Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology

Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology

According to a recent report from the Forfás Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, Ireland is emerging as a leading location for biopharmaceuticals with a mix of start-ups, high growth SMEs and large multinationals located here. Industry leaders including Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Genzyme, Merck, Elan (based in Athlone), GeneMedix and Allergan have significant investment in Ireland which has facilitated rapid growth and development of the industry. At present, there are around 60 biopharmaceutical companies in Ireland. These companies currently employ approximately 4,000 people.

This three-year, ab initio level 7 degree programme is designed to meet the growing demand for scientists to service the current and emerging biotechnology-based industries in Ireland generally and the Midlands in particular. The current industrial perception is that Ireland’s future technology will predominantly be based upon biotechnology and IT orientated industries.

Biotechnology is the manipulation (usually through genetic engineering) of living organisms, cells, genes or molecules to develop services and products that benefit mankind and/or have commercial value. Its impact on the 21st century is said to be as significant as the microchip’s effect on society and industry in the second half of the 20th century. Biotechnology provides many tangible benefits to society:

• It is predicted that by 2015 at least half of all medicines produced worldwide will be produced using biotechnology making them cheaper and more widely available.
• Environmental biotechnology products make it possible to clean up hazardous waste and noxious pollutants by harnessing pollution-eating microbes without the use of caustic chemicals.
• The creation of non-polluting biofuels allows form more sustainable energy resources as fossil fuels deplete.
• Industrial biotechnology applications have led to cleaner processes that produce less waste and use less energy and water in industrial sectors as chemicals, pulp and paper, textiles, food, energy, and metals and minerals. For example, most laundry detergents contain biotechnology based enzymes.
• DNA fingerprinting, has dramatically improved criminal investigation and forensic medicine, as well as afforded significant advances in anthropology and wildlife management.

Why study this biotechnology technology and why come to AIT to study it?

• A consistently strong biopharmaceutical/diagnostics sector in Ireland has led the Irish Government to identify it as among the country’s best options for our economic future.
• Nine out of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world are located in Ireland.
• Seven out of the 10 best-selling medicines in the world are produced here.
• One of the mostly highly invested pharmaceutical plants in the world is in Ireland owned by Wyeth BioPharma. Other major multinationals located here and engaged in biotechnology include Schering Plough and Genzyme.
• Companies such as Biotrin, Trinity Biotech, ThromboGenics which started out in Ireland are now multinationals themselves, performing extremely well in global markets.
• AIT has a long track record of undergraduate teaching in the area of biotechnology. The Level 7 ab initio course has been running for over 10 years and a strong skills/knowledge base in the various aspects of biotechnology has been established here. Approximately 20 members of the lecturing staff who teach this course are qualified to the PhD level with specializations in the various aspects of the biotechnology.

In the first year of this degree, you will gain a firm grounding in the basic skill sets required for biotechnology which include: General Biology, General Chemistry, Physics, Maths IT and Computing. This course material is delivered as a combination of lecture and practical laboratory classes over the full academic year. In addition, students engage in courses in ‘Learning to Learn’ and ‘Enquiry Based Learning’ which enhance students’ learning skills and are delivered in ‘non-standard’ modes such as group projects, student presentations, and role play etc. 

In second year, you will undertake a series of 12 biology/chemistry-based modules delivered over two semesters. Included are a number of specializations central to biotechnology such as genetics, forensics and recombinant DNA technology. In addition students delve deeper into biochemistry, microbiology and analytical methods. In Year 2 your scientific skills base is honed through laboratory practical classes up to 10 hours per week.

In third year, the key sciences underpinning biotechnology are studied as a series of 12 modules over two semesters. These include: Cell Biology, Genetic Engineering, Molecular Biology, Environmental Biotechnology, Forensic Science, Applied Biotechnology, Advanced Techniques and Ethics. Training is also given in Occupational Regulatory Affairs to prepare students for the work environment. At the end year 3 students are encouraged to undertake scheduled work experience in the biotechnology industry, which is facilitated by AIT. 

Minimum Entry Requirements

Leaving Certificate

Grade D3 at ordinary level in five subjects in the Leaving Certificate examination. Two of these subjects must be Mathematics and a language (English or Irish).

FETAC

Any FETAC level 5 qualification is acceptable. Applicants to this programme are required, however, to have the module Mathematics (C20139) included in their award or alternatively have Leaving Certificate Mathematics.

Modules

Year 1

Learning to Learn, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics for Scientists, Information Technology for Scientists, Current Scientific Issues through Enquiry-Based Learning and Scientific Computing.

Year 2

Biochemistry, Genetics & Forensics, General & Applied Microbiology, Analytical Techniques, Organic Chemistry, Mathematics, Cell & Molecular Biology, Physical & Inorganic Chemistry and Probability & Statistics.

Year 3

Forensic Science, Environmental Biotechnology, Ethics, Applied Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Experimental Design & Quality Control, Molecular Biology, Advanced Cell Biology, Advanced Techniques in Molecular Biology and Occupational Regulatory Affairs.

Progression

As a graduate of this programme you are eligible to apply to join the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biotechnology or the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Biosciences at AIT, or related Level 8 programmes at other third-level institutions.

Professional Recognition

N/A

Career Opportunities

Typical areas for employment include pharmaceutical medical technology industries, research organisations (academic or industrial), food and drinks manufacturers and more. Roles for Level 7 biotechnology graduates include quality assurance and quality control technician, manufacturing technologist, biochemist, analytical scientist, microbiologist and process engineer. Salaries are very competitive starting around €25-30,000 for graduates and rising quickly (4 years+ experience) to the €40-50,000 bracket. Once you reach team leader/middle management level your salary will fall into the €60-80,000 bracket

Exciting opportunities may also come with small biotech start-up companies at the early stages of their business development and backed by venture capital. They usually employ only a small number of people and the attractiveness of this career option is that it often leads to a variety of roles and responsibilities at all levels of the business. While the road to success for these companies is rocky, and the failure rate is high, if you pick the right one you might end up with a great career and plenty of valuable share options in your back pocket!

Additional Information

Testimonial : Erasmus exchange student Laura Lozano

‘I’m a Spanish student of biotechnology degree. I spent one year doing an interchange in the 3th year of bachelor degree in Athlone Institute of Biotechnology. During this year in the AIT I learnt a lot. In first place AIT classes are much more personal, there are not too much students in the class and the teachers are taking care of everyone to understand everything, if you have some questions you can ask them and all of them are very friendly and close people. In second place, I have learnt to be independent in my lab work, we have a lot of lab classes, and in my opinion this is really important in biotechnology degree, in Spain there are a lot of lectures classes and not enough practical in the lab. And in third place, at the end of the year we have a placement in a biotechnology laboratory. I was in NUIG (Galway). The group was excellent and I learnt a lot about the lab work in a PhD.

For all of this my year in AIT increase my motivation for the science degree and with all the lab work that I have done I realized that I want to do a PhD, and it also helps me to increase my CV with the new lab techniques learnt and the experience of the placement. And this allows me to be selected to do an internship in a Switzerland lab in the subject that I want to do my PhD research.’