Biotechnology is a fast-developing field of science and technology with impact on many disciplines and society. Public discussions on biotechnology are often controversial. Students following a Bachelor with a major in engineering or life science will learn more about the exciting developments in biotechnology when following this minor. Completing this minor can provide eligibility for admission to the relevant Master’s programme Biotechnology, for those with a non-biotechnology-related HBO degree. For HBO Biotechnology students, this minor offers a clear academic progression route for those who wish to deepen their expertise in biotechnological sciences.

The course cell physiology and genetics (period 4, 6 credits) provides a solid foundation in the biological background that will be deepened in the course's gene technology (period 6, 6 credits) and protein biochemistry (period 6, 6 credits).
The mathematics courses Mathematics Applied Analysis (Period 5, Mornings weeks 1-3, 3 credits) and Mathematics for Biotechnology (Period 5, Mornings week 4-6, 3 credits) offers together with  environmental process engineering (period 5 afternoons, 6 credits) the engineering basics of biotechnology.

After successful completion of this minor students are expected to be able to:

• Explain basic principles of genetic engineering, enzymology and process engineering
• Apply state of the art recombinant DNA and biochemical techniques
• Apply (mathematic) tools for process engineering and modelling
• Understand basics in process engineering

Completed 2 years of HBO bachelor in Biotechnology, chemical technology, environmental technology, HLO microbiology and biotechnology or related life science programmes or 1 year WO BSc Biology.  

Textbooks used in the courses are listed in de detailed course descriptions listed above.

In many cases e-book versions of textbooks are available for students, once enrolled, through the Wageningen University Library.

Courses in Wageingen are offered throughout the week Monday-Friday. 

Period 4 has 6 credits and runs for 4 weeks, with usually 1 course of 6 credits.
Peirod 5 and 6 both have 12 credits, run for 8 weeks and usually have one course in the morning and another in the afternoon. 

The detailed schedule of each course is published on TimeEdit, and linked from the course-links given above.  

The annual calendar can be found online.  

Each course has it's own set of assessment methods. This is outlined in the course description linked above.

Upon passing all courses of the minor, the minor is successfully completed.

Written tests of courses can be taken twice each academic year. Once when the course is attended, and once in a subsequent resit period. 
Details on when a written test of a course can be re-taken, are listed in the linked course-descriptions.    

You can address questions to mbt.msc@wur.nl

This email address is of the programme Biotechnology and Bioinformatics and can be used for questions about the entry requirements and content of the minor, as well as options about continuation master programmes in Wageningen.