MSc in Industrial Biotechnology

Take part in modules located at HEIs across Scotland, develop specialist knowledge in an emerging technology and increase your earning potential. All whilst adding academic, work-related and transferrable skills to your CV.

The course includes a range of compulsory core classes and electives which ensure graduates have the opportunity to specialise for their preferred career path. The Masters degree culminates in a minimum 10 week industrial placement which enables you to carry out an industrially-relevant project.

Core classes include:

• Bioprocessing (University of Strathclyde)

• Applied Biocatalysis (University of Strathclyde)

• Synthetic Biology (University of Glasgow)

• Downstream Processing (Heriot-Watt University)

• Big Data Fundamentals (University of Strathclyde)

• Introduction to Bioinformatics (University of Strathclyde)

Elective classes include:

• Blue Biotechnology (SAMS, University of the Highlands & Islands)

• Renewable Energy Technologies (Abertay University)

• Circular Economy and Transformations Towards Sustainability (University of Strathclyde)

• Project Management (University of Strathclyde)

• Food Microbiology and Biotechnology (Glasgow Caledonian University)

• Food Commodities and Sustainability (Glasgow Caledonian University)

• Understanding the Regulatory Environment of Bioprocessing Industries (Glasgow Caledonian University)

Our students have gone on to enjoy successful careers with the following companies:

• GSK

• Xanthella

• Marine Biopolymers

• AMT

• Ingenza

• Unilever

• CRODA

• CelluComp

• Cyanosol

• NCIMB

Site Visits
To enhance your learning, students can take part in industry site visits, experiencing the industrial biotechnology sector first-hand in a variety of organisations from SME’s to Multinationals.

Career Support
Students undertaking IBioIC's MSc in Industrial Biotechnology will have access to a wealth of career support.

Apply or Find Out More

Members are welcome to enquire at any time about joining the industrial placements programme.

What is an MSc Industrial Placement?
We are looking for organizations to become involved in training and educating the biotechnologists of the future.  Can your company provide an interesting work placement/project and supervision to an enthusiastic MSc student for a minimum of 10 weeks next year?   If so, we’d love to hear from you!

What are the benefits to my company in offering an Industrial Placement?
There are numerous advantages, such as:-

• It’s a great opportunity to engage with an enthusiastic MSc student with a fresh perspective, and have them working within your company for a defined period of time.

• It’s a great opportunity for your company to undertake a defined project or investigative piece of work (or progress an existing one) using the MSc students’ knowledge, skills and experience, which has been enhanced by our MSc programme and its collaborative industry-focused modules.

• It’s a great opportunity for your company to become an integral part of training and educating the next generation of future biotechnologists, strengthening links between academia and industry.

Here’s what some of our Industrial Partners/Members have to say about offering a placement.

“We had a very good experience with IBioIC and the MSc student placement. We felt that IBioIC made a real effort to find us a candidate that was a good fit within our company and our project aims, and there was good support from the team throughout the project. Overall, our student’s project was instrumental in evaluating downstream processing designs for the scale-up and has allowed us to progress more quickly into our commercialisation phase.”

ScotBio

“The students work was very useful for the company development as well as to decisions to proceed into this market. They have worked with a range of different samples from collaborating with us companies and produced very useful suite of results along with their analysis and comments. Their work exceeded our expectations.10 weeks projects are great opportunity to engage with upcoming biotechnology stars and to give them a shot at real life industrial biotechnology labs, which definitely helps in their future career”

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Here’s what some of our MSc students have to say about undertaking a placement.

“All the experience and knowledge that I gained this year helped me in my career path in the science field and right after the end of my placement I had a job offer by one of the world's largest clinical laboratory services provider.”

“Overall I can say that I have greatly benefited from this course as I came into contact with aspects of biotechnology and science in general, such as programming and bioinformatics, that I was previously either not familiar or had little experience with. Additionally, this course heavily emphasised on teamwork, assignments and report writing, which I believe are essential soft skills for the work environment.”

What is required of our company?

Industrial placements are scheduled to take place between late May and late July. The placement should last for 10 weeks. Placements may be offered for a longer period if the project requires it, but we would need to know the confirmed placement duration in advance. Each placement will require a named Industrial Supervisor, someone based within that company, who will mentor and look after the MSc student for the duration of their placement.  Please refer to the ‘outline of responsibilities’ section at the end for more specific information.

Will our company be expected to pay for the MSc student?

• For a standard 10 week industrial placement, payment to the MSc student is on a voluntary basis.

• For any industrial placement exceeding 10 weeks, we would normally expect some sort of payment to be offered to the MSc student, this is open to negotiation.

• The company is expected to cover all reasonable expenses relating to any work being undertaken on the premises during the placement (a small consumables budget may be available from IBioIC, by negotiation).

How will the MSc student be selected/allocated?
Our students will get to select their ‘top 5’ placements on offer, this will be prioritised and competitive based upon grades and performance and an appropriate knowledge and skills matching exercise. CV’s will be shared with companies and competitive interviews organised.

What are the terms and conditions of taking a MSc student?
All work undertaken by the MSc student during the placement will be on behalf of the company with the agreement that sufficient data can be collected and presented for inclusion in their Masters thesis.

A short agreement between the company and the student will be put into place prior to any work commencing.  More information will follow shortly.

I’m interested in offering an Industrial Placement, how do I sign up?
Please return a completed ‘Proposal Form’ by email to skills@ibioic.com.

Outline of responsibilities of an Industrial Supervisor.

• Provide a brief outline to the project identifying key techniques to be used.

• Meet with the student to discuss the subject of the project and to provide key references.

• Help the student to identify specific aims objectives of the project and formulate a hypothesis to be tested.

• Provide or arrange training in relevant techniques (training may be given by PhD students, technicians or research staff as appropriate).

• Ensure that students are aware of and sign the relevant safety information including COSHH and Risk Assessment Forms, and Standard Operating Procedures for equipment and facilities.

• Monitor satisfactory attendance and performance of their students.

• Meet with the student on a formal basis to discuss progress at least every two weeks throughout the ten week experimental part of the project (May to July).

• Complete an assessment form for the laboratory performance of the student  (20% of the mark for the thesis).  Guidance/training can be provided if necessary.