MSc Admission Process, Eligibility, Entrance Exams, Top Colleges, Syllabus, Jobs and Salary, Genetics 2023

Q: Ques: Can the MSc genetics course be pursued in distance?

Ans- No, since this field requires practical learning so this course cant be pursued online.

Q: Ques: What are the job opportunities that a student can get with an MSc genetics?

Ans- Some of the common job opportunities that one can get includes -

Q: Ques: Is there any entrance exam for admission in colleges?

Ans Most of the colleges selects students based on the graduation marks. But some colleges might have entrance exams and further interviews in their selection process.

Q: Ques: What is the average course fee required for this course?

Ans The course fee required depends on the college. It generally varies from INR 5000 to 2 Lacs per annum.

Q: Ques: What is the duration of the MSc genetics course?

Ans- This course can vary from 2 years.

Q: Ques: What is the basic eligibility for this course?

Ans The students must be having a minimum of 50% - 55% in their under graduation level and qualify the suitable entrance exam also.

Q: Ques: In which job sector will the students get recruited after this course is done?

Ans- The most likely job sectors are academic, research labs, clinical labs, etc.

Q: Ques: What are the common subjects that are taught in the course?

Ans - Concepts of Genetics, Gene Expression and Regulation, Chromosomes, Genes, and Genomes Human Genetics, Biostatistics and Population Genetics, Molecular Plant Breeding are some of the subjects that you get to study during this course.

Q: Ques: Is the exam semester type or annual type?

Ans Generally the course has semester type exams.

Ahana Bhaduri

Senior Content Specialist

M.Sc. genetics is a specialized postgraduate course for students who are seeking to get a postgraduate degree in genetics. Masters in genetics is about studies on living organisms down to their genetic level. Students get to study about the various techniques, procedures that are involved in performing a genetic level experiment or to study the genomic makeup of a particular organism.

The curriculum is made in such a way so that the students get to study all the latest techniques and procedures that are to be carried out in a high profile laboratory in order to perform any experiment. DNA isolation, DNA fingerprinting, DNA sequencing, details about genomic marker studies, etc. are some of the important technical knowledge that is incorporated in the course.

See Also: MSc Genetics Colleges in India

The average fee charged by colleges who offer these M.Sc. genetics ranges from INR 5000 to 2 Lacs per annum. It can vary depending upon the college the student has chosen. The fees vary from private to government colleges.

The future prospects of this course are good. Students can choose to study further into this to gain an in-depth knowledge of the subject and pursue a postdoctoral degree course. The post-doctorate degree will add value to the candidate's profile and in the future, they can apply for various high profile jobs.

Those who don’t want to pursue any higher degree can apply for various public and private sector jobs. Job roles such as Professor, research scientists, Senior Scientific Officer – Molecular Genetics, Technical Assistant - Molecular Genetics, Associate Professor - Medical Genetics, National Sales Manager – Genetics, Sales & Marketing Executive, Principal Plant Breeder – Cotton, Partner Account Manager are some of the common career options. The average salary that one can expect after completing M.Sc. genetics ranges from INR 2 lacs to 8 lacs per annum depending on the job roles.

Table of Contents

MSc Genetics Course Highlights
What is M.Sc. Genetics all about?
Why Study?
Admission Process
4.1 Eligibility Criteria
4.2 Top Entrance Exams
4.3 How to Prepare for Entrance Exam
4.4 How to Get Admission in Top College
Syllabus
Top Colleges in India
6.1 College Comparison
Courses Comparison
Jobs and Career Options
Future Scope
FAQs

MSc Genetics Course Highlights

Course Level	Postgraduate
Full-Form	Master of Science
Duration	2 years
Examination type	Semester and annual
Eligibility	50% - 55% marks in Graduation
Admission Process	Merit-Based
Course Fee	INR 5000 to 2 lacs
Average Salary	INR 2 lacs to 8 lacs
Job Positions	Senior Scientific Officer – Molecular Genetics, Technical Assistant - Molecular Genetics, Associate Professor - Medical Genetics, National Sales Manager – Genetics, Sales & Marketing Executive, Principal Plant Breeder – Cotton, Partner Account Manager

What is M.Sc. Genetics all about?

M.Sc. genetics is a two-year post-graduation level course in which each year consists of two semesters, making it a total of four semesters in two years. For students who choose to pursue the course from distance, the duration may depend on the college.

Students who have successfully completed their undergraduate degree in microbiology, biotechnology, genetics, or any other life science subject from a recognized board of education are eligible for the postgraduate course of M.Sc. genetics. Most of the universities take admissions based on cut-offs, but some might ask for entrance exams.

Why Study MSc Genetics?

There are many benefits of pursuing an MSc in genetics. Some of them are:

Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of the genetic level work that is going on in the world and learn those techniques so that they can implement them in their own research.
With the rise of more and more diseases, studying at the genetic level and finding a cure for that is also becoming important, hence this is quite a flourishing field.
Placement is not like all other courses where companies come and recruit. Since this is a different field of study, the job roles of professors, research scientists, lab technicians, etc. are more common.
Salary packages offered are with the average salary of INR 2 lacs to 8 lacs per annum.
It will further open new doors to thriving career opportunities.

MSc Genetics Admission Process

Students get admission for the M.Sc. genetics course on the basis of their merit. Most of the colleges release a cut off percentage for the admission process. Students who are able to fulfill the cut off percentage in their graduation level score are most likely to get the admission.

Although some of the colleges prefer to give admission based on objective-based entrance exams. For that, the students need to qualify the entrance exam and have the required cut off percentage in their graduation level examination also. The application form will be available on the official website of the college or university, students can download it.

The step by step process for BSc Genetics Admission Process is mentioned below:

Step 1 - Apply for the entrance exam.

Students must apply for the entrance exam of the colleges where they wish to get admission. The notification for the application is generally released in the month of May-June.

Step 2 - Appear for the entrance exam.

Step 3 - Shortlisting Process.

The college will shortlist the candidates who are able to qualify the entrance exam and has the required marks in their graduation exam. They will have to then appear for the interview process.

Step 4 – The shortlisted students from the interview round will get admission.

MSc Genetics Eligibility

The eligibility for pursuing masters in gender studies is:

Since this is a master’s degree course, the main eligibility for admission is based on the graduation score of the candidates. The student must complete their graduation in Botany, Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Molecular Biology, and Biomedical Sciences, etc. with a minimum of 55% from a UGC recognized University. Along with that, some colleges might ask for entrance exam tests as a part of eligibility.
The students might have to sit for an interview round also after the entrance exam.

MSc Genetics Entrance Exams

There is some college-specific entrance exam for admission in MSc genetics. Students can get the details of those exams from the respective college websites. Some of the entrance exams are:

Some colleges have their own entrance exams for the admission process.

IIT JAM (Joint Admission Test) – It is an admission test conducted every year for admission into Master of Science and other post-graduate science programs at the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian.
NIPER JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) - National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research conducts a Joint Entrance Exam is a computer-based exam held every year for admissions in postgraduate courses in MPharm, MTech (Pharm), MBA (Pharm), and Ph.D. in pharmacy.
PGIMER - Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Entrance Exam is an entrance exam through which students can get admission to PGIMER Chandigarh.
DAVV Admission Non-CET – Through this entrance exam students can get admission in courses offered by Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore.
DU (Delhi University) PG Admission Test – Through this entrance exam, students can get admission in PG programs offered by DU.

Entrance Exams	Registration	Exam Dates
CUET PG	April 2023	June 1 – 10, 2023
BITSAT	February 2023	June 2023
NEST	February 2023	June 2023
IIT JAM	September 07 – October 11, 2023	February 12, 2023
DUET	April 2023	July 2023
TISS NET	December 14 – January 15, 2023	January 28 – February 28, 2023

How to Prepare for MSc Genetics Entrance Exams?

Students must have a clear idea about the syllabus and the pattern of the exam. The general syllabus includes:

Quant Section, Logical Reasoning, English.
Apart from this, there may be a technical section as well which will be having questions from the subject of interest.
Students can prepare well for these exams if they follow a timetable and give at least 2-3 hours a day for the preparation.
Before the exam try to solve as many mock tests and previous year papers as you can. This will help boost the confidence level before the exam.
Since the exams are time- based, the more the students will practice giving mock tests based on time, the faster they will get before the exam.
Some exams have negative markings, so students must be careful while attending the questions. They must attend only those questions which they are sure about.

How to get Admission in a Good MSc genetics College?

The requirements and tips required for getting admission in a good MSc Genetics College are mentioned below:

Since most of the top MSc genetics colleges have a requirement based on the graduation level marks, so the students must focus and prepare well for the exam so that they are able to score good marks and clear the eligibility.
Although most of the colleges have kept the graduation marks as eligibility, still some colleges might ask for further entrance exams and interviews. So students must prepare accordingly.
Students must keep a track of all the important dates of the entrance exams, counseling, and other admission related procedure dates so that they don’t miss any opportunities.
Students must look out for the reputation of the college that they want to study in. Details about the faculties, infrastructure, and placement record should be well checked before applying.
The placement record determines the standard of the college. So it is a must to choose colleges having a good placement record.

MSc Genetics Syllabus

The course is of two years. These two years are divided into 4 semesters.

Semester I	Semester II
Concepts of Genetics	Gene Expression and Regulation
Chromosomes, Genes, and Genomes	Human Genetics
Biostatistics and Population Genetics	Molecular Plant Breeding
Concepts in Cell and Molecular Biology	Introduction to Bioinformatics
Practical including continuous assessment	Practical including continuous assessment
Semester III	Semester IV
Students’ seminar	Developmental Biology
Recombinant DNA Technology	Drosophila Genetics
Plant Genetic Engineering	Genetics of Bacteria and Their Viruses
Elective Courses (any three)	Fungal Genetics
Practical including continuous assessment	Practical including continuous assessment

MSc Genetics Top Colleges

Top colleges that provide MSc Genetics along with the location and average annual fees are:

Name	City	Average annual course fee
Indian Agricultural Research Institute	New Delhi	INR 7,275
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad University of Technology	Kolkata	INR 60,000
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)	Coimbatore	INR 16,700
SRI Ramachandra University	Chennai	INR 66,667
Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU)	Hyderabad	INR 10,920
Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER)	Kolkata	INR 12,500
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)	New Delhi	INR 364
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)	Ludhiana	INR 12,876
Institute of Genetic Engineering	Kolkata	INR 98,000
Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI)	New Delhi	INR 6,750
Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI)	Bareilly	INR 9,075
Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture Technology and Sciences (SHIATS)	Allahabad	INR 40,000
Guru Nanak Institute	Kolkata	INR 1,23,000
Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology	Pantnagar	INR 33,424
Manipal University (MU)	Manipal	INR 99,500
University of Calcutta	Kolkata	INR 7,058

College Comparison

Comparing some of the best colleges that provide MSc Genetics are mentioned in the table below along with rankings, fees and salary:

College Name	Indian Agricultural Research Institute	Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)	Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
Overview	The institute is located in Delhi and is funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It has six departments where subjects related to agriculture are taught. It has various national and international collaborations.	The institute is located in Coimbatore, it is a UGC recognized university and was established in 1971. It has 14 colleges under it offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs.	This university is considered as one of the best institutes for postgraduate research. It offers UG, PG, and doctorate courses.
NIRF Ranking	NA	NA	8
Location	New Delhi	Tamil Nadu	New Delhi
Average Fees	INR 7,275	INR 16,700	INR 364
Average Placement	INR 2 lacs to 8 lacs

MSc Genetics Course Comparisons

The comparisons between MSc genetics vs MSc Biotechnology on the basis of various parameters are mentioned in the table below:

Parameters	MSc genetics	MSc Biotechnology
Qualification	Master of Science	Master of Science
Course Overview	A specialized course which deals with the studies of a living organism at their genetic level.	MSc in Biotechnology is a course that allows you to refine the skills and knowledge in subjects like cell biology, Immunology, and alike.
Course Duration	2 years	2 years
Graduates	Science Graduate	Science Graduate
Average Annual Fees	INR 5000 to 2 lacs	Up to INR 2 Lakhs per annum
Average Salary	INR 2 lacs to 8 lacs	Up to INR 9 Lakhs per annum
Colleges	Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), SRI Ramachandra University, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER)	Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Hyderabad.

MSc Genetics Jobs

After completing MSc genetics, students will get a good number of opportunities in various job sectors. Various job profiles such as- Senior Scientific Officer – Molecular Genetics, Technical Assistant - Molecular Genetics, Associate Professor - Medical Genetics, National Sales Manager – Genetics, Sales & Marketing Executive, Principal Plant Breeder – Cotton, Partner Account Manager, System Software Sales Specialist, System Administrator, Channel Enablement Specialist, Purchase Executive, Data Specialist - Advanced Analytics, Technical Team Leader, Package Solution Consultant, Technical Solution Manager, etc. are available for the MSc genetics to apply for.

Apart from jobs students can go for higher studies and pursue a Ph.D. in genetics or another related field in order to carry out more research etc.

The jobs available after studying MSc Genetics along with job position, job description and salary:

JOB POSITION	JOB DESCRIPTION	AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY
Professor	Professors are responsible for researching, teaching, and keeping up with existing research works in their areas of expertise.	7,00,000
Epidemiologist	An epidemiologist is responsible to investigate diseases including the collection and analyses of health information by field research, questionnaires, observation, and studies.	5,50,000
Biophysicist	Biophysicists are responsible to determine the effects of drugs, food, hormones, serums, and other substances on tissues and the important processes of living organisms.	2,00,000
Geneticists	Geneticists are responsible to utilize their knowledge to treat and guide patients with hereditary ailment or disorders.	5,00,000
Genomics	Genomics is in charge of examining samples of patients' DNA and RNA to identify genomic and genetic alterations that can be responsible for inherited and acquired ailment or conditions, such as cancer or cystic fibrosis.	5,00,000

MSc Genetics Scope

After completing MSc genetics, the students have options to either go for higher studies or apply for a suitable job position.

The option for pursuing higher studies will benefit the student in the long run as it would add more value and add knowledge to their career. Since this course or field of study is more research-oriented, so it is better to opt for higher studies as it will benefit in the future.
After completing the MSc genetics students can expect a job with an average salary ranging from 2-8 lakhs per annum.

MSc Genetics FAQ

Ques: Can the MSc genetics course be pursued in distance?

Ans- No, since this field requires practical learning so this course can’t be pursued online.

Ques: What are the job opportunities that a student can get with an MSc genetics?

Ans- Some of the common job opportunities that one can get includes -

Senior Scientific Officer – Molecular Genetics, Technical Assistant - Molecular Genetics, Associate Professor - Medical Genetics, National Sales Manager – Genetics, Sales & Marketing Executive, Principal Plant Breeder – Cotton, Partner Account Manager, System Software Sales Specialist, etc.

Ques: Is there any entrance exam for admission in colleges?

Ans – Most of the colleges selects students based on the graduation marks. But some colleges might have entrance exams and further interviews in their selection process.

Ques: What is the average course fee required for this course?

Ans – The course fee required depends on the college. It generally varies from INR 5000 to 2 Lacs per annum.

Ques: What is the duration of the MSc genetics course?

Ans- This course can vary from 2 years.

Ques: What is the basic eligibility for this course?

Ans – The students must be having a minimum of 50% - 55% in their under graduation level and qualify the suitable entrance exam also.

Ques: In which job sector will the students get recruited after this course is done?

Ans- The most likely job sectors are – academic, research labs, clinical labs, etc.

Ques: What are the common subjects that are taught in the course?

Ans - Concepts of Genetics, Gene Expression and Regulation, Chromosomes, Genes, and Genomes Human Genetics, Biostatistics and Population Genetics, Molecular Plant Breeding are some of the subjects that you get to study during this course.

Ques: Is the exam semester type or annual type?

Ans – Generally the course has semester type exams.