Umeå University - Faculty of Science and Technology

Master in Plant and Forest Biotechnology

Plant biotechnology is an important tool to solve global problems. How do we produce enough food in the world? How do we develop renewable fuels and manage ecosystems in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner? The Master’s programme in Plant and Forest Biotechnology gives you specialised competence and skills to recognize, understand and find solutions to these challenges.

Plant biotechnology is becoming increasingly important as a tool to solve some of the global problems related to feed, fuel and ecosystem management in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. The Master of Science Programme in Plant and Forest Biotechnology offers students a specialized competence and skills to recognize, understand and find solutions to these challenges.

The programme is based upon a set of coordinated courses which together amount to 80 credits (120 ECTS credits) spread over two years. Up-to-date knowledge is provided about plant cell and molecular biology as well as plant growth and development. This is applied in the fields of plant breeding, biotechnology, and functional genomics. The programme is organized by the Department of Plant Physiology (Umeå University) and the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) which together form the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC). The education is anchored around the various research topics of UPSC.

Instruction

The programme provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge about plant physiology, molecular biology, biotechnology and functional genomics; together with an understanding of the ethical, ecological and legal aspects of plant biotechnology. Advanced knowledge is given in plant cell and molecular biology as well as plant growth and development. This knowledge is then applied in the fields of plant breeding, biotechnology, and functional genomics. The different courses within the programme contain a variety of laboratory experiments, providing the students with hands-on experience and training in how to design, perform and report scientific experiments. The programme also gives students the opportunity to establish contacts with agricultural and forestry biotechnology companies.

Further studies?

Following your degree you can apply for PhD programmes in plant biology, plant biotechnology, plant microbiology and bioinformatics.

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