Department of Biosciences | MSc Plant Biotechnology and Enterprise

MSc Plant Biotechnology & Enterprise at Durham University

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Explore the critical challenge of feeding the world and develop the knowledge to play a key scientific and commercial role in shaping the future for food production.

Our MSc in Plant Biotechnology & Enterprise explores the need for society to increase Agricultural Productivity amid Global Warming and equips you with the skills and experience in Biotechnological Innovation and commercial know-how to support the vital efforts to shape Food Production in the future.

The course is designed to fill a gap in Biosciences education. It has been developed against a backdrop of a decade-long fall in Crop Protection and Biotech Products caused by fewer companies working in the sector, a difficult legislative environment and the lack of professionals with the right abilities and specific knowledge to convert their ideas into commercial products.

You will study five taught modules delivered through a wide-ranging mix of lectures, seminars, small group classes and practical laboratory-based workshops. The final element of the course is a 6-month research project carried out on a subject of interest. The project brings together your laboratory, research and planning skills into a thesis and presentation under the guidance of a research-active supervisor.

Three taught modules have been developed specifically for this course; Frontiers in Plant Science, Agriculture & Biotechnology and Technology in Biosciences. They cover research and innovation in the field and offer opportunities to interact with the sector.

Of the remaining two modules, Bioinformatics & Data Science will cover the Computational & Statistical Analysis of Big Data while Innovation & Enterprise in Plant Biotechnology, run jointly with Durham University Business School, adds a business element to the course as you take on a real-world innovation challenge.

Ensuring a flow of new scientists into the Plant Technology sector has never been more important given the socio-economic context and the rise in global warming-linked natural catastrophes and this course will help meet that need, helping to shape a positive future.

As a Biosciences postgraduate, you receive the essential skills and knowledge that come with research-led teaching, enabling you to continue your academic work at a higher level.

Your experience in the Department also develops more personal attributes, sought by employers, to help you take the step into a stimulating and rewarding professional career.

Recent postgraduates have gone on to succeed in a wide range of roles in teaching, the health sector, industrial R&D and biotechnology, management, accountancy, conservation, ecological and environmental services, journalism, environmental and biological patent law, pharmaceuticals, the civil service and the armed services.

Whether you choose to follow a research or employment path, you will be equipped with up-to-date skills and knowledge that you can use to help society tackle global challenges related to humankind, the climate and the environment.

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