Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

This programme is aimed at graduates who wish to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills in advanced plant biology and biotechnology, including  crop science, genetics, genomics, cell biology, physiology, ecology, and studies on climate change, in order to pursue future careers in plant biology-based industries and PhD research. We aim to provide a learning environment that encourages our students to be active, motivated, and autonomous learners, and to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship. Lectures, tutorials, and small group discussions are key elements in the programme’s design and are delivered by internationally recognised experts in the field. Our students are also given the opportunity to develop a business plan as part of our programme in innovation and entrepreneurship, and to also engage in a 3-month research project to gain advanced experimental skills. 

• Advanced knowledge of the variety of disciplines encompassed within Plant Biology, with emphasis on specific areas of research, which will provide the basis for the development and application of original ideas
• The knowledge and appreciation of how plants/crops, and plant/crop-derived products can be used in wider applications in the biomedical, food and agricultural sciences
• The ability to apply their knowledge to formulate hypotheses and test them using appropriate tools
• The ability to interpret a variety of different datasets generated in Plant Biology research
• A clear understanding that scientific research can be taken to the marketplace
• The ability to communicate to a specialist and non-specialist audience, in a clear and unambiguous way, the results of their investigations and/or rationale underlying them. Strong focus is put on writing (popular articles, scientific papers), and presenting orally.
• The maturity to continue studying and critically appraise the scientific literature in a largely autonomous manner

• A clear understanding that scientific research can be taken to the marketplace
• Advanced knowledge of the variety of disciplines encompassed within Plant Biology, with emphasis on specific areas of research, which will provide the basis for the development and application of original ideas
• The ability to apply their knowledge to formulate hypotheses and test them using appropriate tools
• The ability to communicate to a specialist and non-specialist audience, in a clear and unambiguous way, the results of their investigations and/or rationale underlying them. Strong focus is put on writing (popular articles, scientific papers), and presenting orally.
• The ability to interpret a variety of different datasets generated in Plant Biology research
• The knowledge and appreciation of how plants/crops, and plant/crop-derived products can be used in wider applications in the biomedical, food and agricultural sciences
• The maturity to continue studying and critically appraise the scientific literature in a largely autonomous manner

View All Modules Here

MSc Plant Biology & Biotechnology (F080) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 7540
nonEU    fee per year - € 24800

MSc Plant Biology & Biotechnology (F131) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 3760
nonEU    fee per year - € 12400

***Fees are subject to change
Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

Staff Profile
Dr Carl Ng,
UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, UCD

My research focuses on understanding the signaling processes underlying the responses of plants and crops to abiotic stresses. The aim is to understand plant cellular strategy for adapting to changing environmental conditions and how temporally dynamic gene expression systems can confer evolutionary advantages during the colonisation of land by plants.

• MSc Environmental Sustainability (Negotiated Learning) JanPT
• MSc Environmental Science FT
• MSc Biotechnology FT
• MSc Biotechnology & Business FT

• UCD Rosemount Environmental Research Station
• Controlled plant growth facility and bioreactors
• Plant Metabolomics Technology Platform
• Plant Cell and Tissue Culture Facility

The following entry routes are available:

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised