Biotechnology

60 - 120.

Faculty of Pharmacy

50

The main aims of the Masters in Molecular Biotechnology are:
1. To provide graduates and professionals engaged in biomedical, industrial, pharmaceutical, agricultural, food, and environmental activities, and all those interested in basic biotechnology and biotechnological processes and products, with a thorough conceptual and methodological training in Biotechnology.
2. To train professionals in these techniques so as to meet the requirements of the increasing number of biotechnological companies in Spain and to shorten the time-lag (currently excessive) between basic discoveries and their practical application.
3. To further understanding of biotechnological applications in the sustainability of production systems and environmental bioremediation.
4. Diffusion of management methods and techniques both in the research and business sectors.
5. To provide students with an understanding of the legislation regulating the patenting and biosafety of biotechnological products.

The Masters will also include the significant contributions being made within Biotechnology from emerging disciplines, such as Bioinformatics, Nanobiotechnology and Synthetic Biology (which seeks to design new genetic, molecular, and cellular circuits and the synthesis of new genomes).
The Masters in Molecular Biotechnology is designed specifically for graduates and professionals engaged in biomedical, industrial, pharmaceutical, agricultural, food, and environmental activities, and all those interested in basic biotechnology and biotechnological processes and products, and guarantees an excellent grounding in the techniques and methods of biotechnology. In addition, the Masters program provides students with the necessary foundation to undertake doctorate studies in biotechnology or related fields.
In order to meet the wide range of aims outlined above the program is built upon a broad interdisciplinary and interdepartmental basis with the involvement of several UB faculties and departments.
On completion of the course students are equipped with a broad range of skills that are highly coveted in many sectors of industry and biotechnology. They also have the ability to develop and apply new ideas for biotechnological processes and to undertake research projects. This Masters program gives students the tools to guarantee an individualised, autonomous training oriented towards their complete social development.

Candidates seeking admission to the Masters program should:
- Submit an application form together with their academic record to the selection committee.
- Outline their reasons for wishing to undertake the course in biotechnology in a letter addressed to the committee.
- Demonstrate that they have a good working knowledge of English and one of the official languages spoken in Catalonia (Catalan or Spanish).

The committee will draw up a shortlist of candidates, who might then be requested to attend for interview (to be conducted in Catalan, Spanish or English).
On the basis of the candidates' academic record and performance at interview, a list of successful applicants will then be published.

Applicants must be university graduates in one of the following subjects: Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Medicine, Veterinary Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Agriculture and Forestry, Environmental Science, Food Science and Technology, Marine Sciences and Computer Science. Applicants from abroad holding a degree in one of these subjects may also apply for admission. Given the potential variety of subjects studied by students in their undergraduate degree, the Masters program includes a number of foundation courses to provide students with an introduction to certain essential areas they might not have studied before. Students are also offered a wide choice of options so they can adapt their studies to their own interests and future professional needs. The program coordinators will be happy to advise students on which foundation courses and optional courses best meet their needs.


Graduates in Biology, Medicine, Veterinary Science, Pharmacy, Biochemistry, Food Science and Technology in particular will have the necessary grounding in biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology to be able to follow the Masters in Molecular Biotechnology with success. However, graduates in other subjects, who have first completed the required foundation courses, should also be able to complete the program successfully.

Students must demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to tackle problems in the field of biotechnology and that they are able to think originally and make clear reasoned decisions that take into consideration social and ethical questions.

Specific skills:
- To be able to search for, obtain and interpret information from the main biological databases (genomic, proteomic, trascriptomic, metabolomic) and use basic bioinformatic tools.
- To be able to apply genetic engineering techniques correctly to achieve a given goal.
- To be familiar with the design and functioning of a bioreactor.
- To understand the applications of microorganisms and plants in bioremediation, pest control, etc. nbsp;
- To be able to identify the most appropriate tools for the genetic modification of microorganisms, animals, and plants.
- To be able to design and carry out a complete purification protocol of a molecule, organelle, and cell fraction.
- To have an integrated view of the R&D&I process from the discovery of new basic knowledge to the development of specific applications of this knowledge and the market launch of new biotechnological products.
- To be able to search for and obtain information from the main patent databases and to complete an application for the patent of a biotechnological product.
- To know how to apply the evaluation criteria of a biotechnological risk.
- To have an integrated perspective of the control of gene expression and metabolism in order that the activity of cell compartments can be related.
- To be able to design a market research project for a biotechnological product.
- To be familiar with the methods of biotechnological procedures applied in the environment.
- To have an awareness of, and to be able to analyse, the financial factors leading to the expansion of the biotechnological market.
- To know the principles and techniques of cell cultures and cell engineering.
- To know the different general molecular and cellular processes involved in disease.
- To know the general principles of the mechanisms of drug action, the indications of the main drug groups and the design process of new drugs.
- To know the legislation regulating the use of biotechnological products in the field of biosafety.
- To apply new technology and the advances made in this field using bioinformatics.
- To be able to analyse international developments in biotechnology and their regulations and compare them with national developments.
- To acquire the practical skills needed to work in this sector.
- To understand the principles of scientific communication between the members of the professional and academic community, with other sectors and with the media.
- To be able to communicate effectively with the scientific, professional and academic community, with other sectors and with the media.

Cross-disciplinary skills
- Ability to think logically, critically and creatively in the workplace.
- Appreciation of the value and limitations of scientific method.
- Ability to respond to a given situation as and when it arises.
- Great respect for ethics and intellectual integrity.
- Ability to search for, obtain, organize and interpret biotechnological information and information of biotechnological application in a variety of sources.
- Ability to be self-critical and an awareness of the need for continuous personal development.
- Ability to work autonomously and to demonstrate initiative.
- Ability to work as a member of a team work. To be aware of the diversity of knowledge within the field of biotechnology.
- Ability to adapt to new situations.
- Ability to develop critical reasoning.
- Creativity and leadership skills.
- Environmental awareness and of the organisms that inhabit it.