Biotechnology is an important modern science in applied biological sciences with an emphasis on microbiology, animal and plant cell culture, molecular biology, genetics, recombinant DNA technology, biochemistry, cell biology, proteomics and other relevant fields of biology with wide applications in agriculture, environment, medicine and industry. Microbes, plants and animals are important elements in applications of scientific and technical knowledge in biotechnology to process raw materials into valuable products and solve environmental and ecological problems.
The combination of biological sciences with high-end technology applications is predicted to provide solutions to major national problems in Oman by creating new generations with great potential for a positive economic impact. The role of biotechnology in providing new employment and improvement of the economy of both developing and developed nations is well known. The economy from the bio-base industry is responsible for one-third of the world’s economy. Many nations move toward this discipline of biological sciences to create new promising sources of income as well as to provide new job opportunities.
The program is designed to evolve continuously, to reflect new directions according to the needs of Omani society and the workplace, and to equip graduates with the intellectual and technical skills to respond to these changes over their lives through lifelong learning, enabling them to compete in the international arena. The Department of Applied Biotechnology (ABT) was initiated in 2011 at Sur College of Applied Sciences (CAS-Sur), Sur, Oman. Then, after the Royal Decree No. (76/2020) was issued in 2020 to establish the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) by merging the Colleges of Technology (COT) and Colleges of Applied Sciences (CAS), the ABT department became under the umbrella of UTAS as a part of the College of Applied Sciences and Pharmacy (CASP).
The department is offering a B.Sc. degree in three Applied biotechnology specializations; Marine Applied Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture Applied Biotechnology and Environmental Applied Biotechnology.
Dr. Sara Al-Araimi
Head of Department