Biotechnology Degree

• Admission profile

  Para el ingreso en el Grado en Biotecnología se recomienda de manera especial que la formación del alumno sea de perfil Científico-Tecnológico o Ciencias de la Salud.

  Además, sería deseable que el futuro estudiante del Grado en Biotecnología posea las siguientes características personales y académicas:

  - Interés por la resolución de problemas reales.
  - Habilidad en el cálculo.
  - Capacidad de análisis y síntesis.
  - Curiosidad tecnológica.
  - Constancia y responsabilidad en el trabajo.
  - Capacidad de trabajo en equipo.
  - Competencia en expresión oral y escrita.
  - Competencia lingüística en inglés.

• Minimum number of ECTS enrollment credits per student and school period

  1.- El alumnado de primer curso por primera vez a tiempo completo tienen que matricular 60 créditos. Un 15% del alumnado podrá cursar estudios a tiempo parcial (30 créditos).
  2.- Continuación de estudios: libre con un máximo de 75 créditos

• Tutorial action and reception

  The USC has a student-tutor programme for the undergraduate degrees, so that final year students, after receiving training from the University, can perform orientational tasks to students initiating their studies.
  Information about student-tutor programme:

  Programa alumnos titores

• Title suspension rules

  When a degree suspension occurs, the USC guarantees the adequate development of teachings that were initiated by their students until its suspension. For that, the Government Council approves the criteria related with the admission of new degree entry registration and the gradual suspension of teaching impartation, among others.
  If the suspended degree is substituted for a similar one —modifying the nature of the degree—, the new degree regulations will set the conditions to facilitate students the continuity of the new degree’s studies. These regulations will also set subject equivalences in both programmes.

• Access and admission rules

  Access to Bachelor’s Degree programmes is granted to students with the following degrees/ diplomas or studies, or any other recognized as equivalent to these:
  A.1. Spanish Bachiller, European Baccalaureate or International Baccalaureate.
  A.2. Baccalaureate from European Union Member States’ education systems or other countries withinternational agreements.
  A.3. Advanced Technician in Vocational Training, Advanced Technician in Plastic Arts and Design orAdvanced Technician in Sports Education, from the Spanish Education System.
  A.4.Studies carried out in European Union Member States or in other countries with international reciprocal agreements which meet the academic requirements in those States to access their university study programmes.
  A.5. Official Spanish university degrees of Diplomado, Arquitecto Técnico, Ingeniero Técnico, Licenciado, Arquitecto, Ingeniero, Graduado or Máster Universitario.
  A.6. Partial (foreign or Spanish) university studies.
  Access to Bachelor’s Degree programmes is also possible for:
  B.1. People over twenty-five after successfully passing a specific access test.
  B.2. People over forty with work or professional experience related to a university field of knowledge.
  B.3. People over forty-five after successfully passing a specific access test.
  Likewise, access to Bachelor’s Degree programmes is granted to:
  C.1. People meeting the requirements to enter university according to the Spanish Education System regulations prior to Ley Orgánica 8/2013, of December 9.

The School of Biology has 9 general classrooms, 5 seminar-classrooms, 3 computer rooms, 2 videoconference classrooms, a Great Hall, a Hall of Degrees and a Meeting Room, all equipped with video projection systems, as well as 9 teaching laboratories. There are also spaces in the Higher Technical School of Engineering for practical classes.

The students have additional spaces, such as group work areas and a student room.

From any point of the building, wireless connection to the Internet is possible.

The «Víctor López Seoane» Library of Biology is part of the of the Santiago de Compostela University Library (BUSC) and together they contain the bibliographic resources necessary for the degree. It consists of two reading rooms (269 seats) and a group work room (20 seats).

The aim of this degree is for students to develop and elaborate biological products and services and to acquire knowledge and practical skills which are needed to work in the field of biotechnology, within the academic, scientific or industrial sector.

• Basic skills

  - That students demonstrate knowledge and understanding in an area of study that starts from the foundation of general secondary education and is usually found at a level that, while relying on advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that involve knowledge from the cutting edge of their field of study
  - That the students know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and possess the skills that are usually demonstrated through the preparation and defense of arguments and the resolution of problems within their area of study
  - That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to issue judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues
  - That students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both a specialised and non-specialised public
  - That students develop the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy

• Generic skills

  - Learn about the most important concepts, methods and results in the different branches of biotechnology.
  -Apply the theoretical-practical knowledge acquired to setting and solving problems, in both academic and professional contexts.
  -Ability to obtain, interpret and draw conclusions from relevant information on topics related to biotechnology.
  -Ability to transmit information orally or in writing, to discuss ideas, problems and solutions related to biotechnology, before a general or specialised audience.
  -Study and learn about new information and techniques in biotechnology, in an autonomous way, organise one´s time and resources and learn to work as a team member.

• Specific skills

  - Know how to calculate, analyse data and interpret the experimental findings characteristic of the biotechnology fields.
  - Understand and know how to apply the physical-chemical principles of the biological processes to be applied in biotechnology, as well as the main tools employed to research them.
  - Know and know how to apply the instrumental techniques and work protocols in a laboratory, applying the regulations and techniques pertaining to safety and hygiene, waste management and quality.
  - Have an integrated vision of the working of cells, including their biomolecules, metabolism, genic expression, relationship among cell compartments, as well as the communication and signalling cellular mechanisms.
  - Know how to obtain and interpret information from the main data bases (biological, omic, bibliographic) and use bio-computing tools.
  - Be able to analyse and design biotechnological industrial processes and apply them to the improvement of products.
  - Have knowledge on balances and transferences of matter and energy, applied thermodynamics and separation operations, as well as know how to apply them to the resolution of engineering problems.
  - Identify and develop the unitary operations of chemical engineering integrating them with the biological fundamentals.
  - Know how to identify the different types of viruses, microorganisms and animal and vegetal tissues, understand their development, organisation and physiology, and know their application to the field of biotechnology.
  - Know the techniques enabling to determine the properties of proteins and be able to analyse and manipulate their structure according to their application to biotechnology.
  - Know the molecular bases and genic information manipulation techniques in microorganisms, animals and plants, and know how to apply appropriately said techniques to the different biotechnological areas.
  - Know the cell and tissue bio-engineering fundamentals, the therapeutic possibilities of regenerative medicine and its current limitations, both technical and ethical.
  - Discern clearly the ethic, social, economic and environmental implication of the developed professional activity, as well as knowing and applying biotechnological risks assessment criteria.
  - Have an integrated vision of the R&D+i process and know how to describe the basic concepts of business applied to the biotechnological business.
  - Recognise the criteria of biotechnological processes scaling from the data obtained from basic experimentation on a laboratory scale, taking into account the economic parameters and rationing the use of matter and energy.

• Transversal skills

  - Think in an integrated way and approach problems from different perspectives.
  - Search, process, analyse and synthesize information from various sources.
  - Organise and plan your work.
  - Interpret experimental results and identify consistent and inconsistent elements.
  - Maintain an ethical commitment.
  - Work in a team.
  - Reason critically.
  - Adaptation to new situations (resilience).
  - Leadership and management of teams.
  - Initiative and entrepreneurial spirit

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)

Portal Internacional

Internships

El plan de estudios para el Grado en Biotecnología contempla la realización de prácticas externas por un total de 4,5 ECTS. El objetivo fundamental es que el alumnado desarrolle las competencias adquiridas en materias del Grado a través de su inmersión en un entorno laboral representativo de su contexto profesional futuro.

Las prácticas se organizarán y administrarán con el fin de garantizar la calidad, el reconocimiento académico y el aprovechamiento más adecuado por parte del alumnado. Para ello se designará un/a tutor/a externo/a, perteneciente a la institución en la que se llevan a cabo las prácticas que se coordinará con un tutor/a académico/a que realizará la evaluación en función de la memoria que el alumnado deben realizar y del informe emitido por el/la tutor/a externo/a.

Podrán realizarse en organismos o entidades colaboradoras, tales como empresas, entidades públicas y privadas, relacionadas con el ámbito de la biotecnología en un sentido amplio (investigación y desarrollo, farmacéutica, sanidad, industria, gestión ambiental, agroalimentaria, agropecuaria, etc). También podrán realizarse en instalaciones de la USC. En la actualidad, la Facultad de Biología y la ETSE tienen acuerdos activos con numerosas entidades que trabajan en el ámbito de la biotecnología.

Para la obtención del título de Graduado en Biotecnología es obligatorio la realización de un Trabajo Fin de Grado (TFG) de 15 créditos ECTS, consistente en un Proyecto o trabajo original (individual o colectivo) del estudiante en el ámbito de la Biotecnología, a presentar individualmente ante un tribunal, en el que se sinteticen e integren las competencias adquiridas en las enseñanzas previas del Grado.

El alumno podrá realizar el TFG a lo largo del cuarto curso académico del Grado, siempre que no tenga pendientes más de 75 créditos para completar los estudios, excluidos los correspondientes al Trabajo Fin de Grado.

Los TFG podrán ser bibliográficos, industriales o de investigación básica o aplicada. Incluirá, como mínimo, tareas de búsqueda y revisión bibliográfica, lectura e integración de información, elaboración de esquemas, redacción y presentación.