Curricular structure

The curricular structure of the Professional Master's program in Microbiology will be defined by the concentration area of Applied Microbiology.

§1: The courses will be classified as mandatory and elective.

The courses may be taught using different teaching methods, including lectures, seminars, group discussions, practical work, or other procedures deemed relevant, specific to each area.

§2: In exceptional cases, and at the discretion of the Board, activities developed through distance learning may be considered as academic activities.

The selection of courses to be taken by the student will be made after consultation with and approval from the advisor, taking into account the student's area of interest within Microbiology and the research line they will dedicate themselves to. The student must, as a requirement, earn a minimum of 20 (twenty) credits for the Master's degree. The Board will be responsible for evaluating and approving the composition of the student's curriculum, submitted with the advisor's approval, considering the balance of interrelated factors necessary for the successful development of the course and the student's progress.

The total number of credits for the degree will be seven (7) mandatory credits, eight (8) elective credits, and five (5) credits for the development of the final project, practical training, among others, totaling 20 credits.

Mandatory Courses

The mandatory courses offered in the MPMA program are three, totaling seven credits. The courses are: Quality Control (two credits), Technological Innovation, Industrial Policy, and Legislation (two credits), and Applied Microbiology in Biotechnology (three credits). All credits in the mandatory courses are aimed at the development of products, processes, and techniques related to the professional field of Applied Microbiology.
The syllabi of the mandatory courses are outlined below:

1.Quality Control - two credits
Syllabus: History of quality evolution; general principles of microbiological quality control; quality standards; quality control systems; methods for improving quality; standardization and regulation; quality standards (ISO); environmental regulation (ISO 14000); organization, planning, implementation, and evaluation of quality control programs in various fields of Microbiology.

Bibliography: Scientific publications discussing quality control in food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals; the Brazilian Pharmacopeia, which is the official pharmaceutical code in the country and establishes the minimum quality requirements for pharmaceutical inputs, medications, and health products; ISO standards created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), aimed at improving product and service quality; specific legislation from ANVISA, among others.

2. Technological Innovation, Industrial Policy, and Legislation - two credits
Syllabus: Basic concepts of innovation and its role in competitiveness. The importance of technological diffusion. Regulatory frameworks for innovation and science and technology: biosafety, Innovation Law, ethics committees, Intellectual Property Law, genetic heritage.

Bibliography: Texts on innovation and the importance of technological diffusion, intellectual property legislation, with visits to INPI, USPTO websites, and biosafety legislation.

3.Applied Microbiology in Biotechnology - three credits
Syllabus: Introduction to Microbiology, Microbial Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology. Biotechnology fields of action and their applications. Evaluation and study of recent advances in bioinformatics and molecular biology in the development of biotechnology.

Bibliography: In this course, students will have the opportunity to explore the application of biotechnology in Microbiology and the application of Microbiology in biotechnology through lectures by scientists in their respective fields, including the potential of artificial intelligence. Each class will be supported by specific bibliography.

Elective Courses

The elective courses offered to MPMA students include those provided by the MPMA program itself, by the Graduate Program in Microbiology in partnership with MPMA, and by the Graduate Support Center of the Institute of Biological Sciences (NAPG), which includes 13 graduate programs from the ICB at UFMG, as detailed below. In addition to these options, according to the student's academic path, the Board may recognize courses taken at other educational and research institutions, as established in RESOLUTION NO. 02/2017, dated July 4, 2017, Article 64, sole paragraph.

Courses offered by MPMA

To achieve the 13 required credits in elective courses, students can select courses from the set offered by MPMA. The syllabi of the elective courses are described below:

1.Planning and Analysis of Experiments Applied to Microbiology - two credits
Syllabus: This course aims to provide tools for studying microbiology in related fields through experimental design planning, evaluating sample calculation, epidemiology and variance methods, experimental designs, and respective analyses, using association measures, parametric tests for mean comparisons, and non-parametric tests.

Bibliography:
- Bioestatística aplicada à pesquisa experimental, Fontelle MJ, 2012, LF Editorial;
- Bioestatística para profissionais de saúde, Guedes MLS, Guedes JS, Rio de Janeiro, Ao livro técnico, 1988.

2. Basic Concepts in Microbiology - three credits

Syllabus: This course, offered by MPMA as a cross-disciplinary course from the Graduate Support Center of the Institute of Biological Sciences, covers the basic concepts of microbiology, including the three main areas (bacteriology, mycology, and virology), with an emphasis on the study of taxonomy, morphology, physiology, genetics, ecology, and interactions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses with the human host and the environment, as well as methods for isolating, cultivating, and controlling microorganism growth.

Bibliography:
- Principles of Virology, Flint J, Rancaniello VR, Rall GF, ASM Press, 5th Ed., 2020;
- Microbiology, An Introduction, Tortora G, Funke B, Case C, 13th Ed., 2018.

3. Academic Training in Applied Microbiology - four credits

Syllabus: Development of skills for preparing projects, dissertations, and theses in Microbiology, with a focus on the writing process and presentation creation. The professor-student guidance will be provided individually or in small groups to better explore the potential and individuality of students.

Bibliography: The bibliography to be used will be evaluated case by case, depending on the student's research project.

4.Seminars in Microbiology - two credits

Syllabus: This course, offered by the Department of Microbiology in conjunction with the Graduate Program in Microbiology, aims to guide graduate students in reading, interpreting, and presenting general topics in Microbiology, in areas of study that are not directly related to their thesis subject.
Bibliography: Articles related to the seminar of the week.

Syllabi of Elective Courses Offered by the Graduate Program in Microbiology
Please refer to: http://www.microbiologia.icb.ufmg.br/pos/ementas.php