What our students say

"As an African, I wanted to leave my comfort zone and gain a global perspective of the world and modern technological skills by studying a one-year MSc before proceeding to my PhD and the UK had that, quality education in one year. I chose the University of Glasgow because it is one of the best schools in the UK and a part of prestigious groups such as the Russell group and Universitas 21. The most beautiful thing about Glasgow is the hospitality, the people are so kind. There's so much to see, and there is something for everyone, ranging from museums and galleries to clubs and pubs. I've also been on trips with the international society and I must admit that Scotland is beautiful. I chose this course as I wanted to gain theoretical insight into bioenergy production so I chose an all-encompassing course. The diversity of skills I have learnt in this short time is amazing. I came for bioenergy but now I know so much more and I feel and think more like a scientist now. I have also been able to activate my leadership potentials by representing my class as the rep. My advice for new students would be do not procrastinate, deadlines are deadlines. Take up every opportunity to network and gain skills. If you are an international student, join the International Student Society and read all information properly so you can take full advantage of opportunities as there are so many. The lectures are astonishing, I get to actually think and come up with innovative solutions. The city has so many amazing activities and there are also opportunities to travel with the International Student Society.

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"I got this position of research trainee in this project with the help of Dr. Mathis Riehle. During my course at the University of Glasgow, Dr. Riehle was my dissertation supervisor. I feel that doing an M.Sc. in Biotechnology at the University of Glasgow was one of the best decisions of my life. It added on to my experience in the field, improved my self-confidence and versatility. Working with Dr. Riehle on complex topic of protein engineered biomaterials was a great experience. He had been a great mentor. He was very helpful, supportive and provided me with the right motivation. When he heard that I was back in Glasgow and looking for experience he immediately stepped forward and informed about this project. He said he could recommend me if I was interested. I said yes and then I was asked to give an interview to the research director of IBREAM (Institute of Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals) and I was sent an acceptance letter. For the last 4 months I have been living at the Edinburgh Zoo and it has been a great experience. I don't think it could have gone any better. If it was not for Dr. Riehle and his confidence in me, I would not have achieved this."

Former student from the UK

"My overall impressions of the MSc Biotechnology course were extremely positive. I came into it after studying physiology and although I found that interesting, it wasn't the most inspiring. In my MSc, I found myself being inspired and enthused almost every time I went into a lecture. All the material is highly relevant and applicable to solving some of the world's biggest problems from putting an end to world hunger to engineering new sustainable and effective biofuels. I would highly recommend the course to anyone who is generally interested in the world and how we use our environment more effectively."

Former student from Nigeria

"I would recommend MSc Biotechnology at the University of Glasgow for students interested in learning various molecular approaches that have been adopted in OMICS technologies - Genomics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics and Metabolomics. These modules are covered in the molecular biology part of the course. Similarly, insightful knowledge about growth in technology within a medical career is provided with a course called General Biology. MSc Biotechnology is also particularly useful to students enthusiastic about sustainability and food production as a dedicated Plant Biology course highlights achievements/breakthroughs in that subject area."

Former student from Greece

"The MSc Biotechnology course was truly an amazing experience. It provided an in-depth understanding of the technologies underpinning Biotechnology as well as the problems associated with it. I have to admit it was a lot of fun and I particularly enjoyed the environmental focused classes."

Former student from the UK

"The course was structured in essentially two parts, and the year's teachings culmanating with a dissertation of our choice. The first half of the year focuses on general/human biotechnology, from stem cell applications and organ regeneration, to waste remediation strategies used for pollution clean-up and extremophile uses. These classes really offered a greater breadth and exposure to areas of biotechnology I am sure many of us were unfamiliar with beforehand. The second component of the course focused on plant biotechnology, such as abiotic stress and insect resistance in plants, and a particular favourite of mine, biofuels from genetically engineered crop wastes. This aspect was particularly interesting for me, as I had not been exposed to plant biochemistry/biotechnology during my undergraduate degree, therefore I welcomed this field with such enthusiasm and interested that after the classroom lecture, I did my end of year dissertation on the subject."

Former student from India

"I personally found the course to be quite interesting, the course structure was very good and very much targeted towards pharmaceutical and agricultural based industries. The course co-ordinators were extremely helpful with information and studies all the time."

Former student from Bangladesh

"I found the MSc Biotechnology course to be intellectually stimulating and it groomed us to be competent in the real world, whether we want to start our careers or pursue higher education. The course was intensive and not at all easy, but it encouraged us to work hard and achieve the best we could. I also appreciated the various ways assessments were done (there were 10 types according to my count. e.g. exams, presentations, leaflets, paper analysis, business proposal, etc.) as that ensured we do not memorize our coursework, but understand it and are able to apply it. All in all I have absolutely no regrets about choosing MSc Biotechnology at the University of Glasgow. I think it was the right choice and would recommend it to others. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there."

Former student from India

"My year at the University of Glasgow has been exceptionally brilliant. The course, MSc Biotechnology was new but very well planned, offering students the basic as well as advanced knowledge about the various happening areas of biotechnology - especially environmental , pharmaceutical and agricultural biotechnologies. The business and bioethics module was quite exciting. We all worked in groups to come up with a product, it was a very innovative activity. Overall, I was glad and lucky to be part of this course and the University of Glasgow. I would like to thank and appreciate the very friendly and approachable Institute of Molecular, Cell and System Biology for their high standard of teaching and guidance. I would also like to specially thank the co-ordinators for giving me proper guidance throughout the year, and clearing all the confusions and doubts I had regarding my next step, after graduation."

Former student from Greece

"It was a great experience to study at the University of Glasgow and especially on the MSc Biotechnology course because I had the chance to improve my knowledge about biotechnology and to learn all the recent advance in the area of molecular genetic technologies and biotechnology. I also found very interesting the seminars that were organised. They were very helpful as they made us understand how biotech-pharmaceutical companies work and a lot of other useful information. I am glad to say that the teaching staff was great. Furthermore, it was very nice to study for this course because I had the chance to meet and work together with international people. I am happy that I studied at the University of Glasgow. I have already suggested the course to friends from my previous university and I would strongly recommend it to everyone who wants to improve his knowledge about biotechnology."

Former student from India

"I enjoyed the MSc programme as it was an eye-opener to me. I have learned how to critically analyse a paper, hi-tech equipment used in DNA sequencing and nowadays I appreciate every invention I see as I understand it was all about ideas as we were taught a business course."

Former student from the UK

"The Biotechnology MSc at Glasgow contains a wide variety of cutting edge subject matter, all of which relevant. For me the most enjoyable aspect of the course was the many different areas of Biotechnology covered in the course, it gave the student an ability to gain a great deal of scope and insight into the potential of working within the Biotech industry. I would be surprised if there are other current MSc Biology courses available that could rival the spectrum of biology covered. This allows you as a student to discover which areas of bioloogy you are most interested in, for example biomedical application was covered in the form of tissue engineering and stem cells, whereas bio-fuels and industrial microbiology demonstrated a more industry based application. Also I believe having a post-graduate qualification in Biotechnology is a positive addition to any CV as the importance of molecular biology is continually becoming more apparent, for example this course also covers the up and coming field of synthetic biology. Overall it was a very enjoyable year!"