07 08 MASTER’S PROGRAMME This programme is accredited by the NVAO, the Dutch-Flemish accreditation organisation, which is a member of ECA, the European Consortium for Accreditation. Full-time Part-time HAN Master of Molecular Life Sciences Content Introduction 3 Programme Structure Introduction Infectious Diseases Carcinogenesis Biotechnology Major Project 4 HAN BioCentre 6 Summer Course 7 Coaching 8 Duration and Study Load 8 Admission Criteria 9 Fees 9 Enrolment 9 Future Prospects 10 Studying in Nijmegen 11 Information 12 HAN www.hanuniversity.nl 2 Introduction Andrea Thiele Programme manager The Master’s degree from HAN University is an internationally recognized degree. Students taking our programme can acquire this degree in one year on a full-time basis (12 months) or in two years on a part-time basis (24 months). Upon successful completion of all the required courses and study projects, the student is awarded the title of Master of Molecular Life Sciences. Such a Master’s degree opens doors to a promising career or further study at PhD level. The programme is strongly focussed on applied research and is divided into ﬁve modules: Introduction, Infectious Diseases, Carcinogenesis, Biotechnology and Major Project. The programme does not only concentrate on scientiﬁc knowledge, but also on developing R&D (Research and Development) skills in order to teach the students to perform high-quality research in a methodologically responsible manner. I grew up in a country that no longer exists: the German Democratic Republic. I had just turned 16 when the Berlin wall fell. This exciting and unforgettable event had a big impact on the further development of my life. Never allowed to travel far during my childhood, I got quite excited about meeting people from other countries and cultures, travelling and living abroad. Biochemistry was an obvious choice: I had always been very interested in science and had received secondary education with a strong focus on science subjects. During my studies and my PhD project in the ﬁeld of immunobiology I realized how exciting research is. This was what I wanted to do: solving puzzles every day! I also quickly found out that scientiﬁc studies and research work are easy to combine with living abroad. I followed parts of my studies in Scotland, did an internship at Procter & Gamble in England, spent some time as a PhD student in Switzerland and worked as a Postdoc in Utrecht, The Netherlands. More details about these modules can be found in this brochure. The Master’s programme has been integrated with the contract research activities of the HAN BioCentre. In conclusion, with the combination of research and education we offer you the optimal start for a professional career. - Focus on applied research - Interdisciplinary - International - Training research skills - Can be combined with research activities at the HAN BioCentre 3 During my time as a Postdoc investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of cancer, I felt I was missing something. But what was it? When a student came to do her internship with me, I soon realized what it was: teaching! The warm feeling I got from the discussions with her, explaining, seeing her knowledge grow and motivating her after the ﬁrst disappointments in science was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I applied for a position at the HAN BioCentre in which I could combine my broad interest in science, my new passion for teaching and working in an international environment. Since April 2006, I work as a lecturer, programme manager and project leader at the HAN BioCentre. My main tasks are to design and give lectures in the Master’s programme in Molecular Life Sciences, to organize the course contents and to individually guide students through the programme. Moreover, I am involved in the contract research performed at the HAN BioCentre. Programme Structure The programme is devided into ﬁve modules. Knowledge and skills obtained in one module are the basis for the study programme of the following module. Carcinogenesis Infectious Diseases Introduction In the introduction module, you will improve your theoretical knowledge of cell biology and molecular biology up to the required level. This is achieved by following a personal study route designed by your tutor and yourself after an initial assessment. The theoretical principles and techniques of cell and molecular biology will be studied in lectures, workshops and discussions with the tutor. Furthermore, you will train your skills in designing experiments and analysing scientiﬁc papers. The module starts with a discussion on the scientiﬁc method and the requirements for performing scientiﬁc experiments successfully. Subsequently, you will analyse published scientiﬁc studies and design experiments yourself. An exam represents the ﬁnal assessment of this module, giving an indication as to whether the student has reached the level required for continuing with the next module of the study programme. HAN In this module you will acquire knowledge of the interactions between microorganisms and man, animal and plant, the role micro-organisms play in the origin of diseases, and the spread and epidemiology of infectious diseases. The module starts with a week of guest lectures by scientists involved in frontier research on infectious diseases. They work at well-established research institutes such as Erasmus University (Rotterdam); Leiden University; Wageningen University; TNO Defense, Security and Safety; Radboud University Nijmegen; etc. The topics include malaria, inﬂuenza, SARS, HIV, ebola, avian inﬂuenza, BSE and bioterrorism. Techniques to diagnose malaria are also trained in practice. This module also comprises lectures on oral and written scientiﬁc presentations and corresponding exercises. At the end of the module, you will give a presentation and write a review article on the present state of knowledge concerning a speciﬁc infectious disease. Your theoretical knowledge will be examined by means of a written assessment. www.hanuniversity.nl In the Carcinogenesis module, you will acquire knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that are involved in cancer development. In addition, you will familiarize yourself with diagnostics and the treatment of cancer. As in the Infectious Diseases module, guest lectures by experts in the ﬁeld are integral part of the programme. During an intensive week of lectures, the following aspects will be highlighted: the processes involved in the development of cancer (such as DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis), mechanisms involved in the spread of tumours, micro-array analysis in cancer research and diagnosis, cancer mouse models as well as recent developments in cancer therapy. In addition to theoretical insights, the course provides you with practical experience in micro-array data analysis and genome proﬁling. A higher level will be reached by training research skills. You will develop your own research plan to drive a clearly deﬁned project forwards. Furthermore, you will use the acquired knowledge and your creativity to design a strategy for developing a new drug. Familiarization with patent strategies completes this module. Your theoretical knowledge will be examined by means of a written assessment. 4 The Final Award: Your Master’s Degree in Molecular Life Sciences Major Project Biotechnology In the Biotechnology module you acquire knowledge of the methodology for modifying the genetic make-up of living cells and of fermentation technology. Through genetic modiﬁcation of micro-organisms, new products can be produced (e.g. vitamins, antibodies, enzymes for medical or chemical applications). Furthermore desired characteristics can be introduced or undesired characteristics eliminated. Genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and metabolomics are relatively new scientiﬁc methods with a great impact on recent developments in biotechnology. These methods are used to characterize and compare strains under different conditions. Once a recombinant strain has been developed the production levels and characteristics of the new strain are analysed during large-scale fermentation processes. The following subjects are taught in this module: gene expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, expression vector design, various gene expression systems (e.g. for E.coli, Lactobacillus, and Aspergillus); bottlenecks in heterologous production of proteins, and production analysis during fed-batch fermentation processes. In addition you will learn more about project management and the writing of research proposals. 5 In the ﬁnal six months you will work on an individual basis on a major project in a research centre of a university, university medical centre, company, or at the HAN BioCentre. During this period you will be supervised by staff members of HAN University and by a coach from the institute where you conduct your project. In this module you will prepare a research proposal for your major project. You need to prove not only that you possess integrated knowledge of Molecular Life Sciences and the required technical skills and attitude, but also that you are able to manage projects. Moreover, you will be requested to demonstrate your competences in communication, reporting and presentation. During and after the practical research period, you will be writing your major project report. The results will be presented in a viva-voce examination for a panel, which includes both supervisors and an external examiner. If you pass this exam successfully, you will be awarded the degree of Master of Molecular Life Sciences. Foto: Ralph Schmitz HAN BioCentre Shufen Ko (Amy) Full-time student Just like in my ﬁrst Master’s programme, which I took at a maritime university, I could have obtained this Master’s degree in Taiwan. But, during an information day of HAN University in Taiwan, I became very interested in the Dutch way of education. In Taiwan you have to listen, but here you have to think for yourself. That was different and therefore difﬁcult for me. Especially the bioinformatics classes were a challenge, because I had never had them before. I did my Major Project at a laboratory of Radboud University Nijmegen. The research I did was done on frogs. In the future, the acquired knowledge can be used for human beings. The HAN BioCentre is a contract research organization (CRO) in the ﬁelds of Life Sciences and Chemistry. As a Master’s student working on research projects at the HAN BioCentre, you will be able to further develop your practical and research skills. Supervised by the Centre’s staff, you will perform interesting scientiﬁc research in the ﬁelds of molecular biology and fermentation technology. Literature studies and project discussions with companies or the HAN BioCentre staff and other students will be part of your tasks. More information can be obtained from our website www.hanbiocentre.nl. Before I took this programme, I had worked for ﬁve years. The money I earned and a donation from my parents enabled me to live and study one year in the Netherlands. This was the ﬁrst time I studied outside Taiwan. In the beginning I missed my mother a lot, but thanks to ‘skype’ (free internet phone service) I could solve this problem. Immediately after my graduation I went back home for a holiday with my family. Next, I improved my English and I am now looking for a PhD project, hopefully in cancer research. Maybe I will return to Europe and the Netherlands again. HAN www.hanuniversity.nl 6 Summer Course Kees van den Hondel Professor Life Sciences This summer course is a prerequisite for both international as well as Dutch students that have no demonstrable experience in molecular biology techniques and want to attend the international Master’s programme in Molecular Life Sciences. This course can also be taken on a stand-alone basis without making a commitment to the Master’s degree. Usually, the study of gene expression and gene regulation in an organism will start with the cloning of genes in appropriate expression vectors, followed by the expression analysis on the protein and/or mRNA level. Needless to say that knowledge and skills of practical molecular biology techniques are required for performing research in the ﬁeld of gene expression and gene regulation. This intensive course will provide you with the theoretical and practical knowledge of the numerous techniques involved in molecular biology today. The course consists of three months in which the following aspects will be highlighted in theory and practical laboratory experiments: • Cloning techniques (such as DNA isolation, restriction enzyme analysis, agarose gel electrophoresis, ligation, transformation of E. coli, PCR, Southern blot analysis etc.). • Bioinformatics (such as restriction enzyme analysis, primer design, blast search etc.). • Protein analysis (such as protein isolation, Western blot analysis, enzyme activity analysis, protein puriﬁcation, etc.). • RNA analysis (such as RNA isolations, Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR). 7 After the study Biochemistry I focussed my attention on molecular-biological and molecular-genetic research of bacteria performed at the University of Nijmegen and Utrecht. I went to contract research organization TNO to use the knowledge I had obtained at Nijmegen and Utrecht to set up and apply genetic modiﬁcation systems for ﬁlamentous fungi. Since 1997 I work as a professor in molecular microbiology at the Institute of Biology of the University of Leiden. At present my researchgroup still works on ﬁlamentous fungi. When a start was made to set up the programme Master of Molecular Life Sciences at the HAN University, I made a contribution to this with a lot of enthusiasm. Since the programme started in 2003 I give lectures for several modules of this programme with much pleasure. In september 2006 I have been appointed as part-time professor in Life Sciences at the HAN University. Since the start of the HAN BioCentre I also used my experience at scientiﬁc research, education, acquisition and performing contract research to contribute to its success. The attraction of working at the HAN BioCentre, is that we let students contribute to projects that we carry out for the Small and Middle size Enterprises (SME’s). In this way the students can already gain experience during their study in applied research in a realistic working environment. An additional advantage of the HAN BioCentre is that new technologies and knowledge will be gained which subsequently will be introduced in our Bachelor’s and Master’s programme. In this way we will keep the programme up-to-date and we will always deliver students who have state of the art skills enabling easy employment in research. For me it is always special to teach young people and watch them become enthusiastic for fundamental and applied research and last but not least to see them obtain nice jobs in the future. Coaching Rianne Siebelink-Stoter Part-time student When I ﬁnished my HLO education, I knew one thing for sure: I never wanted to go back to school! But after working for 3 years as a research technician at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, I changed my mind: I was ready for a new challenge. In the ‘VAP Visie’ magazine I read about the Master’s programme in Molecular Life Sciences. It was offered at my old familiar school and just perfect for me. My department was willing to pay the tuition fees and I was just in time to enrol in the programme in November 2004. It wasn’t always easy to combine work and studies, but I got a lot of support from my institute. I was allowed to go to school during working hours and I was sometimes even allowed to work on my assignments on the job. At ﬁrst I looked up to my fellow students. Most of them had a molecular background. But in spite of my medical prior education I did not experience more difﬁculties than my classmates, and because of that I think I did a very good job. I liked the fact that the programme was very practical. The subjects were very up-to-date, especially the Infectious Diseases module with subjects such as SARS, avian inﬂuenza (H5N1) and bioterrorism. How to apply for grants and patents, develop medicines and write my own research proposal were subjects that appealed to me. Guest speakers from the ﬁeld were invited for each module, which made the subjects more real. Skilled academic and personal advisors guide you through the difﬁculties you may encounter during the course. We have an open-door policy for all our students, and provide foreign students with ‘buddies’ to help them ease into life in the Netherlands. The classes are small (about 20 students). Duration and study load You can follow the course programme on a part-time (24 months) or full-time (12 months) basis, both types lead to the same postgraduate diploma. If you have no demonstrable skills in molecular biology techniques, you can take our summer course (3 months full-time) prior to the Master’s programme. The programme is scheduled mainly in daytime education and fully taught in English. The total study load comprises 72 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits (one ECTS credit is equivalent to 28 hours of study). If so preferred, the modules can be taken on a stand-alone basis without making a commitment to the full degree. This last option leads to a postgraduate certiﬁcate and makes the system exquisitely versatile. The programme brought me more knowledge of molecular biology, both theoretically and practically. I did my Major Project at the Cellular Biochemistry department of the NKI (Dutch Cancer Institute) in Amsterdam. I presented a poster with my results during an international conference (ESTRO) in Leipzig, Germany. My intention is to publish part of those results in a scientiﬁc journal. My position has deﬁnitely improved thanks to this programme. HAN www.hanuniversity.nl 8 Admission Criteria Christien Lokman Associate Professor Life Sciences The Master’s programme in Molecular Life Sciences can be followed by all who have successfully completed a Bachelor’s programme in Life Sciences, Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics or Medical Science (in the Netherlands: HLO). Laboratory technicians with other equivalent degrees (e.g. MTA/BTA/CTA/Biologielaborant(in) in Germany, T.E.I. in Greece, BTS in France, analityk medyczny/ technik farmaceutyczny in Poland, Biologisch/Chemische Laborant in Switzerland) can join the programme after having demonstrated their knowledge and skills in an assessment. The applicant must have demonstrable practical experience in Molecular Biology Research or have attended the 3-month summer course prior to the programme. The course contents require that the applicant has a good working knowledge of English (TOEFL 550, IELTS 6.0 or equivalent score). Finally, an academic panel will examine whether all requirements have been fulﬁlled before approving the enrolment application. Fees You can opt for different packages, which include university fees, costs of living, and costs of accommodation, visa, insurance, books and study materials. For further details, please send an e-mail to Corina van den Bergh ([email protected]). Enrolment Registration is easy. Simply download the registration form from the internet site www.hanuniversity.nl (foreign students) or www.han.nl (Dutch students), or send an e-mail request for a form to Corina van den Bergh ([email protected]). If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available places, the allocation of the places will be based on the order of receipt of the registration forms. 9 About twenty years ago I graduated from the HLO Bachelor’s programme in Biotechnology (HLO = Higher Laboratory Education). Molecular genetics and biochemistry were my favourite subjects. I was therefore very pleased when I acquired a position as a technician in this ﬁeld at the contract research organization TNO. At TNO I was involved in research on gene expression in lactic acid bacteria. Although this subject was very interesting I realized after a few years that I wanted to be involved in research at a higher level. I wanted to decide myself in which direction my project should go. I wanted to present the results on international conferences myself. I wanted to write the scientiﬁc publications of my project myself. In short, I wanted to be a scientiﬁc researcher instead of a technician. At that time there was no part-time Master’s programme such as the Master’s programme in Molecular Life Sciences. A full-time Master’s programme was not an option because I needed to earn my own living. I was very lucky because the head of the department offered me a position as a PhD student. Nowadays it is very difﬁcult to ﬁnd a PhD position when you don’t have a Master’s degree. But fortunately there are full- and part-time Master’s programmes available today. So if you want to deepen your knowledge and develop your research skills up to a scientiﬁc level, Molecular Life Sciences is just the right Master’s programme for you. This Master’s programme focuses on applied research in the disciplines of Infectious Diseases, Carcinogenesis and Biotechnology, and offers ample opportunities for an exciting career in scientiﬁc research. Upon successful completion of the Master’s programme you can opt for a research position at a university (e.g. in a PhD research project) or company (e.g. project manager, head of a department). The effort I put in my own scientiﬁc development resulted in a career path from technician, to project manager, to associate professor. I’m sure you can do this too! Future Prospects Sanela Svraka Part-time student I noticed an advertisement in a paper or magazine and I thought it was a nice programme. Thereupon I attended an information day. The lecturers were very straightforward and sincere. Anyway, the programme appealed to me a lot and in fact I decided that day to sign up for this programme. Before I took the programme I ﬁnished the Bachelor’s programme at the Institute for Applied Sciences of HAN University, and worked for a year as a technician at RIVM. The combination of study and work is good, but good planning is required to ﬁnish all the assignments in time. There was a lot of personal contact with the lecturers and they were very accessible. This was very motivating and helped me to know what to do and how to do it. Upon successful completion of the Master’s programme graduates can opt for research positions in industry or at a university (e.g. PhD research project). Examples are: - Pharmaceutical companies: Development of new medicines - Biotechnological companies: Improvement and development of production processes (production of enzymes, antibodies, metabolites etc. by living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeast, plants) - Research institutes: multidisciplinary research projects in Molecular Life Sciences commissioned by companies or government agencies - Academic research - Forensic DNA laboratories: DNA research - Food technology: improvement and development of products Another possibility is to start up your own company in the ﬁeld of Life Sciences. When I ﬁnished the programme, I continued as a PhD student because I thought this was important for my personal development. I learned a lot from the programme and I noticed that the programme was very detailed, a thing I hadn’t realized during the programme. HAN www.hanuniversity.nl 10 Studying in Nijmegen Martijn van Hal Part-time student Nijmegen, the oldest city in the Netherlands, is situated on a range of hills near the river Waal. About 20,000 students make Nijmegen a real student town. The variety in degrees and courses offered by colleges and the university attracts many students from all over the world. Everyone feels at home in Nijmegen. The citizens of Nijmegen are proud of their city where past and present go hand in hand, for example, in the shape of historic buildings and modern architecture. The waterfront with the silhouette of the city centre in the background is a splendid sight. Your study will keep you busy, but will undoubtedly also allow you some time to get acquainted with the city. Nijmegen is renowned for its pleasant atmosphere. Enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or spend a night in town in a trendy or traditional bar. In the summer you can enjoy the warm evenings in the many pavement cafés. If you like culture, Nijmegen is also the place to be. Film, theatre or music, Nijmegen has it all. And if you like to relax outdoors, you can go for a hike in the surrounding ‘Rijk van Nijmegen’. The city is also known for its international walking event ‘the four-day marches’ and its Summer Festival. For more information about Nijmegen, please consult: www.nijmegen.nl www.gonijmegen.nl 11 I am very positive about the career opportunities I encountered doing the Master’s programme. During the course I had two job promotions and, later on, having graduated from the programme, I was offered a job as a scientiﬁc project manager for USP (upstream processing) in the Biotechnology division. For this position the Master’s degree was a requirement. I started this job in January 2007. Information Corina van den Bergh Course Coördinator Besides that I want foreign students to feel at home in our university and in Nijmegen. I can imagine how it feels like leaving your home and go to a foreign country to study. So, also when there are problems, when someone needs a doctor and does not know where to go to, or more simple things like when someone needs a second hand bike, I will be happy to help them out. Because that is the thing I like the most about my job: working with and for students. For foreign students of our Master’s programme there is also a Social Programme. To get a Master’s degree you have to study very hard but it is also important to do some nice things in your free time and meet some new people. For example, we offer possibilities to visit typical Dutch places, we try to make students part of our Dutch traditions and students can join activities of our university. Maybe we will meet each other in the future. If you already have questions after reading this brochure, please e-mail me at [email protected]. HAN www.hanuniversity.nl HAN BioCentre Mail address - P.O.Box 6960, 6503 GL Nijmegen, Netherlands Ofﬁce - Laan van Scheut 2, 6525 EM Nijmegen, Netherlands Location of Study - HAN Institute of Applied Sciences Laan van Scheut 2, 6525 EM Nijmegen, Netherlands T +31 (0)24 353 19 78 F +31 (0)24 353 19 90 Information days are held regularly, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Visit our website for dates and locations. Foreign visitors www.hanuniversity.nl www.hanbiocentre.nl Dutch visitors www.han.nl www.hanbiocentre.nl EDITOR HAN BIOCENTRE | PHOTOGRAPHY ALAIN BAARS, CORINA VAN DEN BERGH, THEA VAN DEN HEUVEL, RALPH SCHMITZ | DESIGN TER HAAR ROMENY & KETEL LAYOUT BUREAU ACHTEN EWIJK | PRINTED BY DRUKKERIJ TESINK ZUTPHEN DECEMBER 2006 NO RIGHTS CAN BE DERIVED FROM THIS PUBLICATION In August 2005 I started my job as course coördinator at the HAN BioCentre. My job is to take care of the organization of all the courses and workshops for the (HAN) Institute of Applied Sciences. Another large part of my job consists of the organization of the programme Master of Molecular Life Sciences and I am the contact person for all students of this programme. Both Dutch as well as foreign students can contact me for all kinds of information. They can ask me anything about the course, the module schedules, tuition fees, insurance, housing, etc. When students need help with more complicated things like residence permits or other IND matters I will also be there to help.