Limited access, 120 places available.

Quota reserved to non-EU students residing outside Italy: 7 places. The admission to the Bachelor’s Degree Programme is permitted after passing the TOLC-B online test, created by CISIA - the Inter-University Consortium for Integrated Admission Systems (www.cisiaonline.it). The CISIA test mark, the High School diploma mark and a bonus acquired upon pre-enrollment at the University of Salento will determine the final position of the student in the ranking of the best 120 students to whom access to the Bachelor’s Degree Programme will be guaranteed.

Admission to the Course requires a High School diploma or other equivalent and approved qualification obtained abroad. Good knowledge of the basic notions of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, and adequate logic and understanding skills, are required for access and successful inclusion in the educational Degree Programme. There are compulsory checks of possession of these requirements. The procedures for checking academic requirements are indicated in the Course Regulations, published on the university website, which establishes the additional learning requirements (OFAs) to be achieved during the three-year Course if the initial requirements are not met.

Campus Ecotekne Pal. B - S.P. 6, Lecce - Monteroni - LECCE (LE)

The Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology offers direct job opportunities, such as:

• Laboratory technician, who carries out the activity in analysis laboratories in the agri-food, environmental, pharmaceutical industry, and research sectors;
• Scientific Specialist, who provides technical information to general practitioners and specialists, regarding the pharmacological lines of the reference company;
• Scientific Area Specialist, which provides scientific information only on some lines of drugs (oncological, etc.) of which they have a thorough knowledge of the molecular aspects;
• Employee or owner of a parapharmacy;
• Freelance journalist.

It also allows to:

• Register in section B (junior) of the Italian professional Register of Biologists;
• Register in section B (junior) of the Italian professional Register of Agronomists and Forestry doctors for the agricultural biotechnology sector;
• Register in the Italian professional Register of Graduate Agro-technicians and Agro-technicians;
• Access to public administration competitions where a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology is required.

For a detailed description of the biotechnologist’s career opportunities, it is suggested to consult the websites https://www.biotecnologi.it/ and http://www.biotecnologi.org/.

Academic coordinator: Tiziano Verri - tiziano.verri@unisalento.it

Staff coordinator: dr. Maria Rosaria Miglietta - mariarosaria.miglietta@unisalento.it

The Course aims to train graduates with adequate mastery of the tools and skills in the various sectors of the biotechnological disciplines for the production of goods and services. Graduates will be able to acquire:

• logical-mathematical, statistical, computer, chemical and physical tools aimed at understanding biotechnological problems;
• knowledge at molecular and cellular level of biological systems and components, of the structure and function of microorganisms and viruses, animal and plant organisms, and of their use in biotechnology;
• biochemical-biophysical, biological-molecular and genetic, physio-pathological, immunological, endocrinological, pharmacological knowledge and their biotechnological applications;
• knowledge of biotechnological methodologies such as genetic engineering and recombinant technologies, metabolic engineering, fermentation technologies and bioconversion processes aimed at the production of molecules of biomedical interest;
• knowledge of cell and tissue cultures also for the purposes of regenerative medicine, model organisms and transgenic animals used to study diseases;
• -omics methodologies and bioinformatics.

This will help to train a professional figure with adequate skills and abilities to operate, with technical-operational roles, in different areas of biotechnology and/or to access subsequent training courses, primarily Master’s Degree Courses, in specific sectors of biotechnology.

Learning areas: Mathematics, Physics, Statistics - Chemistry - General Biology, Cell Biology and Microbiology - Biochemistry, Physiology, Biophysics and Biomedical Disciplines - Genetics and Molecular Biology

The final exam ascertains the candidate has critical and communication skills, and the ability to face, with technical-operational roles, problems of a scientific nature. It also allows the candidate to apply the knowledge and technical-operational skills acquired during the university training course directly to experimental and laboratory work. The final exam consists in the preparation of a short written paper (Degree Thesis) on a scientific topic agreed with the supervisor and prepared by the student under his/her supervision. The Degree Thesis is mainly experimental-applicative. It does not necessarily possess characteristics of originality, nor a degree of in-depth study higher than the candidate's level of study. Rather, it must bring out the candidate's cultural maturity and ability to elaborate the topic in a personal and autonomous way, and the ability to effectively communicate the topic. Furthermore, the final paper must clearly and precisely reveal the candidate’s writing and synthesis skills.