Educational Goals

The Degree Programme in Biotechnology aims to train graduates who are able to work at different levels within the research and production processes typical of the biotechnology sector. In line with the learning objectives established for the relevant degree class, the programme covers several areas of biotechnology and is organised into three distinct curricula. Each curriculum builds on a solid common foundation while providing more in-depth training in one of the following areas: Agricultural Biotechnology, Biomedical Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.

Depending on the chosen curriculum, students develop:

• knowledge of agricultural and livestock production systems, their characteristics and production requirements, and their interaction with other environmental components, particularly soil; specific expertise in herbaceous, horticultural and tree crops; the application of modern biotechnologies to the breeding and reproduction of these species; knowledge of plant protection issues related to pathogens and pests that may occur during cultivation, with particular emphasis on biotechnological approaches contributing to sustainable crop protection; and expertise in food technologies and microbiology applied to the preservation and processing of agricultural products;
• knowledge and skills relating to the morphological and functional aspects of the human body through the systematic and topographical study of organs at both macroscopic and microscopic levels; the application of basic techniques for the study of antibiotics, antibodies, and recombinant and non-recombinant vaccines; basic biochemical and molecular diagnostic methods and global analysis of nucleic acids and proteins; medical genetics; the fundamentals of general pathology and immunology; the handling of biological samples and the main laboratory tests used to obtain information on metabolic conditions, biochemical and genetic characteristics, and diseases, with the aim of supporting disease prevention, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment; and an understanding of host–pathogen interactions in terms of both pathogenesis and diagnosis;
• knowledge of cellular and molecular mechanisms; pharmacological and pharmaceutical expertise in the drug design and drug delivery of biotechnological medicines; skills in bioinformatics, high-throughput technologies, including omics technologies, and fermentation biotechnology.

Teaching activities are organised around a common first year, during which students undertake basic courses in computer science and bioinformatics, also through complementary and related subjects, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, including general biology and microbiology, as well as two courses from the common biotechnology subject area, namely genetics and agricultural genetics. Students also choose one course from the subject area relating to regulation, economics, and bioethics. The first year also includes credits allocated to other educational activities.

During the second year, the common training continues with the remaining basic subjects, together with core biotechnology disciplines such as biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, and hygiene. At the same time, the three curricula begin to differentiate through courses belonging to their respective specialised subject areas.

During the third year, students complete both their common and specialised training through subjects covering agricultural, biological and industrial, chemical and pharmaceutical, and medical and therapeutic areas. Students are also required to select elective learning activities for the relevant optional credits, undertake a curricular traineeship aimed at training and career guidance, and complete the final examination. The final examination consists of the discussion, in either Italian or English, of a dissertation based on experimental work.

The programme has been designed to provide students with knowledge and skills that can be readily applied in the labour market. The subjects have therefore been specifically selected and structured to enable students to achieve the learning objectives of the degree class, with particular emphasis on the ability to apply innovative biotechnologies in the main fields in which biotechnology industries operate.

Particular importance is also given to the ability to continuously update one's knowledge, which is essential in a field characterised by rapid scientific progress. Graduates in Biotechnology may therefore undertake technical, scientific, operational, and managerial roles in basic research, medical diagnostics, agricultural and environmental biotechnology, the pharmaceutical sector, bio-industrial production, and the various processing activities associated with these fields.