Biotech by degrees

Undergraduate level biotechnology degree programs are becoming increasingly popular in Australia, offering students the opportunity to combine the essential basic science requirements with exposure to business and other aspects of the industry.

While some programs, such as the University of Sydney's BSc program in Molecular Biotechnology, are relatively new, there are several undergraduate programs that have been running for 10 years or more.

One of the first programs in Australia, the Bachelor of Biotechnology (BBiotech) degree program at the University of Queensland, began life as a Bachelor of Applied Science with a biotechnology major in 1986.

Almost as old is Flinders University's BBiotech, which started in 1990, graduating its first cohort of students in 1994.

The crucial ingredient in a successful BSc (Biotech) or BBiotech program is the inclusion of professional units covering topics like intellectual property and patents, regulatory affairs, commercialisation, management and entrepreneurship, and specialised biotechnology subjects like bioinformatics, process technology, drug development and so on.

A feature of several programs is a requirement to write a business development plan, or product development proposal, usually in the third or fourth year. Some programs also include units on ethics and the social implications of biotechnology.

"We really do try to blend science with an appreciation of the major issues of biotechnology, that is, putting a product on the shelf," says Prof Tony Weiss, who runs the BSc (Molecular Biotechnology) program at the University of Sydney, which has its first cohort of students entering their third year of study.

The science components of biotech degree programs tend to be broad, often covering the gamut of molecular sciences, including genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, and molecular biology.

"Business savvy, flexibility and awareness of the issues is important to future employers in industry, but there is also a heavy need for technical skills," says Prof Ross Barnard, who heads up the University of Queensland program.

Another aspect of biotechnology programs that differentiate them from general science degrees is the interaction with industry, with lecturers drawn from the biotechnology industry and commercial world, as well as the opportunity to work directly or indirectly with industry on Honours and other research projects.

"I see it as being fundamentally important [to include industry components]," says Weiss. "There is an opportunity to have direct industry experience through industry placements, and students get to impress potential employers."

The involvement of industry in biotechnology education is seen as a crucial part of biotechnology programs. A recent survey, the Review of Biotechnology Teaching, Learning and Outcomes in Australia, commissioned by the Department of Education Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian Universities Teaching Committee (AUTC), has culminated in a report expected to be published shortly.

Preliminary findings of the survey were presented last August at the AusBiotech conference. The aim of the review was to look at the biotech programs being offered by Australian universities and evaluate the agreement between the courses offered and the needs of the industry.

Initially, the authors of the review, including the University of NSW's Prof Peter Gray, University of Queensland's Barnard and Chris Franco from Flinders University, sought to establish the number of universities with specialised biotechnology degrees.

At least 18 universities in Australia offered biotechnology degrees, with at least six offering related programs, and the number of graduates rose from 576 in 2001 to an expected 800 graduates this year.

While there has been some rebadging of general life science degrees as biotechnology, on the whole there has been a trend to develop specialised biotechnology courses, says Gray, with specific focus on knowledge required to successfully enter the industry.

According to Barnard, it is unclear how many biotechnology graduates end up working in the sector but the survey suggests that it is a large proportion. Flinders lecturer Anderson said that around 40 per cent of their graduates end up working within the industry, and another 50 per cent go on to enrol in higher degrees.

"We have a few students who have gone on to play roles in South Australian biotechnology companies," he says.

The involvement of the industry in developing biotechnology programs is important, with responses to the survey suggesting that the universities would like to see even more interaction at levels ranging from advisory roles to financial support.

"Our industry partners have told us what we are doing is relevant," says Sydney's Weiss. And it is becoming increasingly clear to the universities that the courses are attracting students.

"Our numbers have grown strongly," says Barnard of the University of Queensland program. He noted that more than 200 students were enrolled in the undergraduate program as of November last year, and the honours program has tripled in size in the last three years.

"It's been the most successful science niche degree at the University," says Anderson of Flinders' BBiotech, adding that the University has been very supportive of the program. The students seem to appreciate the opportunities that the courses bring to them too, according to Gray.

"Students are pleasantly surprised at the employment prospects, and the expansion of the industry brings new employment opportunities," he says.

Gray says the next phase of the DEST/AUTC would be to continue the dialogue between the tertiary sector and the biotechnology industry, to continue to develop the biotechnology degree programs in response to the needs of industry.

"We hope to carry it on as a continuing brief between the commercial sector and the tertiary institutions," he says.