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.
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.
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 within 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.
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
Applicants to a master’s programme taught in English must document their English language proficiency in accordance with the language requirements for admission.
If you have legal right of admission to the programme that you are applying for, you are not required to document your proficiency in English.
If you have completed your upper secondary education in Denmark, you must upload a copy of your upper secondary education diploma as documentation for your English proficiency.
All other applicants must document qualifications equivalent to the Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B’ or ‘English level A’.
Your documentation must be valid at the application deadline that applies to you.
- Citizens from a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland: 15 January
- Citizens from Denmark, EU, EEA or Switzerland: 1 March
We accept the following ways of documenting English qualifications equivalent to the Danish upper secondary school ‘English level B’ or ‘English level A’:
You have completed an upper secondary school degree, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in English in one of the following countries
- Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, or USA
You must upload a copy or scan of your official school diploma as documentation.
The degree must be a minimum of 2 years of studies. A student exchange semester/year is not sufficient documentation for English proficiency.
You have studied an upper secondary school diploma in Denmark or one of the Nordic countries.
You must upload a copy or scan of your transcript from a Danish upper secondary school to document that you have passed English level B or higher.
If you have passed a Nordic entrance examination with an English level comparable to the Danish level B or higher, you must upload your transcript that documents the subjects you have passed.
You must upload a copy or scan of your transcript to document that you have passed one of the following levels:
- English A1, A2 or B, higher level (HL),
- English A1 or A2 standard level (SL)
- English A Literature or English A Language and Literature, higher Level (HL) (from 2013)
- English A Literature or English A Language and Literature, standard Level (SL) (from 2013)
- English B, standard level (SL)
You must upload a copy or scan of your transcript to document that you have passed the course:
- English language 1 (LI), English language 2 (LII) or English language 3 (LIII) with a minimum score of 50%
The EB must be passed at one of the European Schools placed in Copenhagen, Bruxelles, Luxembourg, Mol, München, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Varese or Alicante.
You must upload your transcript from the educational institution as documentation that you have passed:
- Danish upper secondary school 'English level B' (Engelsk B) or
- Danish upper secondary school ‘English level A’ (Engelsk A).
You must upload a copy or scan of your transcript to document that you have passed the course:
- English Leistungsfach (LF) OR
- Erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau (eA) OR
- Kernfach (KF) OR
- Profilfach/Profilgebendes Fach (PgF)
All with a maximum score of 4 (Ausreichend).
You must document that you have passed one of the following accepted tests:
- IELTS Academic (taken at an IELTS test centre, online, or Home Edition)
- TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT paper edition or TOEFL iBT Home Edition
- Cambridge Advanced English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Deadlines for sending your documentation
Your test must be valid at the application deadline that applies to you:
- Deadline for citizens from a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland: 15 January
- Deadline for citizens from Denmark, EU, EEA or Switzerland: 1 March
Your application will be rejected if you have not provided sufficient documentation for English proficiency by your application deadline.
The IELTS and TOEFL results are only valid if they are not older than 2 years counted from the application deadline. There is no limitation for validity for the Cambridge tests.
Documentation by passed English proficiency test
| Name of test | Minimum score | Your options for giving us the needed information |
|---|---|---|
IELTS (academic) IELTS Home Edition | 6.5 (overall test score) 6.5 (overall test score) Only overall score will be considered. | Upload your test score sheet in the application portal. If you have difficulties uploading the test score sheet, please email us the sheet, and we will verify it online. |
TOEFL
(MyBest Scores are not accepted) | 1. 83 2. 83 3. 560 | Upload your test score sheet in the application portal. If you have difficulties uploading the test score sheet, please email us the sheet, and we will verify it online. |
Cambridge Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge Proficiency | Passed at level C1 or C2 | You must inform your test centre that the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen is allowed to verify your test score results online. You must upload documentation which includes your Statement of Results number or Reference number. |
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 1 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)
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 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 |
| 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:
- Advanced Livestock and Equine Production Science
- Experimental Animal Nutrition and Physiology (EANP)
- Nutrition and Management of Companion and Exotic Animals
- Advanced Quantitative Methods in Herd Management
- Quantitative Genomics and Breeding
- Ethology
- Domestic Animal Parasitology
- Parasitic Zoonoses and One Health approaches
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.
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.
Contact student guidance
SUND Study Information
If you have questions about
- the MSc programme
- the study environment
- your career opportunities
Location
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Frederiksberg Campus, Bülowsvej 21, DK-1870 Frederiksberg.
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taastrup Campus, Agrovej 8, DK-2630 Taastrup.
