Agrobiotechnology

Profession

An agronomist in the field of agrobiotechnology is a profession of the 21st century.
Today, traditional agriculture is not able to cope with the need to expand food production maintaining ecological balance. To achieve this, fundamentally new approaches and methods are needed, which are provided by modern agrobiotechnology. In combination with genetics and breeding, agrobiotechnology is a tool for the rapid creation of economically valuable plant varieties.
In conditions of the modern labor market, profession of an agronomist with a specialization in agrobiotechnology is in high demand at various enterprises: state research and production associations, small and medium-sized businesses, including foreign companies.

Educational Process

The main goal of educational programs in this area is to ensure high quality of training and competitiveness of innovation-oriented specialists. The training process uses the latest scientific and laboratory equipment, modern practices of agro-biotechnological research based on integration and cooperation with employers and strategic partners.
Students of the master’s program learn:
— information technologies in biotechnology and genetic engineering;
— modern problems of biology, including plant reproduction;
— biotechnology for improving quality of planting material;
— machinery and equipment of a modern biotechnological laboratory for studying stress tolerance of plants and creating highly productive forms of crops;
— planning research in crop production;
— molecular genetic research methods.
The program includes specialized courses on modern methods of molecular biology and genetics, genetic markers and DNA diagnostics in crop production, methods of plant genome sequencing; creation of DNA bank and indicators of gene fund of crop varieties.

Practice

Students of the direction “Agronomy” of the specialty “Agrobiotechnology” have the opportunity to practice in various research organizations, firms, branches of foreign companies dealing with the problems of modern biotechnology. Thanks to agreements with foreign organizations and institutions, students can take internships abroad.

Career

In conditions of the modern labor market, profession of an agronomist with a specialization in agrobiotechnology is in high demand at various enterprises: state research and production associations, small and medium-sized businesses, including foreign companies.
Graduates have a set of universal competences, since the area of interest includes almost all areas of modern agrobiotechnology, and the knowledge gained allows to solve the following professional tasks: creating homogeneous plants with desired characteristics, developing stress-resistant plants, studying physiology of genetically modified crops, control of products containing GMOs.