<p>To make a long story short, I am currently a double major in business (entrepreneurship concentration) and biology (very long story). Basically, I'm interested in getting involved in human genetics and genetic engineering after undergrad and I am considering grad school. I heard that it's better to have a strong science background when first entering the industry and to work up into the business aspect from there. However, the biotech industry is having a hard time finding people with the business sense and communication skills to rise up in their companies. That's where I want to get involved.</p>
<p>What is the difference between a grad degree (PhD or Masters) in bioengineering and biotechnology? Which one is better for career in human genetic engineering? Or are they about the same?</p>
<p>If you don't have any experience in engineering (ie, taken some engineering and higher math classes), then Bioengineering probably isn't the right fit. Bioengineering, at this point, seems to be concerned with stuff like tissue engineering and synthetic biology and computational problems. Of the two choices, Biotechnology seems to be a better fit--biotechnology is more concerned with genetic engineering, I think. (There is some overlap, though.) However, it seems like Genetics PhD programs could be worth looking into as well. Are there many Biotechnology PhD programs (I haven't looked, but I've only seen MS programs)?</p>
<p>Also, the wiki pages for Biotechnology and Bioengineering are worth looking at to show the distinction between them.</p>
<p>I, like sarbruis, also don't think there are many PhD programs in "biotechnology" specifically. </p>
<p>However, I would argue that that's just semantics. What matters is not what the program is called, but what it does. For example, at Berkeley, if you wanted to research genetic engineering, then the department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) would be your focus.</p>
<p>I didn't even know there are jobs in human genetic engineering at the moment. That's definitely the plan, though, but I think people are understandably worried about the safety of the payload delivery device. Traditional genetic engineering seems to be just recombinant DNA--ie, putting a few genes into a host organism and cranking out protein product to purify and sell.</p>
<p>Since bioengineering is not even defined, you have to look for specific professors whose research you find interesting. Here's an article talking about work done at UC-B a few years ago (but still ongoing) to design a virus that competes against HIV: Designer</a> Virus Stalks HIV. I think that's an example of human genetic engineering.</p>
<p>What they did falls under the category of "synthetic biology", which is what some people in Bioengineering departments do. Technically, it probably is biotechnology, but it's definitely considered bioengineering. I think you're right about recombinant DNA: that's what comes to mind when I see "genetic engineering". Bioengineering is a step beyond that.</p>
<p>I believe that if you're interested in the business and innovation aspect of genetic engineering - biotechnology programs might fit your interests a little better. Plus, with your current background, you will be significantly more competitive for them.</p>