Master of Science (MSc) in Animal Science

About the programme

You study healthy animals such as production animals in agriculture, companion animals, horses or experimental animals. You will learn about sustainability, nutrition, breeding, genetics, animal behaviour and production management.

The last study start for the MSc in Animal Science at the University of Copenhagen will be in September 2026.

Afterward, the programme will transfer to the University of Aarhus.

What specialisations does the field of study offer?

During the training you will be challenged to analyse problems and develop sustainable solutions from a holistic perspective that pays regard to people, animals and the environment. Elective courses and the extensive thesis work allows you to specialise in an area of interest and create an academic profile.

Why is this programme relevant?

As a Master in animal sciences, you are helping to shape the sustainable livestock production of the future. For example, you can work on food safety, production optimisation or development of sustainable fodder.

Admission and application

To apply for admission to this master's degree programme, you must have completed, or expect to complete, a qualifying bachelor’s degree or a similar Danish or international degree programme which is assessed to be relevant. Apply for admission via the application portal.

Below, you can read more about admission requirements and which documents to upload in the application portal.

Submit your application

Opens 15 November for applicants from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland, and 16 January for applicants from within the EU/EEA/Switzerland.

Academic admission requirements

Here you'll find the different academic requirements depending on which qualifying degree you hold.

You have legal right of admission if you have a

Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from from the University of Copenhagen

This means that you are guaranteed a place on the master’s programme in Animal Science if you apply in time to begin with 3 years after the completion of your bachelor’s degree.

You meet all academic requirements if you hold one of the degrees listed below:

Bachelor’s degree in Agrobiology with a specialisation in Animal Biology and Production from Aarhus University

Note, that having a bachelor’s degree that automatically fulfil the admission requirements does not guarantee you admission to the programme.

If you have a bachelor’s degree, professional bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a Danish or international universities you are qualified for admission if your programme is within the following areas:

Animal Science
Biology
Biology-biotechnology
Veterinary Medicine

Furthermore, you must have passed the following courses:

7.5 ECTS within domestic animal nutrition
7.5 ECTS within domestic animal physiology
7.5 ECTS within statistical data analysis

To be admitted to the programme, you must hold a recent and relevant bachelor’s degree and meet the language requirements.

Typical contents of courses within Domestic animal nutrition

Description of nutrients, digestibility and nutrient absorption in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract of domestic animals
Nutrient metabolism in the different organs
Balances of energy and nutrients
Metabolism and utilization of protein, fat and energy in the whole organism
Hormonal regulations of nutrients in tissue pools
Appetite regulation
Assessment of energy and nutrient requirement
Nutrient contents in feed ingredients, feed evaluation and feed formulation

Typical contents of courses within Domestic animal physiology

Basic physiology of body cavities of domestic animals
Physiology of the locomotor system
Physiology of the bones, nerves and sensory organs
Physiology of the cardiovascular system
Physiology of the lymphatic system
Physiology of the digestive system incl. liver
Physiology of the respiratory system
Physiology of the skin and skin organs incl. lactation
Physiology of the urinary tract
Physiology of the reproductive organs

Typical contents of courses within Statistical data analyses

Basic statistical concepts (variance, statistical model, estimation, testing, confidence intervals)
Binomial distribution
Normal distribution
Comparison of random samples
Single- and two-sided analysis of variance
Regression analysis
Linear models with factors, co-variants and random effects
Repeated measures

Please note that having a bachelor’s degree that fulfil the admission requirements does not guarantee you admission to the programme.

You must have earned your bachelor’s degree within a maximum of 5 years prior to the start of the first semester of the master’s programme, e.g. for the intake in the autumn of 2025, you must have graduated by September 2021 or thereafter. In exceptional circumstances the Admissions Committee may waive the graduation year requirement.

If your bachelor’s degree is too old, you can apply for an exemption from the graduation year requirement. If you choose to apply for an exemption, you must submit the following documents along with your application for admission:

A letter explaining how you have maintained your academic qualifications since graduation (e.g. relevant work, internships, further studies)
Relevant documentation (e.g work contracts, diplomas etc).

If you already have a master's degree from Denmark or another country, you can, in principle, only be admitted to a new degree programme if there are places available on the programme for which you are applying for admission.

Please read more about limitation on second degrees

When we assess whether you meet the admission requirements for the master's degree program, Danish legislation only allows us to assess your bachelor's degree. Consequently, you cannot study supplementary courses between bachelor's and master's degree programs in order to meet the admission requirements.

If you have passed courses/projects before you complete the qualifying bachelor's degree, these can be included in the assessment, even though they are not part of the bachelor's degree program.

It applies to courses/projects you have taken as single subjects and courses/projects you have taken as part of another study program.
A maximum of 30 ECTS credits of these courses/projects may be included.

Language requirements

To gain admission to a master's programme taught in English, all applicants must document qualifications on par with the Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B” with a weighted average of minimum 3 or ‘English level A’ with a weighted average of minimum 2 on the Danish grading scale.

We accept the following ways of documenting this:

An English taught qualifying upper secondary school diploma, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK or Ireland will exempt you from the language requirement.

Applicants from countries in e.g. Asia and Africa where English is the official language of instruction, must also document English language proficiency by taking an English language test.

If you have not studied a full degree in English, you must:

Either document that you have passed Danish upper secondary school 'English level B' (Engelsk B) with the minimum weighted average grade of 3 on the Danish grading scale
Or document that you have passed Danish upper secondary school ‘English level A’ (Engelsk A) with the minimum weighted average grade of 2 on the Danish grading scale
Or document that you are holding a Nordic entrance examination with an English level which is considered comparable to a Danish B level in English by the Danish Agency of International Education. And with a weighted grade comparable to at least 3 on the Danish grading scale See a comparison of the Nordic subject levels and grades: Nordic subject levels (in Danish)
Or you must pass an IELTS Academic, TOEFL, Cambridge Advanced English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) test.

Name of documentation

Minimum grade

Documentation required

English level B

(Engelsk B)

Weighted average of 3

Danish Upper secondary school diploma
VUC diploma

English level A

(Engelsk A)

Weighted average of 2

Danish Upper secondary school diploma
VUC diploma

Please notice:

There is no period of limitation for validity of Danish upper secondary school 'English level A’' (Engelsk A) or ‘English level B’ (Engelsk B).
You must send us your documentation as soon as possible and no later than:
- 1 June Non-EU, -EEA and -Swiss citizens
- 15 August Danish, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

Name of test	Minimum score	Information required for online check of test
IELTS (academic) IELTS Home Edition	6.5 (overall test score) 6.5 (overall test score) Only overall score will be considered.	TRF Number (Test Report Form Number)
TOEFL Internet-based test (IBT) TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition ITP TOEFL-test (MyBest Scores are not accepted)	83 83 560	Registration number
Cambridge Advanced (CAE)	Passed at level C1 or C2	ID-number and Secret Number
Cambridge Proficiency	Passed at level C1 or C2	ID-number and Secret Number

Please notice:

IELTS and TOEFL tests older than 2 years are not accepted (counted from the programme application deadline). There is no period of limitation for validity of the Cambridge tests.
If you have not yet completed a language test by the programme application deadline, please upload a document in which you explain when you will be forwarding the results. You are required to send us your test score as soon as possible and in no case later than:
- 1 June Non-EU, -EEA and -Swiss citizens
- 15 August Danish, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

Maria is doing research on cattle feed based on by-products from insects.

Application deadlines

Study start in September

1 March at 23:59

Application deadline for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 16 January. You will receive a reply by 10 June.

15 January at 23:59

Application deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 15 November. You will receive a reply by 1 May.

Study start in February (legal right of admission only)

15 October at 23:59

Application deadline for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 15 August. You will receive a reply by 10 December.

1 September at 23:59

Application deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 15 July. You will receive a reply by 1 December.

How to apply

Choose your category and read how you apply for admission. You can also find information about deadlines and documentation requirements.

Please note that you must also select according to your citizenship:

Citizen from Denmark, EU, EEA or Switzerland (EU)
Citizen from countries outside EU, EEA or Switzerland (NON-EU)

International bachelor's degree - EU

Danish bachelor's degree - EU

International bachelor's degree - NON-EU

Danish bachelor's degree - NON-EU

Apply as a current- or former student

How we assess your application

The programme accepts a maximum of 60 students.

Selection criteria

If the number of qualified applicants to the programme exceeds the number of places available qualified applicants will be prioritised according to the following criteria:

Grade point average from your bachelor’s degree
Relevant internships and/or work and relevant stays abroad

Admission rules

Important dates

Application help

Have you submitted your application?

Admission statistics Animal Science 2023
Admitted	17
Admission distribution (legal right/other)	92% / 8%
Applicants	32
Age average	25
Legal gender distribution (cpr. - m/f)	0% / 100%
Nationality (dk/international)	94% / 6%
Available spots	Yes

Programme structure

The MSc programme in Animal Science is a 2-year programme taught in English, which helps you to obtain a strong international profile.

Meet a student at the MSc programme in Animal Science

Mathilde is a second-year student. Hear why she chose to study animal science, what surprised her, and the most difficult and best parts of the programme.

1st year

Blok 1	Blok 2
Animals and Sustainability 7.5 ECTS	Restricted electives/electives 15 ECTS
Restricted electives/electives 7.5 ECTS	Restricted electives/electives 15 ECTS

Blok 3	Blok 4
Livestock and Equine Production Science 15 ECTS	Restricted electives/electives 15 ECTS

2nd year

1st & 2nd semester
Restricted electives/electives 15 ECTS
Thesis 45 ECTS

At the faculty of Science and faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, you can choose between such different subjects:

management of livestock
ethology
mammal genomics
parasitology
immunology
biotechnology
quantitative genetics and breeding
animal experimental techniques
nutrition and food quality
business economics
strategic advising and management
project management
big data processing etc.

You are also free to choose courses at other faculties at the University of Copenhagen and at other Danish or international universities.

Restricted elective courses:

Minimum 30 ECTS credits are to be covered by courses from the following list:

Electives

Besides the two compulsory courses and the restricted electives, the programme includes 22,5 ECTS for elective courses.

The thesis is the final part of your degree. It is your opportunity to concentrate on an academic problem which interests you, for seven months (45 ECTS). It can be both theoretical and practical and often it will contain independent experimental work or collection and analysis of data.

You can make the thesis in collaboration with the private sector, for instance by working on a real life problem and often such collaborations may lead to a job after graduation.

Read the programme curriculum

Career opportunities

The programme aims to educate entrepreneurs and leaders to be in charge of and develop sustainable and innovative solutions for the future.

Graduates work within all sectors that have to do with the sustainable production, use, management, breeding etc. of healthy animals in healthy herds.

You will be able to create an academic profile by specialising in e.g.:

animal production
genetics and breeding
animals used for sport purposes and leisure
animals we study to improve our understanding of human biology and diseases.

The MSc in Animal Science is a quality education in English with a flexible study structure, excellent facilities and an international study environment.

The programme focuses on how:

animal enterprises can become economically sustainable
to feed, breed and house animals without compromising animal welfare or the surrounding environment
new technologies and big data processing can be used to optimize production, breeding and management of livestock.

The programme gives you a general profile in Animal Science. You will acquire the following knowledge, skills, and competences:

Knowledge of

the biological and management determinants of animal production
constraints to animal production
performance in animal husbandry systems
factors influencing animal performance, welfare and longevity as well as maintenance of animal health
impact of animal husbandry systems on environmental sustainability in a national and international context
socioeconomic importance and impact of the animal sector and principles for regulation of the sector
animal production theory

Skills

handle complex issues in domestic animal science
apply animal performance/production theory, e.g. for monitoring, analysis and planning of actual animal units across different animal species
apply biological models and animal experimental techniques to quantify complex life processes underlying animal performance, from cellular to whole body level
optimise animal husbandry/ production units from an animal welfare, economic and environmental perspective.
evaluate and discuss sustainability of and technology use in animal based food production
develop new solutions for optimization and improvement of performance, health and welfare status of animals, and the quality of their physical/technical environment

Competencies

participate in public discussions of the impact of animals and animal production on society and environment
work independently and effectively on an individual basis, as well as in project teams and interdisciplinary environments, cooperate with relevant partners, discuss solutions and reach consensus
Reformulate existing theories, principles and research findings to generate new hypotheses and theories
Use lifelong learning as a principle to evaluate and structure learning processes and assume responsibility for continuous professional development

You have various opportunities for specialisations, which opens up for a growing number of jobs within many different sectors, such as:

The Agricultural Advisory Service, consulting engineering firms, the financial sector or international development organisations
Development or sales jobs in the industry and production sector
Industry associations or professional organisations relating to feeding, breeding, management of animals, and animal production
Strategic advising and/or management of experimental animal businesses
Public management (municipalities, regions, ministries and governmental bodies in Denmark, the EU and internationally)
Research and education in private companies, governmental research institutions and universities
Teaching at agricultural colleges, technical colleges or in other kind of course activities
Starting your own business

Student life

The Animal Science programme is primarily based at Frederiksberg Campus which is a beautiful campus area with the option of joining many social activities.

At Frederiksberg Campus, you can find both the animal and veterinary sciences. It is located a few kilometres west of the city centre in beautiful green surroundings, and Frederiksberg is a popular residential area.

The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular with both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Café Væksthuset, which located in an old greenhouse, for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.

At the campus, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre or a special academic subject, there is a club for you.

Throughout the year, various social activities are arranged for all students at the faculty and for international students specifically. These activities include Introduction Days for new students, orientation programmes for international students, international dinners, courses, lectures, sports activities such as fun runs or bicycle races, and career workshops.

Students live in residence halls outside campus or share a flat in the Copenhagen area. It is easy to go to or move between the different campus areas. The relatively small size of Copenhagen makes it easy to get around, even by bike.