The competences described below reflect the agreement of the Andalusian Commission of the Degree in Biochemistry, which uses as a reference the White Paper of the Degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology (ANECA, 2005). The basic competences of the Degree in Biochemistry are the generic skills of a Graduate required by Section 3.2 of Annex I of Royal Decree 1393/2007 and adapted to the Degree in Biochemistry.
The specific competencies of the Degree in Biochemistry are the specific knowledge, skills and abilities that are characteristic and defining of a biochemist. A graduate in Biochemistry must have acquired them at the end of the degree. These competencies are fundamentally related to “knowledge” and “know-how".
In order to elaborate the list of specific competences of the Degree in Biochemistry we have used as references:
- The “specific skills for the molecular aspects of Biology (including biochemistry)” defined in the “benchmark statements” for Biosciences of the British Quality Assurance Agency (QAA: The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education):
- The “nuclear curriculum” for UK Biochemistry Degrees proposed by The Biochemical Society (further information).
- The recommendations of The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (further information) also published in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 223-224, 2003. further information).
- The recommendations of the “White Paper on Undergraduate Degrees in Biochemistry and Biotechnology”
Finally, the core competencies of the Biochemistry degree are the generic core and transferable skills of a biochemist. These are generic personal, social and instrumental skills, as they are not exclusive to a biochemist.
For the Degree in Biochemistry at the University of Córdoba, we have selected those basic transversal competences defined in the TUNING project (further information) that have been considered more relevant to acquire and apply the specific competences of the Degree in Biochemistry.
- Capacity for critical and self-critical reasoning.
- Teamwork, collaborative work and shared responsibility.
- Ethical commitment and concern for professional ethics.
- Ability to learn and work autonomously.
- Application of the principles of the scientific method.
- Recognition and analysis of problems, by identifying its essential components, and plannning a scientific strategy to solve it.
- Use of basic computer tools for communication, information search, and data processing in their professional activity.
- Ability to read scientific texts in English.
- Ability to communicate scientific information clearly and effectively, including paper presentation, verbally and in writing, to a professional audience, and understanding of language and proposals of other specialists.
- Proof of the use and command of a foreign language (English)
- Knowledge and improvement of user-level ICTs
- Promotion of active job search habits and entrepreneurial skills
- Understanding of the physical and chemical basis of biological processes, as well as the main physical, chemical and mathematical tools used to investigate them.
- Knowledge and understanding of the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, as well as the structure and function of the different cell types (in multicellular organisms) and their subcellular organelles.
- Understanding of the basic principles that determine the molecular structure and chemical reactivity of simple biomolecules.
- Understanding of the principles that determine the structure of biological macromolecules (including proteins and nucleic acids), as well as biological supramolecular complexes, and be able to explain the relationships between structure and function.
- Understanding of chemical and thermodynamic principles for molecular recognition and biocatalysis, as well as the role of enzymes and other proteins in determining the functioning of cells and organisms.
- Understanding of the structure of cell membranes and their role in the transport of molecules, energy transduction and signal transduction.
- Understanding of the structure, organization, expression, regulation and evolution of genes in living organisms, as well as the molecular basis of genetic and epigenetic variation between individuals.
- Understanding of the biochemical and molecular basis of folding, post-translational modification, intracellular trafficking, subcellular localization and turnover of cellular proteins.
- Understanding of the main physiological processes of multicellular organisms as well as to understand the molecular basis of these physiological processes.
- Understanding of the essential aspects of metabolic processes and their control, and acquisition of an integrated vision of the regulation and adaptation of metabolism in different physiological situations.
- Development of an integrated vision of cellular functioning (including metabolism and gene expression), covering their regulation and the relationship between the different cellular compartments.
- Development of an integrated vision of the intercellular communication and intracellular signaling systems that regulate proliferation, differentiation, development and function of tissues and organs, in order to understand how the complexity of molecular interactions determines the phenotype of living organisms.
- Knowledge and understanding of the biochemical, molecular and genetic changes that occur in various human pathologies, and ability to explain the molecular mechanisms involved in these changes.
- Understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of cellular and molecular immunology.
- Knowledge of the main current problems and future challenges of Molecular Biosciences, as well as the ethical and social implications of the practical applications of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the health and biotechnological sectors.
- Knowledge of the principles and applications of the main experimental methods and instrumentation used in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with emphasis on the isolation and characterization techniques of biological macromolecules.
- Knowledge of the main methods for assaying the biological activity of cellular components, especially enzymes, both in vitro and in vivo.
- Knowledge of the basic techniques of cell culture, as well as those of cell and tissue processing to obtain preparations of subcellular organelles.
- Knowledge of how genetic, molecular and biochemical markers associated with different pathologies are determined in the clinical laboratory, and ability to critically evaluate how they can be used in the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases.
- Knowledge of the principles of manipulation of nucleic acids, as well as the main techniques that allow the study of gene expression and function.
- Measurement skills for biochemical laboratory work, including the ability to prepare reagents for experiments in an accurate and reproducible manner.
- Ability to work properly in a biochemical laboratory with biological and chemical material, including safety, handling, disposal of biological and chemical waste, and recording of activities.
- Application of experimental laboratory protocols in the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
- Mathematical, statistical and computer skills to obtain, analyze and interpret data, and to understand simple models of biological systems and processes at the cellular and molecular levels.
- Ability to search, obtain and interpret information from the main biological databases (genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and similar derived from other massive analyses) and bibliographic data, and to use basic bioinformatics tools.
- Ability to pose and solve questions and problems in the field of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through scientific hypotheses that can be empirically examined.
- Understanding of the basic aspects of experimental design in the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, comprehending the limitations of experimental approaches.
- Ability to transmit information within the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, including the elaboration, writing and oral presentation of a scientific report.
- Acquisition of the basic training for the development of projects, including the ability to carry out a study in the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, to critically interpret the results obtained and to evaluate the conclusions reached.