About Biology - Molecular Cell Biology With Bioinnovation (msc) in University College Cork

The MSc in Molecular Cell Biology with Bioinnovation is a unique course aimed at highly-motivated students with an interest in biomedical research in the areas of cancer biology, infection/immunity or molecular neuroscience and entrepreneurial thinking. The course will provide you with a truly interdisciplinary educational experience by combining advanced discipline-specific training with core scientific research, technical expertise and business skills.

The course will consist of lectures, tutorials, hands-on workshops and a research dissertation based on individual research.

Core scientific modules (25 credits):

• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Human Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering Techniques
• Biological and Clinical Perspectives of Human Disease

Scientific skills-development modules (10 credits): 

• Biotechniques
• Scientific Communication of Current Topics in Molecular Cell Biology 

Core business modules (10 credits): 

• Marketing for High Technology Entrepreneurs
• Technology and Business Planning

Elective modules (select one of the following 5 credit modules): 

• Creativity and Opportunity Recognition
• Innovation Finance
• Intellectual Property Law for High-Tech Entrepreneurs

Research Project (40 credits):

You will select a project offered by internationally-renowned research groups from the Schools of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Microbiology and Anatomy/Neuroscience. With three primary research themes – cancer biology, infection/immunity and molecular neuroscience, you will complete a six-month project based on individual research in one of these themes and compile the results into an MSc dissertation on completion.

You will gain invaluable hands-on, practical experience in experimental design, implementation and data interpretation and develop a wide array of transferable skills, including written and verbal communication; data recording, analysis and presentation; critical evaluation of published material; learning to work collaboratively and independently as well as project and time-management. Further details on the content and modules are available on the Postgraduate College Calendar

A distinctive feature of the MSc in Molecular Cell Biology with Bioinnovation is that you will receive formal innovation and technology commercialisation training through modules from the College of Business and Law at UCC.

With three primary research themes – cancer biology, infection/immunity and molecular neuroscience, you will select projects with internationally-renowned research groups from the Schools of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Department of Anatomy/Neuroscience, following the completion of discipline-specific modules.

You will not only possess excellent research and technical skills on graduation but also the necessary business development and commercialisation skills for life science innovation.

STUDENT AWARDS

At Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneurs 2015 competition in the ‘Best New Idea’ category, UCC student Blaine Doyle won the top prize of a €20,000 investment for GlowDX, a company that is setting out to diagnose neglected tropical diseases like Dengue fever in developing countries. Blaine co-founded GlowDX with Yensi Flores Bueso, both students in the MSc in Molecular Cell Biology with Bioinnovation at UCC. 

There was over 1,400 applications to Local Enterprise Offices for this year’s competition, 24 finalists from 17 counties competed for the overall title, and nine of those made a live pitch to the judging panel in the final round.

Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur Competition was supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the network of Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland and Google.

Skills and Careers Information

You will be ideally positioned to enter into a PhD after graduation, but could also pursue a number of career paths including technology transfer officer within higher education institutions and national agencies, R&D project manager, commercialisation manager within a life science start-up, or development manager within the pharmaceutical sector. The course will also equip you with the skills required to develop your own start-up venture.

A first destination survey of our inaugural class of 2012-13 has revealed that 100% of graduates are in employment or further education within one year of completing the MSc in Molecular Cell Biology with Bioinnovation.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Applicants should have an honours degree in a related subject.
• Indian applicants will normally be required to achieve a first class/first division mark in their undergraduate programme at a good institution of higher education in India. At the discretion of academic departments, students with degrees awarded by top universities such as the University of Mumbai, University of Delhi, University of Calcutta, and the University of Pune, may be accepted with high second class/high second division marks. 

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS: 6.5  Minimum individual sections 5.5
• TOEFL: TOEFL 90  Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing 17
• PTE: 63 Minimum individual sections 51

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