Degree type: MSc/PGDip
UCAS Code: Apply directly to the University
Duration: 12 months (full-time)
This course is designed for bioscience graduates who wish to further their careers in biotechnology by extending their current qualifications and experience. The one-year course involves two semesters of taught modules followed by a semester of project work.
The taught course modules include theoretical, practical and applied elements of biotechnology and provide the opportunity for students to specialise in areas such as plant, animal (including human), and microbial biotechnology.
Students may select one of two optional project structures. The first, for those who wish to use the MSc award as a stepping stone to a research career, involves a specialised research project, often taken in a research institute or biotechnology company outwith the University. The second option offers practical investigative skills encompassing a broad range of cellular and molecular biological, analytical and data processing systems, and is recommended for students who wish to maximise their potential for employment or further study.
Those exiting the course after successful completion of the taught component (i.e. Postgraduate Diploma) would be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) Biotechnology.
The core themes of the course are molecular biology, bioinformatics, the application of biotechnology in an industrial context, experimental analytical biotechnology, and review modules on subjects chosen by students. Optional specialist modules include genome structure and function, animal cell biology, human molecular genetics, plant biotechnology and microbial biotechnology.
How you learn
An integrated programme of lectures, tutorials, seminars, laboratory assignments and case studies are used to enhance your knowledge and understanding. Both the research and investigative project routes are designed to allow you to apply your studies in a new context.
How you are assessed
A combination of written submissions, seminar and webpage presentations, laboratory reports and formal examinations are used throughout the programme with the most appropriate form of assessment being chosen for the topics being assessed.
Applicants should normally have an Honours degree in a biological science with a significant cellular or molecular biology component, although those holding an acceptable equivalent qualification and/or experience will be considered.
Overseas/EU
All applicants are required to provide certified proof of competence in English Language and the University's minimum requirements are listed here
As students on this course will discover, Dundee is the perfect place to study biotechnology as the city has one of the largest clusters of life sciences organisations in the UK. It is a centre for world-renowned medical, plant and environmental research and a thriving base for new industries.
Consequently, we are able to provide students with the experience of visiting laboratories and industries within the locality as well as provide students with access to important information and networking organisations such as BioDundee. With one of the largest life science and research communities outside of Oxford and Cambridge, Dundee is forging a growing reputation within the life sciences with more than 2200 people employed in the life science sector, working in some of the most significant research areas in the UK.
Taking a wider view, biotechnology companies and this sector are growing extremely rapidly, at around 30% per annum. Scotland is a genuine centre of excellence for life sciences, and Scotland's life sciences industry is one of the most vibrant in Europe - employing over 25,000 people. In Scotland alone, there are now over 250 dedicated biotechnology companies.
Having completed the course, students will have the skills to go on to make a significant contribution to one of many sectors in the UK and overseas: postgraduate research laboratories and universities, government research institutes, biotechnology companies and contract research centres. All of these sectors offer an exciting and fulfilling career. And each of them is recruiting highly skilled, well informed and creative graduates in biotechnology.
For further information on career opportunities, please email the University's careers office: careers@abertay.ac.uk
Specialist facilities
A range of well equipped, modern laboratories are available for use by biotechnology students. In addition to this, the Scottish Informatics, Mathematics, Biology & Statistics (SIMBIOS) research facility at Abertay provides students with access to top class researchers working in the exciting field of biology and computing.
The University is also host to the Systems Pathology Group (Cancer Research), the Yeast Research Group, the Urban Water Technology Centre, Abertay Food Innovation Centre, as well as to researchers in microbiology, physiology, molecular biology, environmental chemistry, nanotechnology and atomic force microscopy.
The School of Contemporary Sciences (home of MSc Biotechnology) contributed to recent RAE submissions in three subject areas: Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, General Engineering, and the Allied Health Professions. Abertay is ranked the best post-1992 university in Scotland for Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, and second best in the UK.
More information
MSc Biotechnology
| Fee Category | September 2012 Fees |
Scholarships & Bursaries |
| Scottish and other EU students |
£3,400 |
Other forms of support |
| English, Welsh and Northern Irish students |
£7,000 |
Bursaries & Scholarships |
| Overseas (non EU) students |
£9,975 |
Overseas Scholarships |
Fee quoted is the total cost providing that the MSc follows on immediately after the PGDip element and is completed within the same academic year as started. Fees may be subject to increase.
