About Msc Biotechnology in Aberystwyth University

The Biotechnology  MSc within the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) provides you with key skills, specialist knowledge and essential training for a career in industrial or academic bioscience. Increasingly, biotechnology companies are recruiting Master’s students with specialised skills to perform jobs previously the reserve of Doctorate level scientists.

At the end of the course you will be able to meet the challenges of biotechnology, demonstrate critical thinking and solve problems, exploit opportunities,  and know how ideas can be turned into viable businesses or a successful grant application.

In the first 2 semesters the course focuses on 2 key areas of biotechnology: industrial fermentation (manufacturing processes, feedstock pretreatment, fermentation, and the biorefining of low cost feedstocks to high value products) and plant biotechnology (synthetic biology, gene editing, precision genome modification, transformation technologies, up and down gene regulation and silencing, and gene stacking). In addition you will receive practical training in state of the art molecular and analytical bioscience techniques and technologies, learn of marine, food and health biotechnology, and how the sustainable use of bio-resources and bioscience can help meet the needs of the growing human population. All course modules are delivered by academics and professional practitioners at the forefront of activity in the field.

 In the final semester you will work on your own research project with your dissertation supervisor. This could be a project of your own design and will focus on an aspect of biotechnology that you found particularly interesting, it may even be something that you want to develop as a busines idea in the future. During your dissertation project you will use the knowledge and the skills that you gained during the first 2 semesters. Your dissertation project will give you an opportunity to become an expert in your topic and to develop research skills that will prepare you for your future career in biotechnology. Your tutor will mentor you in hypothesis driven experimental design, train you in analytical techniques e.g. gas and liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, vibrational spectroscopy, fermentation, product isolation, biomass processing, the analyis of complex experimental data, and the formation of robust conclusions. You will also be guided in writing your dissertation .

Career

There is great demand nationally and internationally for skilled graduates in Biotechnology, indeed the UK Biotechnology and Biological research Council (BBSRC) have made ‘Bioenergy and Biotechnology’ a strategic priority for science funding. 

Biotechnology is a rapidly expanding sector providing employment opportunities for a wide range of biotechnology graduates. In the UK alone the industry employs 160,000 people and has annual revenues of £50 billion. 

In a survey of major life science firms conducted by Deloitte 32% of the of respondents said they were going to diversify their employee base, hiring skilled graduates from more countries and with a wider range of expertise thus demonstrating a buoyant labour market within the life science area. In addition, an IBM survey of CEOs in the life science sector reported that 63% of respondents agreed that their firms were changing the mix of capabilities and assets (which includes training of personnel), demonstrating an increasing interest in employing graduates from innovative areas such as Biotechnology.  

The number of jobs in Biotech is increasing worldwide, for example Biotechnology Research and Development jobs in Singapore doubled to 12,000 between 2000 and 2008. In addition according to IEEE Board of Directors no single occupation is expected to have more job growth over the next decade, and employment of biotechnology engineers is expected to grow by 72% between 2008 and 2018. The USA saw a 5% growth between 2009 and 2010 in Biotechnology jobs with 112,000 people employed. As reported in the US Government’s Monthly Labour Review January 2012. Biotechnology engineers are the 3rd fastest growing occupation according to employment projections.

Our students are provided with a range of vocational skills to enable them to enter professional employment in the Biotechnology sector or in research.

Academic qualification equivalents:

• We normally accept a minimum of 55% or GCPA 6.0 in a relevant Bachelors degree from a recognised institution. Non-graduates with at least 2 years of relevant full-time work experience are welcome to apply. In this case your application will be assessed on an individual basis.

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS          :         6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component 
• TOEFL         :        93 with minimum component scores:Reading 18, Listening 17, Speaking 20, Writing 17.
• PTE             :         62 with minimum scores of 51 in each component 

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