Enrolment
Eligibility and Process
The Bioscience Enterprise programme consists of two parts. In year one – students complete 8 taught courses to gain the PGDipBioEnt qualification. Students awarded PGDipBioEnt and having achieved a B+ average over the 6 best courses are eligible to enter the Master in Bioscience Enterprise programme (MBioEnt) in year two.Candidates for entry in the PGDipBioEnt must have a bachelors degree related to the life sciences eg BSc with a major or specialisation in Biological Sciences, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Science, Food Science, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, or Psychology; or a BE in Biomedical Engineering; or a BPharm; or a BTech in Biotechnology.
Candidates wishing to apply for entry in the PGDipBioEnt should email Ms Margot Bethell, Director Bioscience Enterprise programme (director@bioscienterprise.ac.nz), to arrange an initial interview in person or by phone.
Application for admission is via the University of Auckland’s website (www.auckland.ac.nz) by clicking on “Apply now” and then following the directions for “Current or returning students” or “Future students”. Note that new entrants to the Bioscience Enterprise programme must seek admission to PGDipBioEnt. Please observe the application closing date.
The class size is limited to 25 students and admission is competitive. Previous academic achievements, relevant experience, communication and presentation skills are factors taken into consideration to select candidates for admission.
MBioEnt vs MCE – a comparison
To pre-empt any confusion with the Masters in Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship (MCE) – a brief comparison of the two programmes follows below.
The MBioEnt is the elite programme and gold standard for employment in the bio-related companies and organisations. Anyone with life-sciences related qualifications, and intending to work in organisations operating in the broad spectrum of food-health-environmental-industrial bio-technologies is encouraged to enroll in the Bioscience Enterprise programme. Launched in 2006 the programme has a proven track record of employment outcomes as detailed under ‘Industry Impact’ on this website. By completing a full research Masters and working as an intern in the industry for 6 months, students gain valuable industry experience and hit the ground running in post-graduate employment.
In contrast, the MCE (launched in 2011) targets postgraduate students and employees in the wider science and technology spectrum outside the life-science related disciplines. The MCE is a taught Masters of 18 months duration covering similar content to the PGDipBioEnt – albeit at a generic level rather than with a life sciences focus. In Q1 and Q2 of the second year, students conduct a commercialisation project which is written up as a report. They do not submit a Master’s thesis. The MCE programme does not offer industry internships and the level of industry engagement as does the MBioEnt.
Some key differences between the two programmes are summarised in the following table:
| |
PGDipBioEnt/MBioEnt |
MCE |
| Duration |
2 years |
1 1/2 years |
| Admission |
3 year bachelor degree or higher |
4-year undergraduate or Hons degree |
| Taught Courses |
150 pts |
120 pts |
| Thesis |
90 pts |
- |
| Programme Focus |
Life sciences related industry |
Generic |
| Industry Internships |
Yes |
No |
| Structured Networking Programme |
Yes |
No |
| Proven Employment Track Record |
Yes |
No |
