About the Program

M.Sc. in Microbiology

Syllabus and Scheme of Examination : For students admitted till academic year 2018-19

Revised syllabus as per CBCS mode : Implemented from academic year 2019-20:

Program/ Course outcomes

M.Sc. Time table:

The Department of Microbiology runs a full time two-year program of four semesters, leading to award of Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Microbiology. The curriculum is designed to train the students in basic and advanced areas of Microbiology, keeping in mind the latest advances in the field.  Particular emphasis is laid on the practical aspects of the field. Students are taught how to plan experiments, perform them carefully, analyze the data accurately, and present the results both, qualitatively and quantitatively. To enable them to develop speaking and presentation skills they are encouraged to deliver seminars on a wide range of topics covering the different areas of Microbiology. This also  leads them into reading about different themes and enhances their assimilation abilities. A major component of their course is a research project they work on in their final semester.  The student is guided in choosing a research problem, executing experiments related to it, collecting data and analyzing it, and presenting the results in the form of an oral presentation as well as a thesis. The student presents his/ her research orally at the end of the semester, and this is coupled to a viva-voce. This not only equips the student for a career in research/ industry, but also fosters self-confidence and self-reliance in the student as he/she learns to work and think independently.

The program includes four semesters of course work. The students are offered basic and advanced level courses in Microbial Diversity, Microbial Physiology, Virology, Immunology, Enzymology, Environmental Microbiology, Microbial Pathogenicity, Molecular biology, Microbial Genetics, Recombinant DNA technology, Industrial Microbiology and Food Microbiology, and Bioinformatics. The Second Year students work on projects under the supervision of the different faculty members and submit a dissertation at the end of their training.

Admission criteria for MSc (Microbiology):

Merit and Entrance test based

Number of seats:  

Fifteen for academic year 2021-22.

Scheme of evaluation:

The M.Sc. Microbiology Program is of two years’ duration and is divided into two parts, Part I and Part II. Each part is of a one-year duration and consists of two semesters. Semesters I, II and III have a uniform course structure. In each of these semesters the students are required to study four theory papers of 100 marks each (four credit courses), and one practical paper of 200 marks (eight credit course). One of the four theory papers in Semester II is an Interdisciplinary paper offered by another department

Semester IV consist of only one theory paper of 100 marks (four credit Interdisciplinary paper), and a dissertation paper of 500 marks. The students are required to start working on their dissertation at the beginning of Semester III and continue till the end of Semester IV. For the dissertation paper, the students are evaluated by continuous assessment, dissertation/ thesis, oral presentation and viva-voce. This evaluation is done during and at the end of Semester IV.

Thirty percent of the marks of all theory, practical and dissertation papers are reserved for continuous internal evaluation: Internal Assessment (IA). Each theory examination is of three hours durations and practical examination is of 16 hours duration (8 hours + 8 hours) over two days.

The details regarding Syllabus and Scheme of Examination for M.Sc. Microbiology program offered by the department can be downloaded here and Program/ Course outcomes here.