It's a good week to call to NUI Maynooth's biotechnology department. The sun is shining, the campus is still leafy and senior lecturer Sean Doyle has just secured a major research grant from the European Union for his work on parvoviruses.

These viruses can cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. It is estimated that there are about 50 cases of foetal loss in Ireland each year due to the little-known parvovirus. Doyle and collaborators (including his former employer Biotrin) will use the £1.5 million grant to try to gain a better understanding of the virus as well as looking at ways of improving disease diagnosis. Other research in the biotechnology department spans fungal and plant biotechnology, immunology, bacterial and animal genetics and bioinformatics.

This may all seem somewhat irrelevant to second-level students trying to choose an undergraduate course. But lively research, carried out by enthusiastic staff, makes a department a more attractive place to study, at any level. Looking ahead, it can also offer exciting postgraduate opportunities.

NUI Maynooth introduced a four-year degree in biotechnology in 1996. Demand has been strong, says Doyle. Cut-off points were a reasonable 330 this year. Even better news for would-be students is that class size is small and the attrition rate is low. This year, 23 students will graduate, from an initial class of 25. "A smaller group, in a denominated degree, tends to work together as a unit," says Doyle. This year, the college has admitted 32 first-year students.

The two undergraduate teaching labs in the Callan building, on NUI Maynooth's north campus, are well equipped, with sophisticated audio-visual equipment. In first year, students are brought up to speed in the basic sciences. They take biology, chemistry, maths and a choice of computer science, experimental or mathematical physics. This year is common with the biology students but they attend additional tutorials, says Doyle.

It is possible for students to change their mind after first year and ask for a transfer to a more general biology programme. Each request is treated on its own merits. However, Doyle says the requests tend to come from the other direction, with biology students asking for a transfer into biotechnology. Again, this is a possibility, with each request considered separately on its own merits. It should not be looked upon as an automatic transfer option.

"In second year, students study biotechnology in all its aspects from fermentation to molecular biology to immunodiagnostics. We also bring students out to companies so they can see biotechnology in action in real life," says Doyle.

In third year, students study biotechnology at honours level and chemistry at general level. Fourth-year courses are totally dedicated to biotechnology, including business aspects of the discipline, and safety and legal requirements. Students undertake a literature project and practical classes in advanced lab-based procedures.

And, if that's not enough to keep them amused, there is also an industrial placement in fourth year, which may be completed in Ireland or abroad. The list of companies using biotechnology ranges from food and dairy, to pharmaceutical, waste management, industries based on new technologies in plant and animal breeding, micropropagation and pest control. Local authorities and semi-State bodies also employ biotechnologists. For instance, Bord na M≤na has an extensive analytic facility in Newbridge, Co Kildare, says Doyle.

"Students usually work with a senior person doing standard lab work, although they can occasionally do a project. The student may be paid during this placement but it is not guaranteed. Many companies offer work the following summer and some offer permanent jobs after graduation. Starting salaries are in the region of £16,000 per annum.

"Biotechnology is about commercialising biological discoveries to create wealth and employment. There are plenty of job opportunities. The economic downturn has had zero impact. I've had three letters from companies looking for graduates in the past week. I can't say more than that."