The competences described below reflect the agreement of the Andalusian Commission of the Degree in Biology, which uses as a reference the White Paper of the Degree in Biology (ANECA, 2004). In a more specific way, the basic competences included guarantee the provisions of the R.D. 1393/2007 (Annex I, section 3.2): “At least the following basic competencies shall be guaranteed, in the case of the Degree, as well as those others that appear in the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, MECES:
- Student's possession and understanding of knowledge in an area of study that builds on the foundation of general secondary education, and is usually at a level that, while relying on advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that involve knowledge from the cutting edge of their field of study.
- Student's know-how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and possession of the skills usually demonstrated through the development and defense of arguments and problem solving within their area of study.
- Student's ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to make judgments that include a reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.
- Student's ability to convey information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.
- Student's development of the learning skills required to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
The competences that appear in this document gather (although not literally in all cases) those included in the degree structure proposed by the Commission of the Degree in Biology, on their agreements of June 4th, 2008. This proposal counts 81 specific competencies included in 12 modules out of the 14 proposed by the Curriculum, since neither the Complementary Subjects Module nor the Electives Module are included. For this reason, many of the competencies have been grouped in a coherent manner to avoid excess. Even so, the document includes 50 specific competencies that try to group together the competencies of the Degree Commission, those of the White Paper, those of the Official College of Biologists and even some of those proposed by the Commission of the Faculty of Sciences that were not implicit in the aforementioned documents.
- Proof of the use and command of a foreign language.
- Knowledge and improvement of user-level ICTs.
- Promotion of active job search habits and entrepreneurial skills.
- Development of creativity, intuition and rigor.
- Teamwork and leadership skills.
- Self-learning and self-assessment.
- Foostering the capacity for analysis and synthesis and critical reasoning along the lines of the scientific method; applying its basic principles.
- Application of protocols and regulations specific to the field of experimentation.
- Use of basic instruments for biological experimentation in different fields.
- Preparation and presentation of reports and memories.
- Information collection, experiment design and result interpretation.
- Critical analysis of scientific papers and familiarization with their structure.
- Ability to handle sources of scientific information and useful resources for the study and research in Biology.
- Teaching as well as basic and applied research in Biology.
- Development of skills for correct oral, written and graphic communication. Ability to make an oral presentation and public discussion, and develop constructive criticism/self-criticism.
- Development of interest and responsibility in the problems of environmental conservation and respect for the natural heritage.
- Ethical commitment to environmental and social issues.
- Analysis and resolution of problems in a synthetic way.
- Organizational and planning skills.
- Knowledge of Computer Science applied to Biology.
- Ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practice.
- Management of concepts, procedures and basic terminology required in each subject.
- Ability to use foreign language bibliography.
- Information collection from critical observation of living beings, the functional processes they develop and the interactions established among them.
- Understanding of physical laws governing biological processes.
- Acquisition of an adequate knowledge of the chemical basis of life.
- Application of appropriate mathematical processes and models to study the organizational principles, mode of operation and interactions of the living system.
- Planning and interpretation of the results of experimental analyses from the point of view of statistical significance.
- Use of databases and computer programs that can be used in the field of Life Sciences.
- Knowledge of the history of biology and its future projection. Profession and Ethics of the Biologist.
- Knowledge of basic laboratory and field instrumentation and materials and their practical utility.
- Knowledge of the rules of operation, hygiene and safety in biological experimentation.
- Knowledge of the main weather systems and use of weather recording equipment. Application of the concept of microclimate.
- Use of paper and digital cartography and GPS.
- Identification of soils and analysis of the basic physical-chemical variables.
- Management of techniques for collection, sampling, preparation, identification and conservation of plant, fungal and animal material. Population parameters.
- Most frequent procedures for macrophotography in the field.
- Knowledge of basic techniques for the cultivation of plants, and the determination of their growth parameters.
- Handling of laboratory animal cultures for experimentation; dissection techniques.
- Knowledge of the basic fundamentals of optical and electron microscopy.
- Recognition of different levels of organization in the living system.
- Cell and tissue culture performance. Knowledge of cell growth and the factors that influence it. Performing of functional tests, determining vital parameters and interpreting them.
- Knowledge acquisition of the methodological principles of cell organelle purification by cell fractionation. Isolation, purification, analysis and identification of biomolecules.
- Analysis and manipulation of genetic material, identification and diagnosis of its anomalies.
- Knowledge of the structure of the different parts of animal and plant eukaryotic cells, as well as the processes of interrelation, coordination and biogenesis of the cellular compartments.
- Knowledge of the processes of interrelation between cells and extracellular components that lead to the establishment of a tissue structure as well as the general organization and functions of the different plant and animal organs.
- Knowledge of the fundamentals of basic cytohistological techniques and the analysis and diagnosis of optical and electron microscopic images.
- Knowledge of techniques for the analysis of biological samples and basic biological diagnostics.
- Evaluation of metabolic activities.
- Understanding evolutionary progression in plant and fungal diversity.
- Assessment of the environmental and social aspects of the different groups of plant organisms and fungi.
- Phylogenetic analysis.
- Recognition of the functional adaptations of animals to the environment.
- Application of knowledge to human and animal health, animal population control and animal welfare.
- Knowledge of the characteristics, structure and metabolism of Prokaryotes, methods of observation, cultivation and conservation.
- Knowledge of the physiological and taxonomic diversity of microorganisms.
- Acquisition of basic knowledge about viruses and the mechanisms of infection of both bacteria and eukaryotes.
- Knowledge of the molecular, cellular and tissue components of the immune system. Mechanisms and bases of recognition and effectors in the immune response; generation of pathologies.
- Ability to design and interpret immunological techniques applied to research, health or industry.
- Describe, analyze, evaluate and plan the physical environment using new technologies.
- Acquisition of basic knowledge on regulations and legislation related to public and private contracting systems, tax benefits of R&D&I activities, industrial property and demand for contracts and employment.
- Ability to create companies, interpret the basic elements of economics, interpret balance sheets and profit and loss accounts.
- Ability to organize, plan, write and execute projects and works related to Biology, analyzing their viability and profitability with multi-criteria evaluations.
- Scientific report and consultancy.
- Knowledge and business management skills, and the ability to gather, organize and interpret relevant data and make judgments on scientific, social or ethical issues (usually within the field of Biology).
- Ability to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy through the development of creativity, initiative, business management and entrepreneurial culture.
- Ability to carry out the management, exploitation and conservation of populations, ecosystems, natural resources and their exploitation or by-products resulting from industrial use, and to implement and develop quality management systems related to Biology.
- Knowledge of the legislation related to Biology.
- Identification and use of bioindicators.
- Diagnosis and resolution of ecological problems. Evaluation of environmental impact.
- Implementation and development of management systems related to biology.
- Design experimental strategies to address scientific problems. Interpretation of results to explain certain biological processes under normal and pathological conditions.
- Analysis and interpretation of the behavior of living beings.