MSc Applied Biotechnology

1 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of Westminster

Program Overview

The MSc Applied Biotechnology at the University of Westminster is designed for students who want to turn their love for molecular biology into real-world impact. It blends hands-on lab experience with industry-focused training, making it perfect if you’re aiming for a biotech career in healthcare, sustainability, or industrial innovation.

Curriculum Structure

What You’ll Study

The course is packed with practical learning, modern lab skills, and a strong understanding of how biotech becomes real products. Everything you study builds your confidence step by step.

Molecular Bioengineering

You’ll get comfortable with advanced molecular biology tools—CRISPR editing, qPCR, microarrays, sequencing—and learn how scientists use gene-expression data to understand and engineer biological systems. It’s very hands-on, and you’ll be applying these methods to real problems.

Fermentation Technology

This is where biotech comes alive. You’ll work with bioreactors and fermentation systems, learning how to scale up biological processes the way industry does it. You’ll explore oxygen transfer, microbial growth, and how to move from a small lab experiment to a pilot-plant setup.

Sustainable Biotechnology

Here, the focus is on solving global challenges. You’ll look at how biotech can reduce waste, create cleaner energy, and support environmentally friendly production—and you'll explore how microbes and enzymes can drive sustainability.

Postgraduate Research Methods

This module helps you plan and design good scientific research. You’ll learn how to collect reliable data, analyse it properly, and build the foundation for your final project.

Postgraduate Project

Your big moment. You’ll carry out your own research under supervision—whether that's molecular work, fermentation, bioinformatics, or sustainable biotech. It’s often the part students enjoy most because it lets you follow your interests.

Science, Technology & Commercialisation

Biotech is not only science—it’s also business. This module teaches you how ideas become products, covering patents, regulation, safety standards, entrepreneurship, and how companies bring innovations to market.

Bioinformatics

You’ll develop skills in DNA and protein sequence analysis, structural prediction, and biological databases—crucial tools in nearly every biotech job today.

Optional Modules

You can personalise your degree with options like:

Communicating Science
Systems Biology
Analytical Techniques & Quality Processes
Biotherapeutics & Regenerative Medicine

Focus Areas

“Molecular bioengineering, fermentation processing, sustainable biotechnology, bioinformatics, bioprocess control, commercialisation of biotech.”

Learning Outcomes

“You’ll leave with strong practical lab skills, the ability to design and run independent research, confidence in bioinformatics, and a clear understanding of how biotech innovations move from idea to industry.”

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The course mirrors the skills and workflows used in real biotech companies, from molecular analysis to fermentation scale-up and regulatory understanding.

Reputation (Employability)

The University of Westminster has excellent industry connections, with guest speakers, industrial visits, and links with companies like AstraZeneca, Lonza, Oxford Biomedica, Sekisui Diagnostics, and Sartorius—all of which helps students step confidently into biotech careers.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

What makes Westminster’s MSc Applied Biotechnology so engaging is how quickly you move from theory into genuine lab work. You won’t just learn about bioprocessing — you’ll actually run your own experiments in facilities that feel just like a real biotech production environment. From fermentation to tissue culture and analytical testing, the programme is built to give you the confidence and technical fluency employers look for.

And because everything is centred around hands-on practice, you’ll constantly be applying new skills as you learn. Here’s how that plays out throughout your studies:

Get comfortable working with industry-style bioreactors in the fermentation suite, where you’ll grow and scale up microbial cultures using vessels ranging from small lab reactors to a 72-litre pilot-scale system.
Train in the tissue culture lab, where you’ll work with microbial or mammalian cells and learn how to maintain and manipulate production systems.
Use the analytical instrumentation suite to test and evaluate your products with tools like HPLC, GC-MS, spectrophotometers, and microplate readers.
Apply advanced techniques such as PCR, flow cytometry, and confocal/fluorescence microscopy to explore cells and biological products in detail.
Get hands-on experience in downstream processing, using chromatography and filtration systems to purify and analyse biomolecules.
Carry out a fully independent Postgraduate Project, where you’ll take ownership of a real research question and work closely with academic supervisors.
Build your digital and computational toolkit through bioinformatics work, learning how to interpret sequences and analyse biological data.
Take part in guest lectures and specialist visits, gaining perspective on how companies, including major biotech players, use these technologies every day.
Access the university’s modern study spaces, libraries, and software tools, ensuring you have support beyond the lab whenever you need it.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from Westminster’s MSc Applied Biotechnology leave equipped to take on a variety of exciting roles in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors. Typical careers include fermentation scientist, downstream purification scientist, research scientist, or regulatory affairs specialist. With hands-on experience in lab techniques, bioprocessing, and an understanding of how biotech innovations reach the market, you’ll step confidently into the workforce or further research.

This program helps you turn your skills into real career opportunities:

Career Support: Westminster’s Careers and Employability Service offers mentoring, CV guidance, and industry networking opportunities to help you find your first role.
Industry Connections: The course links closely with companies like Lonza and Sekisui Diagnostics, giving insight into real-world biotech practices.
Employment Paths: Graduates work in upstream/downstream processing, R&D, quality assurance, technology transfer, microbiology, and regulatory affairs.
Skill Credibility: You gain both practical lab expertise and commercial awareness, making you highly attractive to employers.
Graduate Outcomes: Many students continue to PhD programs, building on the research experience gained through their MSc project.

Further Academic Progression:
If you’re drawn to research, this MSc is an excellent springboard to a PhD in biotechnology or related fields. Your postgraduate project gives you a solid research foundation, helping you focus on the areas you’re most passionate about for future study.