Biotechnology (MBIOT)

NTNU offers a Master’s degree in Biotechnology through a two-year long degree programme which builds on a relevant Bachelor’s degree from university colleges or universities.

In addition, NTNU offers a five-year long (integrated) degree programme in Biotechnology within studies in scientific subjects and a five-year long degree programme (Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology)within the advanced engineering programme specializing in Biotechnology. Both of these degree programmes accept students directly from upper comprehensive school.

Biotechnology
The term biotechnology is used as a name for general molecular biological research and for industrial processes which produce useful biological products.

In recent years, biotechnology has experienced a dramatic development, much due to our enormous knowledge about the structure of DNA in humans and other mammals as well as plants, fish, invertebrates and microorganisms. Today, we have computer tools that store and analyze huge amounts of biological data and are invaluable tools for biotechnological research. This development has been of great importance for the progress within medical diagnostics, the development of new medicines, plant breeding, and better understanding of biological systems.

The development of more advanced methods of analysis enables us to evaluate biological reactions and systems much more accurate than we could just a few years ago. This basic knowledge is important when developing biotechnology for the future. Biotechnology is a field where technology and basic research meet. It is a research area composed of several independent disciplines, and good results require cooperation.

Biotechnology also borders on parts of nanotechnology, which is a priority area at NTNU. Bionanotechnology has already been established as a separate research field internationally. The biotechnology programme will undoubtedly be affected by this fact, and it will be reflected in new and fascinating master’s theses. Examples could be biologically active nanoparticles, artificial viruses, etc.

In practice, the two-year long Master’s degree programme will be closely connected with the final two years of the remaining programmes in Biotechnology. For instance, we have a long tradition of students from different degree programmes working together within the same research area or research groups. The master’s theses can be associated with the department’s extensive cooperation with industry, or with EU projects, or advanced basic research projects.

At the Department of Biotechnology you may write your thesis within several fields:

• Biopolymer Chemistry
• Marine Biochemistry
• Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
• Environmental Biotechnology
• Food Chemistry

In cooperation with the Department of Biology and the Department of Chemistry we can also offer certain courses or topics for master’s theses at these departments, for instance within parts of molecular biology or biocatalysis. We also cooperate with other academic environments such as medicine, where the master’s theses may be written within several cooperative projects.

Examples of research activities/master's theses:

• Biopolymer Engineering: Interdisciplinary approach to studies of genetics, biosynthesis, primary structures and modifications, conformation and interactions and physical properties as a basis for the understanding of biopolymers’ biological and technical properties. The research group NOBIPOL offers several interdisciplinary projects for master’s students.
• The use of marine biopolymers (including alginates, chitosans, marine collagen) in new biomedical products (immobilization and encapsulation technologies, non-viral transfection agents, immune-stimulating biopolymers), in cosmetics and food.
• Applied computer-scientific methods to understand biological functions and the connection between DNA and protein production and structures in bacteria, plants or human cells.
• The use of biological catalysts (biocatalysis) in the production of chemical products in environmentally friendly environments (so-called green chemistry).
• Genetic modification and genetic studies of microorganisms, plant and animal cells by means of modern molecular methods.
• The production of antibiotics, amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids by growing microorganisms in bioreactors.
• Genetic modification of microorganisms for biotechnological production of useful substances.
• Isolation of commercially interesting marine microorganisms. The use of bacteria for increased oil production in the North Sea and in biological cleaning plants.
• Improved exploitation of marine raw materials and by-products.
• Mass production of antibodies for medicine and research by using cloned gene sequences.

NTNU has very extensive research activities within practically all areas of biotechnology. As a master’s student, you will have the opportunity to work within good and interdisciplinary environments at international levels, in cooperation with leading researchers and their doctoral research fellows.