Microorganisms are the smallest living things, the oldest form of life on earth, ubiquitous in the biosphere and central to many of the essential life processes on earth. The microbiology curriculum emphasizes the uniqueness of microbial biology, its enormous diversity, and the biochemical basis of microbial life.
The curriculum examines the diverse roles of microorganisms and covers the fundamentals of microbial diversity, physiology and genetics. The focus is on microorganisms, microbial processes in natural and managed environments and their effects on human, animal, plant and environmental health. The curriculum provides students with a fundamental understanding of the various applications of microbes in biotechnology, the food industry, agriculture, and medicine. The curriculum examines the nature and activity of microbial populations in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the interactions within microbial communities, and biogeochemical cycles and energy flows. Recent advances in microbial molecular biology and biotechnology have led to an in-depth understanding of the physiology, genetics and taxonomy of microbes. The field of microbiology is a major contributor toward industrial development, human, animal and plant health, environmental integrity and agricultural productivity. Microbes are central to the food, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and are broadly utilized from food fermentations and biosynthesis to biodegradation of toxic chemicals.