Master of Science (MSc) in Biochemistry

About the programme

Biochemistry is the right choice if you want to undertake cutting edge research or work in the pharmaceutical field. This MSc programme offers a wide range of career paths to follow, in Denmark as well as internationally. The programme is offered in English.

Online Open House

Get to know the Science Master's Degree Programmes at online events on 5 December 2024 at 16:30-18:00

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.

With a Bachelor's degree in

Biochemistry (biokemi) from University of Copenhagen

you are granted legal right of admission and guaranteed a place on the Master’s programme in Biochemistry if you apply in time to begin within 3 years of the completion of your Bachelor’s degree.

Learn about when and how to apply

You meet all academic requirements if you hold one of the degrees listed below. Learn about when and how to apply. Note, however, that you still need to document that you meet the programme's language requirements.

From University of Copenhagen

Biochemistry (biokemi) (note, that if you apply in time to begin within 3 years of the completion of your Bachelor’s degree, you have legal right of admission to the Master's programme)
Molecular Biomedicine (molekylær biomedicin)
Nanoscience

From University of Southern Denmark

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

From Aarhus University

Biotechnology
Molecular Biology
Molecular Medicine

Check which master’s programmes at UCPH your bachelor programme is pre-approved for admission - only available in Danish

If you have a Bachelor’s degree other than those listed above, you must submit additional documentation along with your application so we can evaluate whether or not you meet the admission requirements. Learn about when and how to apply.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree, Professional Bachelor's degree or equivalent from Danish or international universities you are qualified for admission if your programme includes the following:

A minimum of 60 ECTS credits from formal classes within chemistry and biochemistry/molecular biology of which a minimum of 30 ECTS credits must be in chemistry and 22.5 ECTS credits in biochemistry/molecular biology.
In total, you must have a minimum of 30 ECTS credits that stem from courses with experimental laboratory exercises.

Subject elements in protein chemistry or biophysical chemistry may be counted as either chemistry or biochemistry/molecular biology.

We may also admit applicants who, after an individual academic assessment, are deemed to possess educational qualifications equivalent to those required above.

Qualifying degree and other courses/projects

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.

International Bachelor’s degree

You can only get an answer to whether or not your degree meets the admission requirement by applying for admission to the MSc Programme. Only the admission committee can evaluate whether you are qualified or not and they only do this once they have received your application.

Bachelor’s degree from Denmark

You are entitled to 1 pre-assessment for 1 study programme, where, based on an assessment of the documentation you have submitted, we will inform you whether you meet the admission requirements.

This is a service offered by SCIENCE, but it is not a service you have to make use of in order for you to apply for admission.

Read about pre-assessment

Language requirements

Unless you have a legal right of admission to the programme you are applying for, you are required to document proficiency in English.

See language requirements

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.

Submit your application

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 the category below that fits you and read more about how to apply for admission. You will also find information about application deadlines and documentation on the websites.

Have you been or are you currently enrolled on a master's degree programme?

Citizen in Denmark, EU EEA og Switzerland

Bachelor's degree with legal right of admission

Bachelor’s degree from Denmark

International bachelor’s degree

Citizen in a country outside EU, EEA or Switzerland

Bachelor’s degree from Denmark

International bachelor’s degree

Prioritisation of applicants

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

Total number of ECTS credits in relevant courses
Grades in relevant courses

Relevant courses include courses in metabolism, enzymology, protein science, cell biology, organic chemistry, physical chemistry and documented laboratory experience.

Limitation on second degrees

If you have already completed a Master's degree, please check out the rules concerning a second degree.

Admission rules

Important dates

Application help

Have you submitted your application?

Admission statistics Biochemistry 2023
Admitted	42
Admission distribution (legal right/other)	79% / 21%
Applicants	156
Age average	24
Legal gender distribution (cpr. - m/f)	38% / 62%
Nationality (dk/international)	67% / 33%
Available spots	No

Submit your application

Programme structure

In the 2-year Biochemistry MSc programme, you have a lot of freedom to compose your study by choosing elective and restricted elective courses according to your academic interests.

Early in your studies, and before selecting a thesis topic, you are required to do a major subject project in which you gain experience in analysing, justifying, and planning a large research project which typically could be your thesis project.

Master's Thesis

The thesis makes up the entire second year of the programme and equals 60 ECTS. Typically, you work on an independent project which represents a smaller portion of a large on-going research project.

The objective of the thesis is to enable you to independently plan and carry out scientific experiments within your thesis topic and related areas. The thesis is carried out at one of the departments associated with the programme and you will be assigned a supervisor at that department. The thesis may also be carried out externally at another research institution, hospital, or industrial laboratory.

Examples of Thesis Topics:

Unravelling cytokine receptor signalling at the membrane interface.
Identification of metabolism routes in extreme thermophilic micro-organisms.
Signal transduction routes in cancer cells.
Biogenic amines formed by lactic acid bacteria in dairy products.

Do a Project in Practice or Study Abroad

You can use some of your elective courses to do a Project in Practice in collaboration with a company or an organisation. You can also choose to study abroad as part of your programme. Read more here:

Programme Overview

The programme can be structured in two different ways, depending on whether you start in September or February:

Course Table, Study Start September

Compulsory courses: 22.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 22.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 60 ECTS

One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.

Year 1

Block 1	Block 2	Block 3	Block 4
Principal Subject in Biochemistry		Restricted elective course	Restricted elective course
Elective course	Elective course	Restricted elective course	Major Subject Project

Year 2

Block 1	Block 2	Block 3	Block 4
Thesis

Course Table, Study Start February

Study start in February is only for students with legal right of admission to the programme. Read about legal right of admission.

Compulsory courses: 22.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 22.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 60 ECTS

One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.

Year 1

Block 3	Block 4	Block 1	Block 2
Elective course	Restricted elective course	Principal Subject in Biochemistry
Elective course	Restricted elective course	Major Subject Project	Restricted elective course

Year 2

Block 3	Block 4	Block 1	Block 2
Thesis

Restricted Elective Courses

Choose your restricted elective courses from the list below. Click on each course for a detailed description.

Are you already a student? Find the programme structure that fits your year of admission on Study Information (KUnet).

Curriculum

Learn more about the programme in the

Curriculum for MSc in Biochemistry Shared section of the curriculum

Please note: The programme curriculum is for the current academic year. A revised curriculum for the coming academic year will follow.

Video: Sophie and Anna talk about the study programme in Biochemistry

Career opportunities

Biochemistry is the right choice for you if you want to help make discoveries in basic research or in the pharmaceutical field. As an MSc student, you will work experimentally and theoretically with biochemical and molecular problems within a focus area of your own choice.

Your thesis will be an independent piece of work, often contributing to an existing research project where you will be an integral part of the project's research group.

Competence Description

You learn to work with living organisms (bacteria, archaea, yeasts, cell cultures, plants).
You will be able to define, delimit, formulate, and analyse biochemical or biological problems.
You learn to independently plan and perform scientific experiments as well as interpret their reliability.
You can interpret the results of experiments and communicate them in a larger context.
You achieve a significant understanding of your field of research. You will also learn to communicate this knowledge clearly with the correct scientific terminology.

Employment

As an MSc in Biochemistry, you will have an internationally recognised research-based education geared towards research and teaching at the highest level.

You can find employment within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, at universities, institutions of higher education, or at hospital laboratories.

Some candidates find jobs within quality assurance and production or in ministries and departments, such as The Danish Ministry of Environment or The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.

You can also continue your research and obtain a PhD in Denmark or abroad.

Video: Your Career Opportunities as a Biochemist

Pernille is an MSc graduate in Biochemistry and now work as a patent attorney. Please note: The video is subtitled in English – you can enable captions in the player window.

Student life

High quality education in English, a flexible study structure, excellent facilities, an international study environment, attractive and green campus areas, and the opportunity to experience life in Copenhagen, the cool capital of Denmark. These are some of the qualities about studying at Faculty of Science (SCIENCE) at University of Copenhagen that you can expect.

Throughout the year, various social activities are arranged for all SCIENCE students and for international students specifically. These activities include:

Introduction Days for new students
A welcome programme for international students
International dinners, courses, and lectures
Sports activities such as fun runs or bicycle races
Career workshops

Students live in residence halls outside campus or share a flat in the Copenhagen area. You will find that the relatively small size of Copenhagen makes it easy to get around, even by bike.

Where Will I be Studying?

The Biochemistry programme is primarily based at North Campus.

The University’s North Campus is centrally located. It is home to scientific, pharmaceutical and health science research, and neighbour to the Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Metropolitan University College, and Fælledparken.

Many exciting building activities are going on at the campus areas at the moment, including the construction of a new Natural History Museum and the Niels Bohr Building. Furthermore, North Campus is part of a coherent district of science, health and interdisciplinarity – Innovation District Copenhagen – which is being developed these years.

You can read more about campus life at the university here:

Campus Life at University of Copenhagen

Here you will find some useful links and videos about student life and housing in Copenhagen, and the welcome programme for international students at Faculty of Science.

Information about living in Copenhagen – plus practical information on housing, civil registration number, residence permit and more
General information on student life and studying at University of Copenhagen
Housing Foundation Copenhagen is an independent entity which assists international students and researchers at University of Copenhagen in finding accommodation. Visit Housing Foundation Copenhagen here

Video: Study Science at University of Copenhagen

Meet Elizabeth and Alex who study at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. See what it is like to live and study in Denmark.

Video: SCIENCE Welcome Programme

The SCIENCE Welcome Programme is a great way for international students to be introduced to the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen.

Testimonial From a Student

Read an interview with a student from the Master of Science programme (MSc) in Biochemistry.

Mie Wöldike, MSc student at Biotechnology, University of Copenhagen — “The bachelor’s programme is tougher than the master’s. But on the master’s programme you get to decide which path you want to take. So you’ll be working with what you are passionate about all the time,” explains Mie Wöldike, who is doing an MSc in Biochemistry.

Why did you choose to study Biochemistry?

It was a natural continuation of my bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. After studying Biochemistry for a year, I wondered if I should switch to Chemistry instead. But I decided in favour of Biochemistry, because it allowed me to combine biology and chemistry. I feel this makes it more relevant to society, and therefor more interesting.

We biochemists look at the whole system, and not just at particular molecules, as people often do in chemistry. We look at more complex systems. This is more directly relevant to society, because when you understand the biochemical aspects, you can understand where processes go wrong in the body and help to heal people.

Did the programme meet your expectations?

Yes, very much. It was better than I expected. I originally wanted to study medicine – biochemistry was my second choice. But having found out what biochemistry is, it was the definitely the right thing for me. Patient contact is not me, I have discovered. I don’t know if I was embarrassed to admit it, but I just knew it wasn’t what I should be doing.

Why were you embarrassed about that?

Many people talk about how they want to make a difference by helping people. So I thought that because I felt differently, I might be being selfish. But many feel the same way. It doesn’t suit my temperament, and it’s OK to feel that way. I’ve found my niche.

What is demanded of you as a student?

You have to be very focused and disciplined. The lecturers won’t notice if you miss classes, as classes are often quite large. So they won’t come and ask about your absence either.

You are left much more to your own devices, if you don’t have good classmates who can give you a helping hand. You don’t get homework like in upper secondary school. You have to work out what to read yourself. The lecturers will hand out a syllabus list, but you have to decide if you want to follow a different textbook or read supplementary material. It takes a lot of self-discipline.

How was the transition from bachelor’s programme to master’s programme?

The bachelor’s programme is tougher than the master’s programme because there are many compulsory subjects that may not all appeal to you. There’s a lot of reading to do, a lot of rote learning and several written exams.

On the master’s programme you get to decide which path you want to take. So you will be working with what you are passionate about all the time. There are more written assignments, and you need to think and reason more.

How is student life?

I think it’s good. You’re sometimes very busy and may feel stressed as a student, but I’ve made a point of asking the others how they were going if I suspected they were having a difficult time.

But there are many other great things. The lecturers respect you much more than teachers in upper secondary school. You are treated as an adult, and there’s a good dialogue. You’re more like equals – although, of course, the lecturers have a special knowledge. The lecturers have very extensive experience, which you can draw on in the laboratory.

How easy was it to make your social life work?

I found it easy. The first-year tutors were great, and we were encouraged to reach out to them if there was anything we were in doubt about or needed help with. They’ve been good at organising events – with and without alcohol – and arranging fun games where you get to make a fool of yourself. It gives everybody something to talk about. That’s a way to build networks.

As you register for courses, you also meet people from other disciplines and get the chance to build cross-disciplinary networks. I’ve made a lot of friends at university, which I hope will last for many years to come.

What kind of job do you want in the future?

I’m very interested in molecular and cell biology. I would like to work with cellular pathways and receptor signalling. I’ll be starting my master’s thesis in a private company over the next eighteen months.

I’m toying with the idea of doing a PhD. Many people do, so the competition for the jobs can be hard. I dream of working in the private sector. In part because of the financing. University researchers have to find their own funding. This is perhaps less of a problem in the private sector.

Mie has since went on to graduate as an MSc in Biochemistry, and to do a PhD in Molecular Pharmacology at University of Copenhagen. She now works as Senior Clinical Data Scientist at Novo Nordisk.

Contact student guidance

Contact SCIENCE Student Service

Do you have questions about the programme structure, study or career opportunities, admission requirements or application procedure, please feel free to contact SCIENCE Student Services.

Contact SCIENCE Student Services