Master of Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the useful application of a biological product or process. The process of commercialisation is inevitably required for a discovery to become applied and widely used.

Biotechnology is a growing area of applied science and covers a diversity of specialist fields. Disciplines that Biotechnology includes are; molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, plant and environmental sciences, engineering, drug development, nanofabrication, reproductive sciences, stem cells and genetically modified organisms. Modern medicine, agriculture, animal breeding, pharmaceuticals, food production and processing etc., all utilise various Biotechnology tools.

The core disciplines will focus on advances in key technologies, and will give the student the scientific understanding of how discoveries progress from the laboratory to the marketplace. This scientific knowledge will be developed together with an understanding of what is procedurally required to transform a discovery into a useful and commercialised product or process. This includes such areas as Intellectual Property, Market Structure, Drug Trial Design, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Management and Good Manufacturing Processes.

This professional entry program offers students the opportunity to undertake core science studies as well as professional skills modules, which provide high-level training in the areas of business, communications and science application.

As this program does not contain an independent research component, it is not a pathway to research higher degree studies such as PhD at the University of Melbourne.

Upon completion of this course, students should have:

• a detailed technical understanding of the key advanced methods used in the contemporary biotechnology sector;
• an appreciation of how these techniques are applied both in biotechnology and in advanced research;
• acquired the knowledge to enable them to critically appraise new data arising from the use of these techniques and to interpret the implications of such data;
• developed an understanding of the commercial, financial and regulatory context in which the biotechnology sector operates.

All students must complete 200 points including:

• Discipline Core subjects (62.5 points);
• Discipline Elective subjects (62.5 points);
• Professional Skills Core (50 points);
• Professional Skills Elective (25 points).

Discipline Core

Students must take:

Discipline Elective

Students who have not completed the equivalent of BCMB30002 Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics or GENE30002 Genes: Organisation and Function as part of their undergraduate studies should enrol in one of BCMB30002 or GENE30002 in their first semester of study.

Students must choose five of the following subjects, or BCMB30002/GENE30002 and four of the following subjects:

Professional Skills Core

Students must take:

Professional Skills Elective

Students must choose two of the following subjects:

An undergraduate degree with a major in a Life Science or Chemistry and at least 65% in the major or equivalent. As part of their degree studies, applicants must have completed an appropriate sequence of at least 25 points of second-year university-level genetics or biochemistry or equivalent subjects.

The Master of Biotechnology welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and degree policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student’s participation in the degree. The Master of Biotechnology requires all students to enrol in subjects where they will require:
(1) the ability to comprehend complex science and technology related information;
(2) the ability to clearly and independently communicate a knowledge and application of science, and technology principles and practices during assessment tasks;
(3) the ability to actively and safely contribute in clinical, laboratory, and fieldwork/excursion activities.

Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students. There may be additional inherent academic requirements for some subjects, and these requirements are listed within the description of the requirements for each of these subjects. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting this requirement are encouraged to discuss this matter with the relevant Subject Coordinator and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Graduates will have the ability to demonstrate advanced independent critical enquiry, analysis and reflection; have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship; have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s); reach a high level of achievement in writing, project activities, problem-solving and communication; be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning; be able to examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines; have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment; be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces.

National Professional Science Master’s Association (NPSMA)(http://www.npsma.org//)