MSc Biotechnology

Program Overview

Loughborough University's MSc Biotechnology program combines engineering and technology to address global challenges in bioprocessing, healthcare, and medicine. Through practical work and research projects, students develop expertise in genetic engineering, downstream processing, and technological entrepreneurship, preparing them for careers in the rapidly expanding biotechnology industry. The program offers access to state-of-the-art facilities and a team of renowned academics, ensuring a high-quality learning experience.

Program Outline

As a biotechnology-focused engineer, you'll work towards tackling global issues in bioprocessing, healthcare, and medicine. The program emphasizes practical work, providing valuable experience for your future career. You'll be immersed in the university's research-intensive environment and complete your own biotechnology-focused research project, working alongside internationally respected research teams.

Outline:

Semester 1:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Lab Techniques for Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering:
This module develops competency in various practical research techniques used in microbiology, genetics, and molecular biology relevant to biotechnology and biomedical engineering. It also aims to advance students' knowledge and understanding of laboratory practices associated with biotechnology and biomedical engineering research and apply this knowledge to practical biological experiments. Students will implement a working knowledge of the scientific method by deploying experimental design and advanced skills in collecting, processing, and interpreting biological information. This module concludes with a dedicated integrated biotechnology and biomedical engineering focused interdisciplinary mini-project. Students will gain knowledge of various basic molecular biology techniques and how to apply them for gene manipulation and solving genetic engineering problems. The module explores the application of genetic engineering tools and techniques in various fields of biotechnology, including medical, industrial, and environmental biotechnology. Finally, students will analyze and compare a range of biotechnological processes, both existing and potential new ones, through the application of genetic engineering techniques. It also develops knowledge and understanding of data analysis techniques and their application.
• Optional Modules (Choose one):
It focuses on comparing and contrasting various sensing design elements and critically appraising biosensors for laboratory and clinical environments, including characteristics such as sensitivity, selectivity, and biocompatibility.

Semester 2:

• Compulsory Modules:
• Technological Entrepreneurship: This module provides students with advanced knowledge and understanding of a broad set of concepts associated with innovation, intellectual property, and commercialisation aspects focusing on the biotechnology and biomedical engineering fields.
• Advances in Biomaterials: This module appraises types and properties of materials that can be used for biomedical applications, derived from renewable sources, or degraded in biological environments.
It analyzes how material composition and micro
anostructure influence biological environments and degradation processes and assesses the design and development of materials of biological relevance or from renewable sources.
• Basic Science and Regenerative Therapy: This module aims to develop an understanding of regenerative medicine in sports medicine, focusing on the anatomy and physiology of the musculoskeletal system (MSK), abnormal pathologies of the MSK, including disease, injury, and ageing, and current regenerative techniques and therapies and their applications in sport science, including models and biomarkers.

Summer:

• MSc Project: This module provides experience with a substantial research project, training in research methods, and insight into the importance of safety issues related to practical work in the laboratory.

Assessment:

You will be assessed through a combination of exams, coursework, class presentations, and a substantial project.

Teaching:

The program utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, independent study, group work, workshops, laboratory work, practical sessions, virtual learning, and access to online material. The Department of Chemical Engineering is committed to helping students develop the skills and attributes they need to progress successfully in their chosen careers.

Careers:

The MSc Biotechnology program opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities in the rapidly expanding biotechnology industry. Graduates will play a key role in developing technologies that enhance health and the standard of living, such as developing new bioprocesses and biotechnology-based products or biomaterials. The biotechnology industry includes companies manufacturing diagnostics, healthcare products, pharmaceutical companies producing biomedicines for gene therapy and vaccines, consumer care product manufacturers (such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble), environmental engineering companies, and the food sector.

Other:

The program offers access to state-of-the-art facilities, including the £17 million STEMLab. Loughborough University is ranked among the top UK universities for student satisfaction in medical technology and bioengineering, according to The Complete University Guide. The Department of Chemical Engineering has a team of academics, including Dr Gül Ozcan-Taskin (Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering), Dr Ahsan Islam (Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering), and Dr Karen Coopman (Reader in Biological Engineering).

UK fee: £13,000 Full-time degree per annum International fee: £28,750 Full-time degree per annum