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Master's Degree in Molecular Biosciences

  • New offer
Modality
In-person
Branch of knowledge
Science
Ambit of knowledge
Bioquímica y biotecnología.
School(s)
Faculty of Biology
Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa, s/n, 15782
Santiago de Compostela
881813245 (Conserxaría)
881813308 (Decanato)
facultade.bioloxia.decanato [at] usc.gal
Campus
Santiago de Compostela
Coordinator
Jesús Ángel López Romalde
Contact
jesus.romalde [at] usc.es

The Master in Molecular Biosciences aims to provide specialized, multidisciplinary and integrative training in the broad areas of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, oriented towards applied research and the transfer of knowledge to industry; and in particular, to the development of products and services based on the selective manipulation of biomolecular processes.

Duration: 2 academic years
RUCT code: 3500266
ECTS Number: 90
Seats number: 12

Dean or center director:
ASTERIA M. LUZARDO ALVAREZ
asteriam.luzardo [at] usc.es

Title coordinator:
Jesús Ángel López Romalde
jesus.romalde [at] usc.es

Use languages:
Spanish, Galician

Coordinator university:
University of Santiago de Compostela

Partaker universities:
University of Santiago de Compostela

• Compulsory: 42
• Optional: 18
• Compulsory external internships: 12
• Master's final dissertation: 18
o Total: 90

The study plan of the Master in Molecular Biosciences has a total of 90 ECTS, divided into 3 semesters, of 30 ECTS each.
The first two semesters are dedicated to the teaching of compulsory subjects (42 ECTS) and optional subjects (18 ECTS) with an offer of optional subjects of 36 ECTS. The second year of the degree is made up of a single semester, dedicated to the Internship (12 ECTS) and the Master's Thesis (18 ECTS).

Advanced Analytical and Molecular Techniques

  • P1281101
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • First Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Resistome and genomics of antimicrobial resistance. Innovative alternative therapies.

  • P1281102
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • First Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Frontiers in immunology

  • P1281103
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • First Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Characterisation and in vitro studies of bioactive compounds

  • P1281104
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • First Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Experiment design and multivariate analysis

  • P1281105
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • First Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Artificial intelligence techniques applied to the biomolecular scope

  • P1281106
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Strategic behaviour in biotechnology markets

  • P1281107
  •  
  • Compulsory Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 6 Credits

Interaction and recognition of biomolecules

  • P1281201
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Quality Management in the biochemical laboratory

  • P1281202
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Nanomaterials and metals in therapy and diagnose

  • P1281203
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Molecular, gene and cellular therapies

  • P1281204
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Biotechnology and society

  • P1281205
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Fundamentals of synthetic biology

  • P1281206
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Molecular biosciences and circular economy

  • P1281207
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

Biomaterials: biomedical and food properties and applications

  • P1281208
  •  
  • Elective Credits
  •  
  • Second Semester
  •  
  • 4,5 Credits

This master's degree is aimed mainly at professionals and graduates in the field of experimental and health sciences, interested in pursuing a professional or research career in the field of Biomolecular Sciences.
As it is a postgraduate training of a multidisciplinary nature where both theoretical and practical aspects related to the field of Biomolecular Sciences will be addressed, candidates must have a high motivation for research and innovation, as well as be able to work in environments or teams. multidisciplinary, show initiative and the ability to work autonomously with an entrepreneurial attitude.
The fact that the vehicle language of scientific knowledge is English implies that students are recommended a level of English that allows them to read, understand and interpret scientific publications or seminars or colloquiums in this language.

• Compulsory: 42
• Optional: 18
• Compulsory external internships: 12
• Master's final dissertation: 18
o Total: 90

En el Plan de acción tutorial elaborado en base a los procesos de Apoyo a Estudiantes y Revisión y Mejora del SGIC de la Facultad de ciencias, se recogen las actividades que se van a llevar a cabo para acoger, orientar y tutelar al alumnado desde su incorporación a la Facultad y durante todo el período formativo, con la finalidad de favorecer tanto el aprendizaje y desarrollo del estudiante como su orientación hacia un futuro mercado laboral.
La Facultad de Biología no dispone de un plan de acción tutorial (PAT) a nivel de facultad, pero dicho plan está en desarrollo en este momento.
Los estudiantes disponen de información sobre las titulaciones impartidas en el centro de Grao y Máster en la página web de la Facultad. https://www.usc.gal/es/centro/facultad-biologia

Access

Poderán acceder ás ensinanzas oficiais de Master:
1. As persoas que estean en posesión dun título universitario oficial español.
2. Aquelas que teñan un título expedido por unha institución de educación superior do EEES que faculta no país expedidor do título para o acceso a ensinanzas de mestrado.
3. Os titulados conforme a sistemas educativos alleos ao EEES sen necesidade de homologación dos seus títulos, previa comprobación pola Universidade de que os ditos títulos acreditan un nivel de formación equivalente aos correspondentes títulos universitarios españois e que facultan no país expedidor do título para o acceso a ensinanzas de posgrao.

Admission

Students must have an academic background that corresponds to the following qualifications, with the following order of preference:
1st. Biochemistry, Biotechnology or Biology.
2nd. Remaining degrees from the Branch of Sciences and Health Sciences.
3rd. Agricultural Sciences, Industrial Chemical Process Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural and Agro-Alimentary Engineering, Agricultural and Rural Engineering, Forestry and Natural Environment Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering and Natural Environment Engineering, Environmental Sciences.
No training complements are required to take the master's degree.
Foreign students, in order to be able to properly follow the teachings, must prove knowledge of the Spanish or Galician language through a B1 or Celga II level qualification respectively, or other higher-level qualifications. This requirement will not be applicable to students from Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries.
The student admission system will be carried out in accordance with the criteria and procedures established in the USC, following the principles of objectivity, impartiality, merit and capacity.
Information on the admission procedure for USC master's degrees can be found at the following addresses:
https://www.usc.gal/en/admision/master
https://www.usc.gal/es/servizos/oiu/masteres_oficiais.html

The admission of students will be based exclusively on the average mark of the academic transcript of the entrance qualification.

This Master's degree, in general, aims to provide students with advanced scientific training in the field of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, oriented both towards applied research and the development of products, goods and services based on the manipulation of biological and molecular processes.
Thus, with the implementation of the Master in Molecular Biosciences, the following objectives are intended to be achieved:
• Provide students with advanced, specialised, and multidisciplinary training in areas related to Biochemistry and Biotechnology in sectors as diverse as: food, bio sanitary, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, environmental and chemical.
• Train students in carrying out work and studies in areas linked to scientific and research activities or aimed at other professional activities such as joining technological companies, working in R&D&I laboratories, in the pharmaceutical industry, industrial agri-alimentary, etc.
• Train future professionals trained to create companies of a technological, innovative, or high added value nature.

Comp01 - Develop the ability to properly organise and plan work, based on a synthesis and analysis that allows decision-making.
Comp02 - Develop a leadership capacity that allows you to offer timely and creative solutions in complex professional situations.
Comp03 - Develop the ability to identify and correct inequalities due to gender and socioeconomic reasons and act professionally, governed by ethical principles, scientific rigor, and sustainable development.
Comp04 - That students know how to apply theoretical-practical knowledge in a professional manner and are competent in posing/solving problems in both academic and professional contexts related to Molecular Biosciences.
Comp05 - Collaborate in interdisciplinary teams in any work environment, based on knowledge of the environment and current legal regulations.
Comp06 - Develop the ability to learn autonomously with initiative and entrepreneurial spirit.
Comp07 - That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their area of study) to make judgments that include reflection on relevant topics of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
Comp08 - Be able to communicate conclusions and knowledge in an argued manner to specialised and non-specialised audiences with clarity and precision.

A/S01 - Evaluate how to design and characterise the most relevant properties for the application and functionality of materials in biomedicine and food.
A/S02 - Apply safe methods and technologies for the application of new developments in genomics for the study and analysis of molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance.
A/S03 - Ability to design and carry out experiments using advanced instrumental techniques, applying regulations and techniques related to safety and hygiene, waste management and quality.
A/S04 - Use advanced tools of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to produce and evaluate the results generated within the scope of work.
A/S05 - Apply knowledge from the field of Immunology to any Molecular Biosciences study by designing experiments and using the most advanced techniques and tools.
A/S06 - Interpret experimental results and identify consistent and inconsistent elements.
A/S07 - Apply engineering principles to the design and construction of new biological components or metabolic or signalling pathways.
A/S08 - Apply the knowledge acquired in the planning and implementation of research projects.
A/S09 - Adequately apply the knowledge and techniques acquired to analyse a complex situation or concept and find a way to solve it.
A/S10 - Reprocess, interpret, and reduce the dimensionality of large-scale biomolecular data, to facilitate its treatment through machine or deep learning.
A/S11 - Manage available biotechnological resources in an innovative, strategic, and economically competitive way.
A/S12 - Adequately characterise bioactive compounds and plan an in vitro gastrointestinal simulation experiment to evaluate their effect on health.

K01 - Identify and relate the structure and applications of polymeric materials and nanomaterials with biomedical and agri-alimentary applications.
K02 - Acquire knowledge and skills in the development of scientific work in bacterial genomics and understand its relationship with human, animal, and plant health for the advancement of our health-oriented knowledge.
K03 - Know the foundations and applications of the main advanced experimental methods and cutting-edge analytical and molecular techniques used in the field of study of Molecular Biosciences.
K04 - Determine the most appropriate analytical or molecular technique (workflow) for a given situation or research objective, in the field of biochemistry and biotechnology.
K05 - Know the quality management procedures in a biochemical laboratory and modern chemometric techniques for multivariate data analysis.
K06 - Understand the molecular techniques used in the diagnosis and therapeutic approach of various diseases, with emphasis on all those molecular, genetic, and cellular techniques, typical of the so-called personalized medicine.
K07 - Know the map of relationships between molecules that are part of the interactome and learn to characterize them.
K08 - Identify and learn about the different AI techniques aimed at machine learning and deep learning to build models from data in the biomolecular field.
K09 - Understand the relevance of strategic behaviour in determining the price of products in biotechnology markets, as well as the legal and ethical aspects of biotechnology.
K10 - Know the main sources of natural bioactive compounds, their modes of action on health, and the main strategies for obtaining and evaluating them in a research context.

Mobility

Student mobility is regulated through the “Regulation of inter-university exchange.” Exchange programmes are managed through the International Relations Office, such as
national exchange programmes (SICUE) as well as Europeans (ERASMUS) and from outside the European Union (exchanges with Latin American countries or English-speaking countries):
https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/internacional

Internships

The external academic internships will be carried out in their curricular modality, as a part of the study plan and the training project. It corresponds to a compulsory subject of the third semester with 12 ECTS.
Students will carry out internships in a collaborating entity, company, or institution, duly coordinated and will allow the student's academic training to be completed through interaction with the world of work and business, thus improving both the scientific and
technical training acquired in the compulsory subjects of the degree as well as its transversal competences and personal skills. Students will receive complete information through the corresponding call for external internships. During the internship, students will have an academic tutor from the University, who must be teaching staff of the degree and an external tutor from the collaborating entity with professional experience and knowledge necessary for effective tutoring. The assessment will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of article 25 of the aforementioned Regulations: at the end of the internship period, the external tutor will send a final report to the academic tutor and the student will prepare an internship report. The academic tutor, in view of the external tutor's report and the report, will asses the internship developed by issuing an assessment report.

The Master's Final Dissertation takes the form of a compulsory subject of the 3rd semester of 18 ECTS. At the time of presentation and defence, the student must have passed all the other credits necessary to obtain the degree (72 ECTS).
The student will develop integrative work that allows applying the skills acquired in the degree's teachings. In it, the realisation, presentation, and individual defence before a tribunal will be carried out of a dissertation in any of the areas related to Molecular Biosciences, in which the skills acquired in the subjects taken in the master's degree are synthesized and integrated.
The Master's Thesis may be carried out in any of the lines of research offered by the Master's professors. The specific work topic will be assigned by the academic committee
of the master's degree to each student, taking into account the lines of work offered, the preferences expressed by the students and the availability of teaching staff.
To determine the viability of a topic to be developed as a TFM, the student must present a proposal following a standardized form to the Commission of the Master's Degree in Molecular Biosciences. Once approval of the proposal is obtained, the TFM can be prepared and presented for defense.
The master's final dissertations must have a tutor who will be the one who assists in the direction of the student. Co-tutors may also be appointed with the functions that are previously determined. In the case of work that is carried out within the framework of agreements or with companies or institutions, a co-guardian may be appointed who may be staff of the entity in which the work is carried out. The methodology will be set by the tutor and co-tutors, depending on the type of TFM that the student is going to carry out. Once the work is completed, the student must prepare a report, which must be presented to the corresponding tribunal.

Faculty
María Baliu Piqué
Lorena Boquete Vilariño
Ana Maria Botana Lopez
Enrique Manuel Cabaleiro Lago
Alejandra Cardelle Cobas
Maria De Los Angeles Castro Perez
Patricia Cazón Díaz
Jose Manuel Colmenero Alvarez
Olga Diaz Rubio
Diana Fernandez Mendez
Saskia Camille Flament Simon
Ana Fresno Herrero
Maria Sagrario Garcia Martin
Vanesa Garcia Menendez
Carlos Herrero Latorre
Aida Jover Ramos
Jesus Lamas Fernandez
Alexandre Lamas Freire
Nuria López Lorenzo
Abraham López Moure
Asteria M. Luzardo Alvarez
Marcelino Maneiro Maneiro
Natalia Nogueira López
Beatriz Orosa Puente
Ana Maria Otero Casal
Rosa Maria Peña Crecente
Alicia Piñeiro Redondo
Ester Polo Tobajas
Luis Alberto Ramil Novo
Patricia Regal López
Cristina Riobello Suarez
Jannette Rodriguez Pallares
Laura Rodriguez Silva
Francisco Javier Salgado Castro
Sonia Maria Valladares Rodriguez
Manuel Vázquez Vázquez
Roman Vilas Peteiro
The contents of this page were updated on 09.03.2024.