Higher Certificate Science in Applied Biology or Applied Chemistry at Institute of Technology Carlow

The Higher Certificate in Science provides students with a grounding in scientific knowledge and skills. There is an emphasis on practical skills with more than 50% of the course dedicated to practical, students gain essential skills.

The course is designed to provide graduates with theoretical knowledge and understanding, and the practical skills necessary to pursue technical careers in a modern scientific environment in the areas of industrial chemistry, pharmaceutical manufacture, scientific instrumentation, quality control, food science and technology.

This course has a shared first year and in Year 2, students can choose to specialise in either Applied Biology or Applied Chemistry.

Course options

Applied Biology

The course features specialist biology modules including: Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Quantitative Methods and Quality Control, Instrumentation and Computing, and Analytical Techniques/Pharmaceutical Science.

Applied Chemistry

The course features specialist chemistry modules including: Organic, Physical and Analytical Chemistry; Quantitative Methods and Quality Control; Instrumentation and Computing; Pharmaceutical Science and Biomolecules.

Special Features:

• More than 50% of the course is dedicated to practicals, enabling students to gain essential laboratory skills.

• A common first year with the option to specialise in Year 2 in either Biology or Chemistry.
• Graduates are eligible to progress to Year 3 of the Bachelor of Science in Analytical Science (CW107) (in the case of the Chemistry stream) and Year 3 of the Bachelor of Science in Biosciences (CW117) (in the case of the Biology Stream).

What will I be able to do when I finish the course?

Students who complete the Higher Certificate in either Applied Biology or Applied Chemistry may gain employment as laboratory technicians in the food, chemical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical, healthcare and environmental industries.