Degree type: MSc/PGDip
UCAS Code: Apply directly to the University
Duration: 12 months (full-time)
Why choose this course?
This course is designed for bioscience graduates who wish to further their careers in medical 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 medical biotechnology and provide the opportunity for students to specialise in areas such as human disease, human reproductive biology and microbial biotechnology.
Students will undertake a research project that may act as a stepping stone to a research career. This involves undertaking a specialised research project, often taken in a research institute or medical biotechnology company outwith the University.
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) Medical Biotechnology.
The core themes of the course are molecular & cellular biology, human disease, medical pharmacology & toxicology, medical microbiology, the application of biotechnology in an industrial context and an experimental analytical biotechnology module. Optional specialist modules include reproductive science & bioethics, or human & animal cell biology.
Students in this programme will gain experience in the use of a wide range of biotechnological tools and techniques to analyse and solve medical biotechnology problems. There is a strong emphasis on fundamental concepts, practical hands-on laboratory-based training and the development of transferable skills particularly critical analysis, presentation skills, project management, independent self-study skills and creativity.
The final five-month medical biotechnology project will take place either within an Abertay research group or will be a placement within a world-class company, university or research institute situated either locally, nationally or internationally.
The programme is underpinned by the activities of Abertay research teams focusing on molecular biology and cancer, the Scottish Informatics, Mathematics, Biology and Statistics Centre (SIMBIOS) and a leading biotechnology research team. The course benefits from interaction with existing postgraduate courses in Biotechnology, Food Biotechnology, Environmental Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.
Students will study a fixed core syllabus, plus one option module choice, of medically-focused biotechnology modules during the first and second semesters, which will lead towards a Masters project accounting for a third of the total credits necessary for the award.
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.
Candidates with alternative qualifications and/or appropriate work experience will also be considered on an individual basis.
Overseas/EU
All applicants are required to provide certified proof of competence in English Language and the University's minimum requirements are listed here
Your future
Graduates from this programme are ideally placed to apply for positions in the rapidly growing medical biotechnology sector in the UK and abroad. We also have a proven track record of preparing our graduates for further studies towards PhD and in careers as academic and industrial research scientists.
| 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 PG Dip element and is completed within the same academic year as started. Fees may be subject to increase.
