THE NEW POSTGRADUATE STUDIES IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY AT THE "UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRID"

Since 2005, and as part of their adaptation to the framework of the European Higher Education Area, Spanish universities have undertaken a profound remodelling of their postgraduate programmes. As a result of this process, new Master courses have been created and Doctorate programmes updated. In this context, the "Universidad Autonoma of Madrid (UAM)" has launched a new postgraduate programme in Molecular Biosciences. This Postgraduate Programme was designed around the three main axes of the Molecular Biosciences in the 21st Century: basic research aimed at surpassing the frontiers of knowledge; applied research directed towards improvements in human health; and the transfer of knowledge to the biotechnology industry in order to create new goods and services that will improve the well being of our society. Accordingly, the programme is made up of three Master's courses (Master in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Master in Molecular Biomedicine, Master in Biotechnology) and a Doctorate programme. The Master in Molecular and Cellular Biology aims to provide training in the study of the organization and function of biological systems at a cellular and molecular level, introducing the students to basic research in this field. The Master in Molecular Biomedicine aims to train professionals to work at the frontier between basic and clinical research, and that are capable of propelling high quality translational research to improve Healthcare. This Master delves deep into the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying different diseases, as well as studying the development of new procedures that might aid in their prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Master in Biotechnology is designed to provide students with the necessary skills to carry out research in the field of biotechnology, or to be able to develop their careers in a biotechnology company. This Master's also offers an introduction into business activities, which is crucial to adequately train qualified professionals to work optimally at the frontier between industry and academia. As such, this Master is strongly focused on the transfer of knowledge to the bioindustry sector. However, beyond the specific characteristics of each course, our Masters aim to train scientists and technical experts who will be capable to innovate and create, and of devising new solutions to complex problems. To achieve this, the students receive an active training that makes them the protagonists in their own learning. On-line teaching tools are also being used intensely (through the "Moodie" platform). Furthermore, the teaching activities are closely related to the research activities (or to the business activities in the Master's in Biotechnology), in order to guarantee the best possible practical training. Thus, students become immersed for a semester into a research laboratory (or a biotech company) to work actively in a project and complete their Master's Theses. The experience obtained through the implantation of this new postgraduate programme has proved to be very successful and in fact, these programmes have been so highly solicited that the admission process is proving to be more selective than had been anticipated. At present, the biggest challenge is to make the Postgraduate Programme more "International" by imparting the Master's exclusively in English, and through establishing agreements with other European and Foreign Universities.