Bachelor in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

The Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology bachelor at IMC Krems is a full-time, English-taught degree of 180 ECTS over six semesters. It mixes theory courses with extensive laboratory practicals, and from the first semester you are in the lab putting concepts into practice.

What you study

The programme builds on three pillars. In semesters 1 to 4 you cover the fundamentals of science, biomedicine, engineering and analysis, plus quality management, business fundamentals and project management. Courses include Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Applied Physics, Anatomy and Physiology, Human Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, Biochemistry, Bioprocess Technology, and GLP/GMP theory. You also take Introduction to Data Science and Biostatistics.

Later you go deeper into pharmaceutical production processes, equipment and production design, fermentation and bioseparation, cell and tissue engineering, and applied quality management. In semester 6 you choose one of two electives: Production of Therapeutic Proteins (medical biotechnology) or Drug Development Management (pharmaceutical biotechnology). The first looks at replacing damaged cells or organs with naturally grown cells; the second covers manufacturing medical products, regulatory affairs and clinical studies.

How the programme is organised

Semester 5 is a compulsory internship semester. Over half of the students do it abroad at international companies, research institutes or universities. The internship coordinator gives one-to-one coaching to help you find a placement. You can also spend semester 3 or 4 on exchange at partner universities in Dublin, Linköping, Nijmegen or Vlissingen. A dual degree with Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland is available: you earn the IMC Krems BSc and are accredited with the Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering programme at the partner institution.

Teaching combines lectures with lab work in small groups. All students are guaranteed a workspace in the microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry and physics labs. Researchers from the Krems Bioanalytics institute, which does contract research in bioanalytics, teach directly in the programme. The Institute for Biotechnology also runs an annual scientific conference.

Who it suits

This degree suits you if you want a lab-based career in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry and are ready to start practical work immediately. You should be comfortable with chemistry, biology and maths, and willing to work in an interdisciplinary environment that includes business and regulatory topics. The programme is taught entirely in English, so you need a good command of the language.

Admission, language and next steps

Applications go directly to IMC Krems, not through a central portal. The programme page gives the application deadline. The teaching language is English. As a university of applied sciences, IMC Krems sets its own tuition fees; EU/EEA and Swiss students at public universities pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters, but that rule does not apply here. Check the institution's page for the current fee and application details.

Biotechnology is one of the world’s fastest growing research disciplines. There is an urgent need for experts, managers and researchers who are qualified to work in the industry. Graduates will have the expertise to contribute to the development of groundbreaking innovations in the field.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences. Universities of applied sciences set their own application periods and admission procedures, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Admission procedure. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.