SALISBURY, N.C. — Students can enroll now to take spring semester courses in Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s two, new associate-degree programs in biotechnology.

            RCCC’s spring 2008 semester starts Jan. 9. That’s also the launch date of RCCC’s new two-year programs in biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology. The AAS programs will prepare students for many of the technical and research positions being created by the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.

            Within the AAS program in biotechnology, students can start by taking a basic laboratory techniques course (BTC 181) and a genetics course (BIO 250). Students wanting to pursue an associate degree in agricultural biotechnology can take a plant science course (AGR 160) as well as BTC 181 and BIO 250.

            The AAS program in biotechnology will prepare students for jobs in biotechnology research and development. Program graduates may pursue employment as lab technicians, research assistants and quality control associates, and work with different types of employers, including small testing labs to large manufacturers, biotech companies, government laboratories, and research universities. Courses in the program emphasize the fundamentals of science and applied training using the types of equipment and technologies students will encounter in the workplace.

            The AAS program in agricultural biotechnology is designed to meet the increasing demand for skilled laboratory technicians in various fields of biological, chemical and agricultural technology. The program will prepare graduates to serve as research assistants to biologists and chemists, laboratory technicians and instrumentation technicians, and quality control/quality assurance technicians. Graduates may pursue positions with various industry, university and government employers, including jobs in research and development, manufacturing, sales, customer service, and the production of bioengineered crops.

            “These new biotechnology programs have been designed specifically to meet the future needs of employers at the North Carolina Research Campus,” said Wendy Jin, Ph.D., RCCC’s dean of biotechnology programs. “Students completing these programs will be well trained and positioned for successful careers in biotechnology.”

            RCCC also offers a biotechnology option in its AAS program in industrial engineering technology. The two-year program prepares students for facilities manager, engineering technician and project manager positions in manufacturing operations. In addition, the college is working to develop a bioprocessing program to train students for positions in bio-manufacturing.

            Through its Continuing Education department, RCCC offers the 140-hour “BioWork” course. BioWork is an introductory course combining the basics of manufacturing technology and the fundamentals of science. BioWork gives students a broad overview of the biotechnology industry and prepares them for entry-level bio-manufacturing, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs.

            A study commissioned by the City of Kannapolis in 2006 projects 2,220 new biotech jobs will come to the region by the end of 2008 and more than 13,900 such jobs by 2032.

            For more information about biotechnology programs at RCCC, contact the college’s biotechnology department at 704-216-7200, or visit the RCCC website at http://www.rowancabarrus.edu/biotechnology. For additional information about the BioWork course, call 704-216-7207, or send an e-mail to lovasg@rowancabarrus.edu.

           Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a comprehensive, community-based institution of higher learning, serving the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. RCCC offers approximately 40 programs of study in business, health and human services and engineering technologies at multiple campus locations. RCCC annually provides more than 2,000 course offerings, serving an enrollment of approximately 20,000 adult students. RCCC programs include an associate degree in arts and sciences, an associate degree in applied science, and diploma and certificate programs focusing on workforce training, continuing education and basic skills education.

           In addition, RCCC provides the education and job-training programs needed to meet many of the workforce demands of the North Carolina Research Campus, under construction in Kannapolis, N.C.

           For complete details, see the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu.