University of Cambridge: Programme Specifications Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this programme specification. Programme specifications are produced and then reviewed annually by the relevant teaching faculty or department and revised where necessary. However, we reserve the right to withdraw, update or amend this programme specification at any time without notice. Further information about specifications and an archive of programme specifications for all awards of the University is available online at: www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/camdata/archive.html MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIOSCIENCE ENTERPRISE 1 Awarding body University of Cambridge 2 Teaching institution Institute of Biotechnology 3 Accreditation details None 4 Name of final award Master of Philosophy 5 Programme title Bioscience Enterprise 6 JACS code(s) J700, N200 7 Relevant QAA benchmark statement(s) Management and Business 8 Qualifications framework level 7 (Masters) 9 Date specification produced September 2008 10 Date specification last reviewed February 2011 Aims of the Programme The Master s Programme in Bioscience Enterprise aims to: Prepare graduates to undertake senior executive roles, founding and managing biotechnology companies and other commercial entities, and to take up consultancy positions. Provide a coherent and supportive learning environment, with students working closely with teachers drawn from both academic and biotechnology business executive backgrounds and whose teaching is informed by their own knowledge and business expertise Teach the business and analytical skills to enable students to pursue their chosen career path, in science, business or transitionary areas. Develop new areas of teaching in response to advances of scholarship and the community. Continue to attract outstanding students, irrespective of race, nationality, background, gender or physical disability Outcomes of the Programme The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate understanding, qualities and skills in the following areas. The programme outcomes have been developed with reference to the Benchmark Statement for Master s Awards in Business and Management. A. Knowledge and Understanding a. Life sciences, including fundamental concepts of basic science and demonstration of how contemporary biological and medical research leads to exploitable science and commercial products. Page 1 of 7
b. Business, including commercial and analytical skills required in biotechnology and healthcare related businesses. c. Management, including strategy, organisation, leadership, marketing and financing of technology companies. d. Technology transfer, from academia to industry and from industry to industry, including the concepts of licensing, partnering, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions. e. Law and intellectual property frameworks, relating to companies, individuals and shareholders in different jurisdictions. f. Social and ethical issues, including fundamental constraints when applying scientific research to the development of new bioscience products. g. Global biotechnology, including comparisons of the current industry status in the UK, Europe, USA and elsewhere. Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Acquisition of a), d), and f) is by a combination of lectures, group teaching, class practical workshops, individual coursework, collaborative assignments leading to audiovisual presentations and individual and group research. Acquisition of b) and c) is by a combination of lectures, workshops, individual coursework, collaborative assignments leading to audiovisual presentations and group research based on an in-company consulting project. Furthermore students undertake a company internship in the Lent term, researching a commercial project on behalf of the company and which leads to the writing of a dissertation. Acquisition of e) is by a combination of lectures, workshops and individual coursework. Acquisition of g) is by a combination of lectures, individual coursework and faculty led visit to the biotechnology cluster surrounding MIT in the USA and normally a student led visit to another biotechnology cluster in Europe. The student is encouraged to undertake independent entrepreneurial activities and further reading to supplement and consolidate knowledge. is continuous and comprises a number of short reports and critical appraisals. Additionally there are written submissions requiring in-depth literature research on science and technology exploitation and a substantial report to the client company regarding the consulting project. An important assessed aspect is class participation and teamwork in the research, preparation and delivery of presentations. The internship component of the programme is assessed by dissertation and by oral presentation of the conclusions. Additional marks are allocated for entrepreneurial activities. Feedback and a mark are given for all assessed work. B. Intellectual Skills a) Plan, conduct and report a programme of original business research b) Integrate and evaluate information from a variety of data sources c) Analyse the status of a company using available information (accounts, annual report, media reports, research publications) d) Interview senior executives for research purposes e) Identify exploitable scientific opportunities f) Apply due diligence methodologies to evaluate a commercial opportunity g) Apply professional judgement to balance costs, risks and benefits in business decisionmaking h) Identify key team roles and skills in a start-up environment i) Design a business plan and present it to third parties j) Identify intellectual property opportunities and conduct basic patent search Page 2 of 7
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Intellectual skills are developed through research-based projects and practical exercises, including analysis of complex reports and publications. Case studies of problems faced by real companies are addressed in individual coursework and class workshops, often led by senior executives of the companies involved. Students frequently work in small groups, adopting different team roles and responsibilities as part of a problem solving exercise. Site visits and conducting telephone interviews are major components of certain modules and also the business consultancy projects and internships, enhancing the skills required when interfacing with customers and clients. Students consider all aspects of founding a company and taking it through early development in business planning scenarios. Research and evaluation skills are assessed in course work reports and major science and technology essays. Team skills are assessed by monitoring group work and assessment of student output by industry expert evaluation of audiovisual presentations. C. Practical Skills a) Plan and execute a short business consultancy project, including client reporting b) Plan and execute a business internship project, including client reporting and writing of a dissertation c) Work independently to achieve commercial targets d) Collaborate with members of a team and/or other corporate divisions e) Organise, motivate and run group workshops and team activities f) Prepare executive summaries and reports for a broad spectrum of readers (public, well informed, expert) g) Review scientific and business literature and determine strengths and weaknesses h) Construct and cost a plan for the execution of a business-orientated research and development programme j) Predict cash flow required for company start-up h) Use standard IT tools and packages Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies The emphasis is on practical application of classroom learning. Students are required to address real problems, some in hypothetical situations and others in real time for companies operating commercially, as in the consulting project and internship. Students are required to analyse problems, undertake research in printed and public records, interview individuals and competitors, suggest solutions, set objectives, undertake the planning of the project and carry out the work, on time and budget. Subsequently students report their findings and progress to the class group and to experts in the field. Client-orientated projects are assessed by submission of written reports. Marking is by academic staff with reference to the industry client reports on the effectiveness of the student contribution. D. Transferable Skills a) Communicate effectively b) Apply information and communications technology c) Apply analytical skills d) Work as member of interdisciplinary team, assuming the lead role where required e) Identify opportunities and synergies f) Manage resources and time g) Approach unfamiliar tasks and problems with an open and creative outlook h) Learn effectively for the purposes of continuing professional development Page 3 of 7
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies The programme is an intensive taught course and is designed to offer students the opportunity to operate in an environment where they rapidly learn to manage their time, evaluate problems, assume responsibility, multi-task and prioritise effectively. of communication and analytical skills is ongoing throughout the programme, with regular feedback provided on reports and presentations. Team work and time and resource management is assessed in terms of the calibre, accuracy and effectiveness of written and audiovisual reports. s are on occasion set with constraints on the time available for preparation and reporting. Programme Structure, Credit and Award Requirements The programme is offered as a full time, taught course of nine months duration from October to June. All lectures, modules and components are compulsory. There may be some variation in the timing of the delivery of modules from year to year. In the third term students usually undertake an internship with a company or organisation, undertaking a project which leads to the writing of a dissertation. Occasionally the dissertation may be prepared by research only. Further information is available via the programme website:www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/mbe A. Programme of Study* Table 1 below indicates the term in which each module or course component is delivered, and indicates the marks assigned to each piece of work. Key: M Michaelmas term; L Lent Term; E Easter Term. These arrangements are subject to change. B. Programme of s* October November December January February March April June and Science and Technology in Business Paper 1 Submit module reports consulting project report and Science and Technology in Business Paper 2 and business plan Submit Dissertation and Symposium Presentation Page 4 of 7
Table 1 Programme of Study and Marking Scheme Programme Component Term Delivered Marks/ Module (%) Marks/ Component (%) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 29 ST1 - Treating Disease M 3 ST2 - Drug Discovery M 3 ST3 - Biotherapeutics M 3 Science and Technology in Business - Paper 1 M 7 Science and Technology in Business - Paper 2 L 7 ST4 - Diagnostics and Devices L 3 ST5 - Agbiotech L 3 BUSINESS 16 B1, 2 & 3 Management of Technology & Innovation 10 Marketing Microeconomics Strategy Decision Theory Finance & Accounting Commercialising Science Organising for Innovation MOTI Consulting Project B4 Healthcare Economics L 3 B5 Law and Intellectual Property 3 TRANSITIONARY 23 T1 Company Analysis L 3 T2 Company Analysis 3 T3 Building a High Tech Enterprise M 3 T4 Building a High Tech Enterprise M 3 T5 Business Plan 11 INTERNSHIP/DISSERTATION 30 E1 - Dissertation E 27 E2 - Symposium E 3 ASSESSMENT MARKS 98 Extramural participation and entrepreneurship bonus marks /E 2 2 TOTAL PROGRAMME MARKS 100 100 Page 5 of 7
Requirements for the Award of the Degree The examiners for the MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise have adopted the standard percentile grading scale. Students are required to obtain an average of 60% over the assessed modules and a minimum of 60% in the dissertation in order to obtain the MPhil degree. The examiners reserve the right to exercise their discretion when there are exceptional circumstances, in line with standard university practice. No aggregate numerical mark for the MPhil is awarded and the overall result is either a Pass or Fail. However, from October 2011 the award of Distinction is allowed at the discretion of the Examiners for achievement of marks averaging in excess of 75%. Indicators of Quality Approximately 25 students read for the Master s in Bioscience Enterprise MPhil each year. In the last five years nine students have been commended by the Director of Biotechnology for their outstanding academic performance. Learning Support The Bioscience Enterprise programme is supported by the Director of Biotechnology and two full time staff members, the Academic Director and Programme Administrator, with whom students work on a daily basis. There is a student representative on the staff-student consultative committee of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. Students may also approach any senior member of staff within the department for advice. Resources include access to the department, business school and university libraries, subscriptions to online business research resources and provision of a fully equipped classroom with individual computer workstations and audiovisual facilities. The programme publishes a handbook for the guidance of students. Whenever possible all programme information, including administration documents, course and lecture information and assessment materials are available to students via Camtools, an online information resource maintained by the University. The course requires a very high level of fluency in spoken and written English. Exceptionally students otherwise qualified for admission are required to take a formal course to raise their standard of English prior to commencing study on the programme. Students are members of a College and are assigned a College Tutor for the duration of their studies, from whom they may seek guidance regarding any aspect of their studies or University life. Evaluating and Improving the Quality of Learning External Examination: The performance of the students is assessed by two examiners, namely the Director of Biotechnology (University Examiner) and an examiner approved by the Degree Committee (External Examiner). The latter submits a report regarding the performance of each student for consideration by the Degree Committee. Course Approval: The Faculty is required to obtain the approval of the Board of Graduate Studies and the General Board s Education Committee before any significant changes to the programme are made. Evaluation: Students are requested to provide feedback to the programme staff regarding the quality of teaching provision and their learning experience at the end of each module or course component. Professional Practice: The programme benefits from the professional input of the many individuals who contribute to the programme as module co-ordinators, lecturers and advisors and who give insight into the current best practise in industry and science. Page 6 of 7
Employment and Careers Preparation for employment is described in Section 10. The Master s in Bioscience Enterprise course was developed in collaboration with the Cambridge-MIT Institute as an interdisciplinary professional practice programme. The results of a recent survey indicated that a large majority of responding graduates joined companies in the biotechnology sector in a broad range of executive roles. A number of graduates went on to found and operate their own companies. A small proportion pursued further postgraduate study in scientific research or management, or joined the government or voluntary sectors. Page 7 of 7