Biotechnology MSc, PgDip

This programme consists of two semesters of taught courses followed by a research project or industrial placement, leading to a dissertation.

Compulsory courses

All students must take the following:

• Economics and Innovation in the Biotechnology Industry
• Intelligent Agriculture
• Research Project Proposal
• MSc Dissertation (Biotechnology).

Compulsory Courses - Options

In addition to the above compulsory courses, all students will need to choose 10 additional credits from this list of compulsory courses:

• Principles of Industrial Biotechnology
• Metagenomic Analysis of Microbial Communities

Optional courses:

Students may choose 80 further credits from the following list: (each semester students should take 60 credits)

• Applications of Synthetic Biology
• Automation and Industry
• Biobusiness
• Biochemistry A & B
• Biodesign
• Bioinformatics Programming & System Management
• Drug Discovery
• Commercial Aspects of Drug Discovery
• Enzymology and Biological Production
• Gene Expression and Microbial Regulation
• Industry & Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology
• Innovation-driven Entrepreneurship
• Introduction to Bioinformatics for the Life Sciences
• Molecular Modelling and Database Mining
• Origins of Synthetic Biology
• Practical Skills in Biochemistry A & B
• Programming for the Life Sciences
• Social Dimensions of Systems and Synthetic Biology
• Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
• Tools for Synthetic Biology
• Vaccines and Molecular Therapies

Research and laboratory work

There will be a considerable practical element to the programme. You will work in a biotechnology laboratory and learn how experimental technology is designed and operated.

Industrial placement

Your dissertation can be based on a laboratory-based project or an industrial placement. You can work with employers in the thriving Scottish biotechnology sector in areas such as multiple sclerosis research (Aquila BioMedical), vaccines research (BigDNA) or biorecovery and bioregeneration (Recyclatec).

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

The programme will open up a wide variety of career opportunities, ranging from sales and marketing, to research and development, to manufacturing and quality control and assurance.

2020 entry:

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, with a strong background in biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, chemistry, pharmacy, chemical engineering, plant sciences or related sciences.

2021 entry:

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, with a strong background in biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, chemistry, pharmacy, chemical engineering, plant sciences or related sciences, with evidence of quantitative and computer science skills.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component

• TOEFL-iBT: total 92 with at least 20 in each section

• PTE Academic: total 61 with at least 56 in each of the Communicative Skills scores

• CAE and CPE: total 176 with at least 169 in each paper

• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Featured funding

• School of Biological Sciences Taught Postgraduate Bursaries

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments. The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on your programme, the duration of your studies, and your residency status. (Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.)

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding