What is Microbiology?: Course Fees 2026, Subjects, Top Colleges, Admissions

Microbiology courses teach one about structures, purpose, functions and more about microorganisms. These courses come at all levels. Many private and government colleges offer Microbiology courses in India. Common options include BSc in Microbiology at UG level and MSc in Microbiology at PG level. Major areas of study include immunology, molecular biology, microbial physiology, genetics, and industrial or medical microbiology.

The study of microbiology leads graduates to use their learning in industries like healthcare, agriculture, environment, etc. Microbiology graduates will eventually work in research and development of various vaccines, antibiotics, detecting diseases, means to ensure food safety etc.

Students pave the way for new approaches to fight diseases. All programmes in microbiology studies contain laboratory equipment. Internships provide quality experiences and win jobs from potential employers. Microbiologists specialise in understanding the characteristics and behaviour of microorganisms. Sometimes, they deal with harmful organisms for their research, and it tends to be hazardous. The required skill set to pursue a PG Diploma in Microbiology is:

• Abundant knowledge of science,
• Analytical, interpersonal, mathematical, speaking, and writing proficiency,
• Knowledge about how to use equipment like gas chromatography and electron microscopes,
• Laboratory skill,
• Critical thinking.

Due to the increasing demand for microbiology in almost every sector, advanced technologies are evolving through research. These are helping lives day-to-day solving life-threatening diseases and problems in the food industry. Clinical laboratory tests are progressing precisely because of recent inventions. Some new technologies in microbiology are:

• Molecular Methods- Molecular techniques used in microbiology involve the manipulation and analysis of DNA, RNA, protein, and lipids. The benefits of molecular methods are improved sensitivity of detection, specificity of identification, and reduced turnaround time.
• Nucleic Acid Sequencing- Nucleic acid sequencing is the method to determine the sequential arrangement of nucleic acid bases. This allows researchers to identify changes in genes, links with diseases, and identify potential drug targets.
• Digital PCR- Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction methods are used to directly expand and amplify nucleic acid strands like DNA, cDNA, or RNA. Some of its applications are liquid biopsy, rare sequence detection, and gene expression.

The microbiology career scope depends on various factors. It is a fairly new specialisation that has got prevelant in the past few years in India. There are opportunities in academia, food safety, research and development, private and government laboratories, etc. One can aim for various government exams as well after this course in India. Abroad may have slight better scope. This is due to more industry demand and funds towards areas like microbiome studies, synthetic biology, and environmental sciences.

BSc Microbiology admission is done on a merit basis for most colleges/universities. However, for admission to various top institutions, there are various BSc Microbiology entrance exams such as CUET, AMUEEE, IISER IAT, and so on. Candidates with a minimum of 55 - 60% in 10+2 are eligible to apply for BSc Microbiology.  

This is a very subjective concern. To excel in any field, one needs to go for the subjects they are naturally drawn towards. So maybe you should go for the subjects that interest you the most. Considering the career scope of both fields - these have good scope in research and academia. Other professional roles include working in labs, quality control, healthcare industry, forensic industry, food industry etc. The starting pay may be slighlty low but tends to increase with experience.

You can pursue microbiology courses in India to get into research and academia. Initially, you can get an entry-level job as a teacher, research associate, or laboratory technician, and you can even appear for various government exams. You can also apply to UNICEF, various private, as well as government firms. Make sure you work on your communication skills, knowledge, skills and overall resume to get good job offers. Note that the initial pay might be low it will increase with increasing experience.

Though biology is preferred in 12th for Microbiology admissions in India, some colleges accept PCM students too. Make sure you check the specific university criteria at the time of applying for Microbiology courses.

Yes there are many common entrance exams to get admitted to Microbiology Colleges in India, some of them are mentioned below 

• CUET: Common University Entrance Test is a national-level entrance exam conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission in various fields in UG and PG level.
• CPGET: Common Post Graduate Entrance Test is a state-level entrance exam conducted by Osmania University for admission to various PG, PGDM courses and five-year integrated courses in State Universities of Telangana.
• ICAR AIEEA: Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission is a National level entrance exam conducted by National Testing Agency for admission to Bachelors and Masters degree programmes in Agriculture and Allied Sector.
• UGC NET: University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test is a national-level entrance exam conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for determining eligibility of candidates for Assistant Professor and Junior Research Fellowship in Indian Universities and Colleges.
• NEET MDS: National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test for Masters in Dental Surgery is a national level entrance exam conducted by National Board of Examinations (NBE) for admission to postgraduate dental courses.

Microbiology entrance exams can range from medium to advanced in terms of difficulty. The difficulty level is also determined by - Individual capabilities, Syllabus for exam as well as the time frame dedicated towards the preparation. Put efforts accordingly into topics with more weightage. The population estimated to take that particular exam plays a major role in determining your rank and competition. 

Microbiology courses are in high demand due to the recent stats of diseases caused by microbes with the global pandemic being one of the most recent examples. The core Microbiology study includes disciplines mentioned below -

Mycology, Industrial Microbiology, Biostatistics, and other fields, providing students with the abilities required by candidates to work in the business.

The Microbiologist course can lead to employment chances for persons with diverse backgrounds such as bacteriologists, virologists, cell biologists, mycologists, and many others.

After BSc Microbiology, candidates can continue their studies by enrolling in MSc programs such as MSc Microbiology, MSc Applied Microbiology, MSc Medical Microbiology, and MSc Microbial Genetics and Bioinformatics. A postgraduate degree in a Microbiology course improves candidates' job prospects. Similarly, after finishing their PG, applicants might pursue PhD programs.

The fact that many microorganisms rapidly change their genomic architecture leads to more research scope. Microbiology course graduates are always studying microbes to better understand the next wave of infectious diseases, the environmental impact of bacteria, the effect of microbes on food products, and so on.

Since board exams are equally important in one's academic journey, make sure you have a grip on your board syllabus first, and then you can also prioritize the entrance exam preparation for microbiology courses for various top institutes. Some tips are mentioned below -

Try to study the common topics of boards and entrance exams from the same sources to save time and effort.

Make sure you do not neglect one over the other; students need to be certain if they can handle both things simultaneously. 

Take breaks in between your sessions to not burnout.

Stay consistent, committed, and calm throughout your journey. Please take care of your health also.

Due to the increasing demand for microbiology in almost every sector, advanced technologies are evolving through research. These are helping lives day-to-day solving life-threatening diseases and problems in the food industry. Clinical laboratory tests are progressing precisely because of recent inventions. Some new technologies in microbiology are:

• Molecular Methods- Molecular techniques used in microbiology involve the manipulation and analysis of DNA, RNA, protein, and lipids. The benefits of molecular methods are improved sensitivity of detection, specificity of identification, and reduced turnaround time.
• Nucleic Acid Sequencing- Nucleic acid sequencing is the method to determine the sequential arrangement of nucleic acid bases. This allows researchers to identify changes in genes, links with diseases, and identify potential drug targets.
• Digital PCR- Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction methods are used to directly expand and amplify nucleic acid strands like DNA, cDNA, or RNA. Some of its applications are liquid biopsy, rare sequence detection, and gene expression.

India has almost 264 Government Microbiology Colleges and below mentioned are some of the top Government Microbiology Colleges in India:

Some of the top Microbiology Colleges in India in accordance to their NIRF University Ranking 2023 are mentioned in the table below -

Some of the top Microbiology college options providing the best placement options in India are mentioned below -

Source - Official/counselling body, data may vary.

Please note that the salary brackets highly depend on the level, experience and company. Some of the popular profiles to opt for after you finish your Microbiology course and their average salary packages are mentioned below. 

Source - Multiple external official sites, data may vary.

The scope of microbiology is huge because of the involvement of microbiology in various fields such as Pharmacy, Medicine, clinical research, agriculture, dairy industry, water industry, nanotechnology & chemical technology. 
A person who specialises in this field is called a Microbiologist. Some of the Jobs in this field are mentioned below -

1. Biomedical scientist
2. Bio technologist
3. Clinical research associate
4. Food technologist
5. Healthcare scientist, immunology
6. Medicinal chemist
7. Microbiologist
8. Nano technologist.

We have compiled a broad comparison between the two courses, i.e, Microbiology and BPharma is covered below in the table 

Source - Multiple external/official sites on web, data may vary.

The route to this course is through entrance exam. The entrance tests for this course are IISc Entrance Exam, Goa University Microbiology Entrance Exam, Guru Nanak Dev University M.Sc Microbiology Entrance Exam, Osmania University Microbiology Entrance Exam and Lovely Professional University Microbiology Entrance Exam. Universities accept the scores of these tests for selection of candidates. A merit list is prepared on the basis of scores in aforementioned tests. Some institutes such as St. Xaviers College, Mumbai take admissions purely on the basis of merit list prepared in accordance to the score in microbiology at Bachelors level. Entrance Mode The top entrance exams for M.Sc microbiology are: IISc Entrance Exam: Held by IISc in April every year, it is a national level entrance test to take admission for post graduate program at IISc. This test asks questions from mathematics, chemistry, ecological sciences and biological sciences. Osmania University Entrance Exam: Conducted every year, Osmania University Microbiology Entrance Exam is an entrance examination for admissions in post graduate course. Its syllabus covers mathematics, chemistry, ecological sciences and biological sciences. Goa University Entrance Exam: This entrance examination is held every year. This test covers questions from mathematics, chemistry, ecological sciences and biological sciences. Selection Process Every institute follows a selection process of its own. Most of them accept scores of entrance tests conducted by them. Some universities proceed with the students who qualify the entrance exams and move them to next filtering stage that is a personal interview or group discussion round. Further, universities may undertake a comprehensive counseling procedure for final selection for admission to M.Sc microbiology. There are many institutes which prefer to take direct admission in this course.