Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Course

This interdisciplinary laboratory-based program has a core of basic science studies including principles of modern instrumentation, experimental design and data analysis, biochemical and microbiological techniques and recombinant DNA technology.

At the Gippsland campus, two strands are offered: medical biotechnology and industrial biotechnology. In the medical strand, students consider the biochemical basis of disease, infectious disease, immunology, epidemiology and diagnostics. The industrial strand incorporates food microbiology, environmental microbiology and natural products chemistry. Links with regional industries enable final-year students to participate in directed biotechnological research in their applied research project.

The generic strand offered at the Sunway campus requires students to acquire skills and applications from a broader area of biotechnology. Emphasis will be given to molecular biology, genetics, genomics as well as plant biotechnology which are relevant to the rapidly emerging biotechnology industries in Malaysia.

Upon completion of this course, students will understand the interdisciplinary nature of biotechnology. Graduates who complete the medical biotechnology stream will have skills and knowledge of the biochemical basis of disease, infectious disease, immunology, epidemiology and diagnostics. Graduates of the industrial stream will have skills and knowledge of food and environmental microbiology and natural products chemistry. Graduates of the program offered at Sunway will have skills and knowledge relevant to the rapidly emerging biotechnology industries in Malaysia, including molecular biology, genetics, genomics as well as plant biotechnology.

Students must complete the specified core units at each year level and, at stages two and three, the appropriate strand-specific units as described below. Each program includes a combination of core and elective studies.

Over the three stages of the course students must complete 144 points of study including all of the following:

• BTH1802 Fundamentals of biotechnology (6 points)
• BTH2711 Introductory microbiology, or MIC2011 Introduction to microbiology and microbial biotechnology (6 points)
• BTH2732 Recombinant DNA technology (6 points)
• BTH2741 Biochemistry (6 points)
• BTH2752 Cellular metabolism (6 points)
• BTH3752 Molecular biology and biotechnology (6 points)
• CHM2741 Instrumental analysis (6 points)
• SCI1020 Introduction to statistical reasoning or STA1010 Statistical methods for science (6 points)
• SCI2010 The practice and application of science (6 points)
• SCI3716 Laboratory and workplace management (6 points)
• five strand-specific units (30 points)
• one science elective unit (6 points)
• two level one biology units (12 points)
• two level one chemistry units (12 points)
• additional elective units to take the total credit points to 144.

Note: Students must complete:

• at least 36 points of science units at level one and at least 24 points of science units at level three
• no more than 48 points of units offered by another faculty, subject to meeting any entry requirements of that faculty
• no more than 60 points of level one units overall.

Recommended program of study

Stage one

• BTH1802
• SCI1020 or STA1010
• 12 points of level one biology units
• 12 points of level one chemistry units
• 12 points of elective units

Stage two

• BTH2711 or MIC2011
• BTH2732, BTH2741 and BTH2752
• CHM2741
• SCI2010
• 12 points of strand-specific units

Stage three

• SCI3716
• BTH3752
• one science elective unit (6 points)
• 12 points of electives
• 18 points of strand specific units

Strand-specific units

Gippsland

Industrial strand

• BTH2722, Microbial function and immunology
• BTH3711 Food and industrial microbiology
• BTH3732 Environmental microbiology
• CHM2762 Design of molecules and macromolecules
• CHM3730 Bioactive chemistry

Medical strand

• BTH2722 Microbial function and immunology
• BTH3722 Medical microbiology
• BTH3741 Medical aspects of cell biology
• CHM2762 Design of molecules and macromolecules
• CHM3730 Bioactive chemistry

Sunway

Generic strand

• BTH2820 Crop science
• BTH3820 Plant biotechnology
• GEN2041 Foundations of genetics
• GEN3030 Genetics of development
• GEN3040 Genomics and molecular genetics

Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology)