Biotechnology AUTUMN

Exchange courses in Biotechnology

An English taught programme for international exchange students who have obtained at least 120 ECTS in the study field of biotechnology, on bachelor level.

For an Individual project approval and allocation is based on a CV with relevant experience and a transcript of records.

Autumn 2025

Language courses 

Course content 

For official course catalogue information check the course catalogue: Course Catalogue 2025-2026 (available from june 2025).

Below you can find a description of the course contents.

Global engagement  

PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts has a mission to deliver excellent professionals that have empassion, are innovative and entrepreneurial, are multi- and disciplinary and can work in team in an international context. To enhance students skills towards this goal, students are encouraged to participate in activities in five distinct domains: sustainability, internationalization, professional identity, lifetime learning and social engagement.

In this course, you will participate in activities* like attending seminars, workshops, doing voluntary work, … The course is completed when you have gathered enough activities (as agreed with the mentor at the start of the course) and you have summarized your activities and reflected on them in a portfolio.

The student can enrol in a course called ‘Globalisation and Sustainable Development’ (3 ECTS). This course consists of a series of lectures and debates by (international) experts on contemporary topics in a variety of domains. These topics are approached from a global relations perspective and focus on 3 concepts: globalisation, sustainability and development. The examination consists of a written exam on the sessions, in combination with a reflection assignment. On top of this the student needs to do 25 hours of extra activities to be able to get a final score for this Global Engagement course (4ECTS).

Individual project in molecular biology  

Students make a bachelor thesis or carry out an individual project in the field of their choice: nature- and wildlife management, landscape management, or sustainable green urban spacemolecular biology.

The project is taking place in the real working field: the student is assigned a realistic case in an organisation, a researchn institutiongroup, an industrial company, …

An important objective is to learn to work individually in solving a problem. The student has to analyse the problem, search for different solutions and work out a plan to test or implement the solutions. The student needs to collect knowledge in different ways, and combine this with the results of their practical work to produce a report/paper in which they will describe the whole project and its results. Practical work is always combined with a theoretical background on the subject.

Project: Molecular Biology

Students participate in a group project in the field of molecular biology. The students will apply and enhance their project management and research skills. Students work together in group so they learn to delegate and divide tasks among each-other. Also, communication and teamwork are important goals in this project.

The project itself involves a literature study related to the case, and then students have to plan, organize and execute the practical work of the project. Finally, students make a project report and a presentation.

Typically, the case of the project is related to DNA, RNA or protein extraction from a variety of matrices (food, plant, soil, animal,… ) and/or downstream analysis (PCR, q-PCR, sequencing, ELISA,…).

International Biotechnology project

In this course, students go on a study trip that takes place (wholly or partially) abroad (the Netherlands). Formally, this study trip will be a mix of company and museum visits and visits to partner institutions. The content of these visits will always be related to at least one of these biotechnology areas: food technology, cell and gene technology, laboratory technology, and environmental technology. Students prepare the trip by investigating the latest developments in biotechnology and reporting these to their fellow-students. There is weekly guidance of the project groups by the project supervisor that also supports self-reliance of the student in a real, practical context.  

Laboratory Management

In this course, quality management systems relevant in a laboratory context are being studied and applied. The focus is on theoretical knowledge of important quality management systems and standards in laboratories (e.g. ISO17025) and the practical implementation. In a real laboratory context quality management systems and tools will be applied, as well as application of a systematic, practical, and administrative organization of a lab , communication with suppliers, and communication with colleagues about maintaining safe and high quality work organisation.

Summer School English

An intensive English language course (held before the start of the other courses) for incoming and outgoing PXL students (45 hours divided over 7 days, not on Saturday and Sunday).

In order to determine your level you'll have to complete a written intake and an oral intake interview before the start of the Summer School on 10/9 on campus in Hasselt. 

Using authentic material, this course gives you the best possible chance of making the most of your educational opportunities and it provides help in developing essential skills for your career. You'll also make a field trip to get to know Hasselt and your fellow students.

With the focus on general English you will be given the opportunity to practice on:

• Writing reports, essays …
• Giving presentations, seminar discussions …
• Taking notes on the main points of a lectures …
• Understanding main ideas in paragraphs and longer texts …
• Brief recapitulation of the main grammar items…

Survival Dutch

You will learn the basics of the Dutch language so you will be able to take the bus/train, find your way in Hasselt or order a pint in a pub.There is a strong focus on communication, listening to conversations by native speakers and understanding the (basic) contents. 

Subjects:

• Meeting and greeting, on the road
• In town: shopping - eating – drinking – washing clothes
• The alphabet, pronunciation
• Numbers, time, dates
• Going out, making an appointment
• Health, going to the doctor and pharmacy.

The lectures will take place during 9 weeks (sept-dec), this with a frequency of 3 hours (evening) a week. 

English for eXchange

In this course, students learn how to communicate in an international (professional) context. Students work on their general language skills as well as improve their language competences so that they can function in an international working environment.

This course is designed to practice the four communicative skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking by e.g.:

• reading newspaper articles and short stories and understanding the (basic) contents;
• deriving the meaning of selected vocabulary items from a text;
• writing formal/neutral (professional) and informal emails or letters;
• listening to conversations by native speakers and understanding the (basic) contents;
• watching short movie fragments and understanding the (basic) contents;
• expressing one's opinion about topics of general or professional interest;
• having everyday (professional) conversations/performing role plays.

The exact contents of the course is subject to change and is open to suggestions by students. Students extend their vocabulary by reading real life texts, listening to conversations by native speakers and by having conversations and playing role plays.

They study grammar items by doing exercises and will have to put these grammatical items into practice in conversations and in writing.

The lectures will take place during 9 weeks (sept-dec), this with a frequency of 3 hours (evening) a week.