The photo shows a student in a white coat and white gloves in one of the IMC laboratories. She is using a microscope, which she is looking through, and is surrounded by laboratory equipment. A second person can be vaguely recognised in the background.

Would you like to play a part in improving the quality of life of millions of patients around the world? The Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology bachelor programme will give you the opportunity to do just that.

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. As a graduate, you will have the expertise to contribute to the development of groundbreaking innovations in the field.

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Engineering


Organisational form

full-time / 6 semesters / 180 ECTS


Language

English


Study fee

363.36 EUR


Important dates

Date end
15.04.2025

15.04.2025
Info for non-EU nationals

Videos

The degree programme

The Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology bachelor degree is taught in English and comprises theoretical courses and extensive laboratory practicals that cover the fundamentals of natural sciences, biomedicine and the applicable technologies.

FOCUS: MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

Lectures and laboratory exercises on biochemical processes, cell and molecular biology, and genetic engineering – including the various analytical techniques – provide a solid knowledge base. You will also gain insights into human medicine and pharmaceutical science in order to acquire an understanding of the effects of medicines and their production.


FOCUS: PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

This is an important part of the degree: courses on the theoretical principles and practical implementation of processes used in the biopharmaceutical industry. These cover aspects such as the design of biopharmaceutical production processes and the basics of planning the related production facilities.

In the lab-based courses, a model process set-up is used to illustrate important concepts.


FOCUS: QUALITY MANAGEMENT

High quality in the medical and pharmaceutical industry is crucial for safety of drugs and biopharmaceuticals. Accordingly, thorough knowledge of quality management is essential.


FUNDAMENTALS OF BUSINESS

Besides acquiring fundamental scientific knowledge, you will also focus on biotech entrepreneurship and drug regulatory affairs and prepare for working in an interdisciplinary environment.


STRONG FOCUS ON PRACTICAL WORK

Starting from the first semester you will intensively put into practice the theoretical knowledge you acquired in the laboratory. This includes microbiology, biochemistry, genetic engineering, cell culture and working with bioreactors, and enables you to conduct your own research project in the 5th semester internship. The results can be the basis of your bachelor thesis.


INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

During the second year you can go for an exchange semester to one of our partner universities (Dublin, Linköping, Nijmegen, Vlissingen).

A particularly attractive option is the dual degree we offer together with Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland. Besides obtaining a bachelor of science at IMC Krems, you will also be accredited with completing the Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering programme at our partner institution.


TIP

By the way: At IMC Krems, you also have the opportunity to use our Founders Lab alongside your studies. There, students receive support in implementing their start-up ideas and are guided through potential business ventures. Start-up service at its best!



Medical and pharmaceutical theory combined with extensive lab work: our graduates have a solid foundation on which to build when embarking on careers in biotechnology. They will play a part in tackling problems to which medicine cannot currently provide adequate solutions, and will have the chance to improve the quality of life of people all over the world.

Harald Hundsberger

Institutsleitung


Curriculum

A formula for success: theoretical knowledge + practical experience

The programme is built on three pillars.

Semesters 1–4

The basics

You will study a comprehensive range of medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology topics during your degree. Courses at the beginning of the programme cover the fundamentals of science, biomedicine, engineering and analysis in preparation for the more advanced subjects that come later. The curriculum also includes quality management, business fundamentals and project management.

You will receive a lot of practical training in the lab right from the very start. You will be introduced to scientific procedures in small groups, which you put into practice straight away.

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Semester 5

The internship

The compulsory internship semester is scheduled for semester 5. Over 50% of our Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology students complete their internship abroad at international companies, research institutes or universities.

We provide you with support before and during your internship: you identify your strengths and evaluate your development potential in the course of one-to-one coaching from our internship coordinator, who will then help you to find a suitable internship place at a company in Austria or abroad.

Looking to gain even more international experience? In semester 3 or 4 you can go for an exchange semester at one of our partner universities.

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Semester 6

Electives

Towards the end of the programme you opt for one of two electives: the medical biotechnology specialism Production of Therapeutic Proteins or the pharmaceutical biotechnology specialism Drug Development Management.

The goal of medical biotechnology is the replacement of damaged cells or organs, not with transplants or dialysis, but with naturally grown cells. Pharmaceutical biotechnology is concerned with manufacturing medical and pharmaceutical products and related operations. Antibiotics, which are produced with the help of microorganisms in large bioreactors, are examples of established biotechnology products. Monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutic proteins are key elements in the development of personalised medicine.

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What can you expect from your studies?

The curriculum provides an overview. Click on the individual courses for further information.

CourseSWSECTS

Basics of Chemistry

  
Chemical Calculations12
Analytical Chemistry, Laboratory23
General and Inorganic Chemistry34
   

Introduction to Laboratory

  
Introduction to Laboratory Techniques11
   

Fundamentals in Mathematics

  
Introduction to Data Science I11
   

Applied Mathematics

  
Applied Mathematics - Exercise11
Applied Mathematics - Theory23
   

Microbiology

  
Microbiological Working Techniques Laboratory22
Applied Microbiology12
   

Human Medicine I

  
Anatomy and Physiology22
Human Genetics12
   

Basics of Physics

  
Applied Physics - Laboratory34
Applied Physics - Theory23
   


Because questioning
is in our DNA.



What makes our Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology programme so special?

1

Studying and working abroad

Your English-language, industry-focused bachelor degree will lay the foundations for an international career. Half of the lectures and exercises are taught by experts with research or business experience. Many of them come from well-known universities, leading research institutes and research companies in Austria and 22 other countries.

Our university participates in numerous research partnerships with top universities such as Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Harvard University and the Garvan Institute in Sydney – as well as 3,000 other institutions across the world. The close relations we enjoy with our partners enable you to take advantage of many exchange opportunities and gain international experience.

Another highlight: the Institute for Biotechnology organises an annual scientific conference, which gives our students and alumni the chance to network with international speakers from research and industry.

More about our Life Science Week

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2

Lab work: practice makes perfect

As well as acquiring fundamental theoretical knowledge, one of the main objectives of our programme is to equip students with practical skills by including plenty of laboratory work. You do laboratory practicals from the first semester onwards. Importantly: all students are guaranteed a workspace in our state-of-the-art microbiology and molecular biology labs and our chemistry and physics labs.

You also develop a good command of standard research, analysis and production methods, as well as learning basic laboratory skills. Laboratory excises form part of the fundamentals of biology, analysis, biotechnology, bioprocess technology and quality management elements of the programme.

Your internship semester – an opportunity to gain first-hand insights into day-to-day research and working life – also gives you additional practical experience.

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3

Excellent career prospects

When you graduate, you can look forward to outstanding job opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry and at technology companies, as well as at research institutes involved in stem cell, regenerative medicine, pharmaceutical development and bioprocess engineering research.

Your impressive skill set will encompass quality control and marketing, and the development, production and approval of biotechnologies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The ideal preparation for the jobs of the future.

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Career paths

Starting a career or enrolling for a master degree programme? There is a wide range of career paths available to you.

After completing the Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology bachelor degree, you will have excellent career prospects thanks to a curriculum that is closely aligned to the needs of industry and research. Graduates of the programme are in high demand because of their interdisciplinary training and unique skills profile.

After obtaining your bachelor, you have the choice of starting a career or enrolling for a full-time or part-time master degree.

Interested in a master degree programme?

Discover our extensive range of master degree programmes in the field of science & technology.

Tip: At IMC Krems, we recommend the master degree programmes in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology or OMICS Technologies and Data Science in Biomedicine.

Related master degree programmes

Possible career fields after graduation


Videos

Our degree programme in focus: Videos that inspire.

Get to know our university from a fresh and personal perspective and learn more about our bachelor degree programme in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.

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Info events

Join us at our information events!

Thursday 14.11.2024
Info Event Online

Ask a Student - Bachelor

18:00 - 19:00 Details of event
Thursday 14.11.2024
Info Event Online

Ask a Student - Master

19:00 - 20:00 Details of event
Thursday 05.12.2024
Highlight Info Event

IMC Info Day 2024

14:00 - 18:00 IMC Campus Krems | Wing G1 Details of event

Application and admission

Is our degree programme just what you’re looking for? Here are your next steps!

We’ve put together all the relevant information for you.

What are the admission requirements for bachelor programmes?

To qualify for admission to a university of applied sciences bachelor degree programme, you must have an Austrian school-leaving certificate or an equivalent qualification.

Do you have a school-leaving certificate issued outside Austria?

We’ll check to make sure it’s equivalent to an Austrian certificate in accordance with section 4 of the University of Applied Sciences Studies Act (FHG) when you’ve sent us all the relevant documentation via our online application tool. If it is not an equivalent, you’ll receive information on the supplementary examinations you’ll need to pass. In a nutshell, you will have the option of completing a summer school and the necessary supplementary examinations at IMC Krems or look for an external provider. In that case, you might consider our cooperation partner, the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria: It offers a one-year International Foundation Programme which provides you with all the necessary qualifications you need in order to start your studies in Krems.

What proof of your language skills is required for our English-language bachelor degree programme?

We’ll assess your English language proficiency at your interview, so there is no need to provide additional evidence of your English skills.

Important​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Do you still need to complete your military or alternative service?  If you’re a male Austrian citizen, we strongly recommend completing your compulsory national service before beginning your studies. This will allow you to finish your degree with no interruptions and start your career without delay afterwards.

We would like to get to know you as a person

As part of the online application you will have to write a statement of motivation and a short essay on a topic relevant to the degree programme. Predefined questions about your motivations as well as the requirements and topics for your essay can be found in the online application. You choose one of the suggested topics, conduct research to broaden your knowledge, deal with the issues and bring your own point of view to the essay. Your answers are to be entered in the fields provided.

Your statement of motivation and your essay form the basis for your application interview. Every applicant has an opportunity to introduce themselves in a face-to-face discussion, usually with the degree programme director. In addition to the personal introduction and your motivation to study, the applicant and the interviewer discuss the topic selected and the arguments used in the essay, as well as the topic’s relevance for the degree programme.

The application interview is held in the language of instruction of the degree programme and can take place either online via Microsoft Teams or in presence.

After the application interview, your statement of motivation, the essay and your performance throughout the interview are assessed on the basis of the content-related remarks, the manner in which they express themselves and the arguments used.

What are the dates for the interview?

There are usually a selection of dates to choose from, with quotas allocated for each date. You can select a date and time slot during the online registration process. We therefore recommend that you complete your application in good time so that you can benefit from the full selection of dates.

Once you have successfully completed your online application, it will be checked for completeness and accuracy. As soon as this process is finished, we will inform you via email and confirm your admission date.

Upcoming interview dates

There are no dates available at the moment.

Application deadline for EU nationals 15/04/2025
Application deadline for non-EU nationals 15/04/2025
No application possible.
Application for the next study year possible from 1 December.

More information

Any questions?
We are happy to help!

Contact our Prospective Student Advisory Service    Contact the programme director

Team

Prof.(FH) Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr. Harald Hundsberger

Institutsleitung

Core competencies

Recombinant Protein Expression, Cell Culture Models, Peptide Engineering,

Full profile

Mag. Dr. Peter Allacher
Head of Operations / Institute Krems Bioanalytics
Details of person
Prof.(FH) Dr. Barbara Entler
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Franz Herzog
Endowed Professor / Head Mass Spectrometry / Institute Krems Bioanalytics
Details of person
Prof.(FH) DI Bernhard Klausgraber
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Prof.(FH) Dr. Christian Klein
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Prof.(FH) Priv.Doz. Dr. Reinhard Klein
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Dr. Christian Lubich
Head of Institute / Institute Krems Bioanalytics
Details of person
Dr. Christoph Metzner
Programme Director Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Details of person
Prof.(FH) Mag. Dana Mezricky
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Dr. Benjamin Neuditschko
Postdoc / Institute Krems Bioanalytics
Details of person
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Sarita Paudel
Senior Lecturer Institute Digitalisation and Informatics
Details of person
Dipl.Biol. Maren Pflüger, PhD
Scientist Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Prof.(FH) DI Dominik Schild
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Hon.-Prof.(FH) DI (FH) Rita Seeböck, PhD
Scientific Projekt Staff Institute Biotechnology
Details of person
Prof.(FH) Mag. Dr. Christoph Wiesner
Professor (FH) Institute Biotechnology
Details of person

Information & support

Undecided? We’re here to offer guidance.

Prospective Student Advisory Service

Get guidance from our experts.

+432732802222
information(at)imc.ac.at

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