Dr Porter sent me an article on a possible new trend in hiring biotechicians. Companies are now going back to students with a 4 year degree. Interestingly we are seeing the same thing in Austin ---at least in the companies that are being bought by larger companies whose HR are out of state. One of our two year students, Isabel James, is now going back to UT to get her 4 year degree because of this trend. She will find that UT is actually offering less lab instruction in upper division courses -while in the two year ACC Biotech Program we continue to focus on this lab based education and continue to change what we teach at the bench based on evolving workforce trends. However, she will learn more Microbiology and more Immunology --especially since we had to cut essential courses from our degree/certificate programs as a result of the 60 hour rule in Texas for 2 year programs. So where does this leave us and other two year programs? Do we have to become a 4 year program like so many other two year programs? Are 4 year programs going to take up the slack in lab bench skills and reverse their trend of decreasing laboratory education in upper division courses?
