Biotechnology MSc

See how you'll be taught in 2021/22 in our Covid information for applicants.

Overview

Biotechnology is the fastest growing research and development sector in the UK. There’s no better time to turn your ambition into a postgraduate qualification that’ll help open doors to an exciting career in the field.

On this MSc Biotechnology degree course, you’ll learn the theory and knowledge you'll need to succeed in the industry. You’ll unpack the molecular tools that are used to solve global issues, and tailor your studies to the areas of biotechnology that match your interests and career ambitions.

As a Master of Biotechnology, you can pursue roles in companies from innovative start ups, to global corporations, taking on roles such as a research scientist, business associate or sales representative. You could also continue studying to PhD level.

Entry requirements​

What you'll experience

Careers and opportunities

Biotechnology is essential to the ongoing development of life-improving technologies, strategies and products. Biotechnologists work to design new scientific approaches by engineering cells, tissues and organisms, which are applied to everything from medicines to biofuels.

The UK biotechnology sector is booming, making it a great time and place to study this area of life science. As of 2021, the UK is known as the third global life sciences cluster, rivalling San Francisco and Boston Massachusetts, and is home to 6,300 life science companies.

When you graduate with a Master's in Biotechnology, you'll have the skills and professional experience to pursue a career in this pioneering field.

What jobs can you do with a Biotechnology degree?

Routes you could pursue include:

• PhD level study
• research scientist
• business associate
• sales representative

Work experience and career planning

To give you the best chance of securing a great job when you graduate, our Careers and Employability service can help you find relevant work experience during your course.

We can help you identify placements, internships, voluntary roles and opportunities to build your CV for up to 5 years after you graduate.

What you'll study on this MSc Biotechnology degree course

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

You need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 30 credits and 1 module worth 60 credits.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Learning support

As well as support by faculty teaching staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University’s Academic Skills Unit (ASK).

ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:

• academic writing
• note taking
• time management
• critical thinking
• presentation skills
• referencing
• working in groups
• revision, memory and exam techniques

Support with English

If English isn't your first language, you can do one of our English language courses to improve your written and spoken English language skills before starting your degree. Once you're here, you can take part in our free In-Sessional English (ISE) programme to improve your English further.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

• lectures
• seminars
• worships
• practical work

How you'll spend your time

Each academic year is divided into 2 teaching blocks and 2 assessment periods:

• Teaching block 1 – October to January
• Assessment period 1 – late January to early February
• Teaching block 2 – February to May
• Assessment period 2 – May to June

How you're assessed

You’ll be assessed through:

• written exams
• practical work
• problem solving
• presentations
• essay
• project work

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future. 

​Course costs and funding

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending. 

Apply

September 2021 start

• Full-time study (1 year)
• Part-time study (2 years)

January 2022 start

• Full-time study (1 year)
• Part-time study (2 years)

International students

If you're from outside of the UK, you can apply directly to us (above) or you can get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region. To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.

If you don’t meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.