The Department of Microbiology at St. Xavier’s College Mapusa, was started in June 1983, and was affiliated at that time to Bombay University. It was the first and only College in Goa to offer the subject at the B.Sc. level until 1989. Since June 1988, the Department is affiliated to Goa University and again was the first college in Goa to start and offer 6 Units in Microbiology at the undergraduate level.

In June 2017, the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) was implemented by Goa University; under this system, Honours Programme in Microbiology was offered at the third year of under graduate studies. Since June 2022 under the National Education Policy (NEP), the option for a three-year Degree Programme or a four-year Honours/Honours with Research Programme is available.

In 2021, the Department received a grant under the DBT STAR COLLEGE SCHEME.

In 2023, three faculty members of the Department were awarded recognition as PhD Guides by Goa University.

The Department of Microbiology is always buzzing with activity. All round formation of students is ensured through specially designed extra-curricular events. Hands on Training Workshops, Certificate Courses, Internship Programme, Study/Field Trips, Quiz, Peer Support Groups, Consultancy/Extension Services, Inter Collegiate Festival – Proteus, Outreach Programmes, Seminars/Webinars, Career Guidance talks, Mini Research Projects funded by GIPARD (Goa Institute of Public and Rural development) and Journal Club are some of the regularly conducted activities of the department. An e newsletter: Microscope – See the Unseen released annually by the department documents all the activities.

After B. Sc. in Microbiology students can pursue Masters degree in Microbiology, Marine Microbiology, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine, Marine Science, Biophysics, Biochemistry, Applied Genetics, Bioinformatics, Agricultural Microbiology, Veterinary Microbiology, Forensic Science, Integrated course for a Masters and Post Doctorate degree, Masters degree in Business Administration, Masters Degree in Hospital Administration, Masters degree in Nutrition & Dietetics Diploma in Medical Laboratory Techniques.

Students of Microbiology can seek employment as Executives in quality control in Food and Beverage based industries and Pharmaceutical based companies, Production Managers in Microbiology and Biotechnology based companies, Analysts in Pathology Laboratories and hospitals, Good Manufacturing Practice Auditors in industries, teachers/ professors in schools and colleges, Project Assistants in National Research Institutes, Officers in Pollution Control Board, Treatment Plants, Agriculture Departments and Environmental Agencies. Microbiologists can start up food processing units, biogas plants, waste management units, mushroom cultivation units, diagnostic centers and other small agro based industries.

Entering the campus gates for the first time, I felt unsure, unpolished and uncertain of what to expect. The microbiology laboratory with its tall obsidian benches and petri dishes neatly laid out seemed so alien to me, a novice to the world of science. I was initially intimidated by the crowd of multicoloured reagents and tubs burgeoning with cotton rounds which over time, became familiar fixtures of a space in which I would grow tremendously. Since graduating, I often think back to the first time I held a petri dish in my hands, trembling and unsteady as I did my best to streak my very first plate, a sharp contrast to the ease with which I was able to cast lines on the agar during my final year project. This is what I owe to St. Xavier’s, with the unrelenting support of everyone in the department, I was able to develop a surety and confidence in my laboratory skills and a robust backbone of my scientific fundamentals.

The coursework itself was very well-structured, building up information and complexity in a sequential manner. I still reminisce with great fondness at the lucid explanations doled out by my professors. This was of great help during my tedious preparation for the entrance exams to various programmes. The notes and slides provided during my time at Xavier’s still serve as reference material well after graduating. Apart from academics, I was presented with the opportunity to participate in a multitude of extra-curricular activities which unearthed a love for debate and public speaking. At the end of our second year, we were encouraged to pursue an internship, a formative experience for which I remain deeply grateful.

I came to St. Xavier’s naïve and timorous but by the time I left, I had found my footing and my voice as a future scientist all thanks to the support, mentorship and encouragement of all my professors and classmates.

– – Anezka Fonseca