Explore our Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management taught Master's degree.

P-C5N2

MSc

1 year full-time;
2 years part-time

2 October 2023

Life Sciences

University of Warwick

The Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management MSc combines expertise in scientific knowledge and business acumen. With 90% of our research rated as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' in the REF 2021 assessment, Warwick's School of Life Sciences will equip you with the relevant science, production and business tools through a multidisciplinary approach.

The bioprocessing and biotechnology industries are major components of global industrialised economies with impacts in medicine, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and the food sector. Management of change requires a new calibre of technical specialist who will have business acumen and a scientific knowledge base.

This master’s course equips you with the necessary tools and expertise to become an entrepreneur, offering key business information and industrially relevant knowledge. Leading centres of expertise, including staff from Life Sciences and Warwick Business School (WBS), form a multidisciplinary teaching faculty. The course is delivered by lecturers with internationally acknowledged academic, industrial and government expertise.

Skills from this degree

You will gain:

• The ability to understand the scientific, technical and financial basis of biotechnology systems
• The ability to understand the operation and management of biotechnology industries
• The ability to appraise and analyse financial and business implications in a global context
• Transferable skills including team working, communicating with peers and sector specialists, organising, planning and oral presentation
• Research skills including scientific report writing, numerical skills, logical reasoning, critical analysis and project work

You'll be taught by expert scientists who undertake research in solving major global challenges in areas such as food security, disease control, bioenergy, systems biology, neurobiology and climate change. Also, external professional experts teach on selected modules giving a vital extra dimension to your teaching experience.

Teaching is typically by facilitated sessions, including interactive lectures, short Q&A sessions and small group interactive workshops/tutorials. Individual and team learning will be used for case study analysis and workshop activities. Your project dissertation will be 15,000 words in length, non-laboratory based and generally undertaken at the University of Warwick under the supervision of an approved tutor. Every student has the opportunity to source their own work-based placement.

Class sizes for this course vary between 30 to 90 students.

Depending on the module contact hours vary between 15-25 per week.

Assessments take place during or shortly after completion of each module and include essays, seminar presentations, poster presentations, short answer in-module tests and assessed group work. One third of your final mark will be derived from the project dissertation which is 15,000 words in length. Two thirds of your final mark will be derived from assessment of the eight core and two elective modules.

Additional Course Costs

All students in Life Sciences are strongly encouraged to buy a computer, at an approximate cost of £600. Students are expected to have suitable clothing for field trips, including waterproof footwear.

Reading lists

Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

2:ii undergraduate degree (or equivalent). Candidates must have obtained at least a second class honours degree, or an equivalent qualification, in Life Sciences, Engineering or Business Studies (students from an engineering or business background must be a high class student and demonstrate an interest in biological science).

• Band A
• IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum component scores not below 6.0.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

• The Fundamentals of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
• Biochemical Engineering
• Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation
• Bioproduct Plant Design and Economic Analysis
• Dissertation/Project
• Drug Discovery and Biopharmaceutical Development
• Marketing Management
• Accounting and Financial Management
• Business Strategy

Read more about our core modules on our Life Sciences website.

• Environmental Protection, Risk Assessment and Safety
• Innovations to Prevent and Treat Infectious Disease
• Essentials of Medical Genomics
• Microbiomics and Metagenomics

Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date. You can find the most up to date list on the Life Sciences website.

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