

• Maintain a good score throughout your Bachelor’s degree exams. 
• In due course of time, colleges release their cutoff lists. Check if you are eligible for admission into the desired course.
• If eligible, visit the college and submit all the required documents.

Entrance based selection

The guide to apply for entrance exam based admission is as follows.

• Registration: Candidates have to register themselves for the entrance exams. 
• Application form: Fill up the application form with all necessary details carefully. 
• Submit documents: Scan and upload all required documents like mark sheets. Documents need to be uploaded in a specific format only, as specified by the institute’s application portal.
• Application fee: A minimal application fee is to be paid online during the submission of the application form. Payment can be done by all online payment modes.
• Download admit card: Admit cards are released once all applicants are judged for eligibility. The admit card must be downloaded and printed out to be used on the day of the examination.
• Examination: Prepare for the exam as per the syllabus and past papers. Appear for the examination on the date announced.
• Results: Based on candidates performance in the entrance exam, results will be announced.

What is the MSc Biology Eligibility Criteria?

The eligibility criteria for MSc Biology aspirants is not complicated and is as follows. It must be noted that the eligibility criteria will differ from institute to institute. 

• Any candidate with a bachelor’s degree in Biology or any other specialised subject from a recognized institute is eligible to apply.
• The candidate must possess at least 60% marks in their graduation degree. 
• A relaxation of 5% in aggregate marks is given for candidates belonging to SC/ST category. 

Which are the popular MSc Biology Entrance Exams?

In most of the colleges, the MSc Biology admissions are done on the basis of the results in the entrance tests. The forms for the entrance tests are mostly released in the months of December and January and the examinations are held shortly after that. However, this year, the dates have been deferred because of the COVID-19 crisis. 

Some of the popular MSc Biology entrance exams are provided below:

Entrance Exams	Registration	Exam Dates
CUET PG	December 27, 2023	11th March to 28th March, 2024
BITSAT	Last week of January 2024	Last week of May 2024
NEST	February 2023	June 2023
IIT JAM	September 5, 2023	February 11, 2024
DUET	February 2024	15th – 31st May 2024
TISS NET	February 2024	11th March to 28th March, 2024

How to Prepare for MSc Biology entrance exams?

If your college includes an entrance test in the admission procedure, then you must be well prepared for it. So, here we are with some interesting preparation tips for you:

• You must be completely familiar with the exam pattern. Get to know the number of sections and the total number of questions that you have to answer. 
• Knowing the syllabus properly is also of primary importance. You need to download the syllabus from the official website of the university.
• In most cases, you will be dealing with multiple-choice questions. If that is the case, then check whether there is negative marking or not. 
• Another very good way to perform well is to appear for regular mock tests. This will make you accustomed to the type of questions and the examination patterns. Various educational institutes hold regular mock tests for the students.
• Revision is also an integral part of preparation. You need to revise all the chapters and the important topics properly. Otherwise, even after preparing all the chapters, you might not get a really good rank. 

Which are the Top MSc Biology Colleges?

MSc Biology is taught in some of the best educational institutes in India. Here, we have mentioned a few popular MSc Biology Colleges of India:

MSc Biology College Comparison

The tabulation below depicts the comparison made among the three top MSc Biology colleges in India.

Where can I pursue an MSc Biology course from Distance Learning?

• Distance Education is quite popular nowadays and holds equal importance as the regular course. There are various universities in India offering MSc in Biology Distance Learning programme. 
• The syllabus and curriculum for both distance learning and regular course is the same. The only difference between both of them is that students with regular courses attend lectures and practical classes, however in distance learning, students have to study at home and attend semester examinations.
• The eligibility criteria for admission to a correspondence program or distance learning course may depend on the university/institution, the candidates, however, must hold a  Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline from a recognized university with at least 60% aggregate marking. Admission procedure remains the same for the distance course as the regular one.

MSc Biology vs MSc Life Sciences

MSc Biology and MSc Life Sciences are quite similar, however, there is a minute difference between them. Also check top MSc Life Sciences Colleges in India. 

Here, we have compared the two courses:    

What are Job Prospects and Career Options after MSc Biology?

• MSc Biology degree holders can get employment with leading pharmaceutical industries and companies, by aiding them in research and experimentation for development of future medications and cures.
• MSc Biology postgraduates can also seek employment on a vacancy basis under government sector organizations such as the important science and technology industry to contribute their biological research conducted on various specimens of living organisms to provide further support and earn recognition for the same. These posts are vacancy based and provide handsome monetary packages.
• MSc in biology graduates can also venture in the sales industries as potential sales representative and promote and facilitate selling of medical goods Medicines and equipment to earn better money with incentives
• Individuals well versed with this degree and its scientific terminology can also work as content writers and contributors needed for the functioning of online medical forums and answer the queries of people as well as write and develop content on latest biological research and development.

We have Listed some of the popular job positions offered to successful graduates of the discipline along with the corresponding job descriptions and average annual salaries offered to the graduates of MSc Biology:

What are the Future Scope of MSc Biology?

Being a very popular discipline, MSc in Biology course has excellent future scope. The students are exposed to numerous ways in which they can build their career:

• PhD: If one wishes to continue in the same field of education, the first program of choice is a PhD Biology. It is a three to five year duration course and the eligibility criteria include having a MSc degree in Biology or other related disciplines.

Check out the Top PhD Biology Colleges in India here. 

• DSc - Students can also opt for a Doctor of Science degree in a relevant field on completion of this course.