Master of Science (MSc) in Biology

This specialisation teaches you about the genetic and epigenetic basis for cell functioning, regulation, and differentiation, including immune systems and genetically modified organisms. You learn about genomic structure, organisation, and function, as well as causes, diagnosis, and inheritance of human genetic diseases.

When you graduate, you’ll have the competencies to:

• integrate genetic, epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms with a general understanding of cellular functions.
• apply molecular and genetic knowledge to understand human diseases. 

Furthermore, you’ll have the skills to:

• Set up, perform, and evaluate genetic and genomic screens.
• Design and construct genetically modified cells for biotechnological and biopharmaceutical purposes.
• Apply bioinformatical methods and databases to analyse DNA, RNA, and protein sequences.

Programme Overview

The specialisation can be structured in different ways, depending on whether you write a thesis worth 45 or 60 ECTS, and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if you start in September or February with a thesis worth 45 ECTS.

See the full programme overview, and a description of the competencies and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Biology >>

Example 1: Study Start September, Thesis 45 ECTS
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Example 2: Study Start February, Thesis 45 ECTS

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

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Restricted Elective Courses

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

• Business Development and Innovation*
• Cell Cycle Control and Cancer
• CRISPR Tsunami: Design and Hands on Gene Editing
• Data Science for Genomics
• Dynamical Models in Molecular Biology
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
• Epigenetics and Cell Differentiation
• Evolutionary Medicine
• Experimental Cell Biology
• Host-Microbiota Multi-Omics
• Human Genetics
• Integrative Structural Biology
• Medical Bacteriology
• Metabolomics
• Molecular Biotechnology
• Molecular Neurobiology
• Population Genetics
• Protein Structure and Function in Biomedicine and Sustainable Biotechnology
• RNA Biology
• Statistics for Molecular Biomedicine
• Project in Practice (15 ECTS)
• Project outside the Course Scope
• Thesis Preparation Project

*Only one of the courses can be included in the programme

You specialise in biology at the cellular level and integrate this understanding with research of physiological responses in humans and other fauna. You’ll get a deep understanding of the structure, organisation, and function of cells – including the subcellular level where you learn about organelles, membrane systems, and cytoskeletons. Furthermore, you’ll get an understanding of the signal transduction systems used to regulate cell development, differentiation, motility, and death.

As a graduate you are able to summarise the function of eukaryotic cells and cellular homeostasis, and you can relate the overall construction of the cell and the organ to a holistic understanding of multi-cellular animals, including humans.

You are also able to conduct and analyze data from experimental studies within cell biology and physiology, and you can apply the relevant methods specific to physiological evaluation.

Programme Overview

The specialisation can be structured in different ways, depending on whether you write a thesis worth 45 or 60 ECTS and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if you start in September or February with a thesis worth 45 ECTS.

See the full programme overview, and a description of the competencies and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Biology >>

Example 1: Study Start September, Thesis 45 ECTS

Compulsory courses: 22.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 37.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Example 2: Study Start February, Thesis 45 ECTS

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: 37.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Restricted Elective Courses

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

• Business Development and Innovation*
• Cell Cycle Control and Cancer
• Cellular Signaling in Health and Disease
• CRISPR Tsunami: Design and Hands on Gene Editing
• Developmental Biology
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
• Evolutionary Medicine
• Experimental Cell Biology
• Integrative Structural Biology
• Metabolomics
• Molecular Biotechnology
• Molecular Mechanisms in Metabolic Disease
• Molecular Neurobiology
• Protein Structure and Function in Biomedicine and Sustainable Biotechnology
• Sensory Biology
• Statistics for Molecular Biomedicine
• The Human Microbiome
• The Human Microbiome - Experiments
• Project in Practice (15 ECTS)
• Project outside the course scope
• Thesis preparation project

*Only one of the courses can be included in the programme

In this specialisation you will focus on bacteria and fungi, molecular biology, and environmental adaptability, and you learn how bacteria and micro fungi can be biotechnologically exploited. You get an understanding of their symbiosis with animals and humans, as well as their pathogenicity.

Among other things this enables you to work with bacterial resistance to antibiotics and microorganisms as a source of new industrial enzymes and other bioactive substances.

Furthermore, you can cultivate and isolate microorganisms and use state-of-the-art molecular techniques e.g., to study their occurrences, physiology, and interactions.

Programme Overview

The specialisation can be structured in different ways, depending on whether you write a thesis worth 45 or 60 ECTS and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if you start in September or February with a thesis worth 45 ECTS.

See the full programme overview, and a description of the competencies and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Biology >>

Example 1: Study Start in September, Thesis 45 ECTS
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Example 2: Study Start in February, Thesis 45 ECTS

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

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Restricted Elective Courses

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

• Advanced Microbial Biotechnology
• Applied Microbiology
• Basic Parasitology
• Biological Sequence Analysis
• Business Development and Innovation*
• CRISPR Tsunami: Design and Hands on Gene Editing
• Data Science for Genomics
• Dynamical Models in Molecular Biology
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
• Evolutionary Medicine
• Experimental Design and Statistical Methods in Biology
• Experimental Medical Microbiology: From Gene to Function in Pathogenic Bacteria
• Gut Microbiome in Nutrition and Health
• Human Parasitology
• Marine Microbiology and Virology
• Medical Bacteriology
• Metabolomics
• Population Genetics
• Principal Subject in Molecular Microbiology
• Protists - Eucaryotic Microbiology
• Soil Biology
• The Human Microbiome
• The Human Microbiome - Experiments
• Project in Practice (15 ECTS)
• Project outside the course scope
• Thesis preparation project

*Only one of the courses can be included in the programme.

If you choose this specialisation, you work with ecological and evolutionary processes and their importance for organisms, effects of climate change, interactions between living organisms, conservation, and animal behaviour. 

This provides you with a deep understanding of complex ecosystems that enables you to explain and discuss the distribution and density of species at local and global scales, and on both an ecological and evolutionary timescale.

You will be able to give advice on nature management issues, environmental protection, biodiversity, and animal welfare. You can also collect, identify, and isolate selected groups of organisms and use genetic methods in species identification and typing.

Programme Overview

The specialisation can be structured in different ways, depending on whether you write a thesis worth 45 or 60 ECTS and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if you start in September or February with a thesis worth 45 ECTS.

See the full programme overview, and a description of the competencies and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Biology >>

Example 1: Study Start in September, 45 ECTS
Compulsory courses: 7.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 52.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Example 2: Study Start in February, 45 ECTS

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

Compulsory courses: 7.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 52.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Restricted Elective Courses

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

• Animal Diversity and Evolution
• Applied Ecosystem Ecology
• Arctic Biology
• Arctic Biology Field Course
• Basic Parasitology
• Biodiversity in Urban Nature
• Business Development and Innovation*
• Climate Change and Biodiversity
• Climate Change and Biogeochemical Cycles
• Conservation Biology
• Danske naturtyper, økologi og karakteristik
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Evolutionary Ecology
• Evolutionary Medicine
• Experimental Design and Statistical Methods in Biology
• Field Mycology and Identification of Fungi
• Freshwater Ecology
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• International Nature Conservation
• Invasion Biology
• Macro Ecology and Community Ecology
• Marine Animal Diversity, Monitoring, and Habitats
• Methodology and Sampling in Environmental Management
• Ornithology
• Population Genetics
• Protists - Eukaryotic Microbiology
• Sensory Biology
• Social Behaviour and Communication
• Soil Biology
• Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes and Global Change
• Videregående plantebestemmelse
• VVM i praksis
• Project in Practice (15 ECTS)
• Project outside the course scope
• Thesis preparation project

*Only one of the courses can be included in the programme.

In this specialisation you’ll get expert knowledge of the structure and function of marine ecosystems, as well as the ecology of marine organisms, and their physiology, interactions, and adaptation to the marine environment.

You’ll get the competences to explain the fluxes of energy, as well as organic and inorganic matter in marine systems. Furthermore, you learn about marine microorganisms, animal groups, and habitat types – and you’ll get an overview of the complexity of ecosystems and biodiversity.

You learn to collect, identify, and categorise marine organisms into overall groups. You are also able to use genetic methods in species identification and typing.

Programme Overview

The specialisation can be structured in different ways, depending on whether you write a thesis worth 45 or 60 ECTS and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if you start in September or February with a thesis worth 45 ECTS.

See the full programme overview, and a description of the competencies and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Biology >>

Example 1: Study Start in September, Thesis 45 ECTS
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Example 2: Study Start in February, Thesis 45 ECTS

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

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 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.

Restricted Elective Courses

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

• Animal Diversity and Evolution
• Arctic Biology
• Arctic Biology Field Course
• Business Development and Innovation*
• Climate Change and Biogeochemical Cycles
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation*
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Evolutionary Ecology
• Experimental Design and Statistical Methods in Biology
• Freshwater Ecology
• Marine Animal Diversity, Monitoring, and Habitats
• Marine Microbiology and Virology
• Methodology and Sampling in Environmental Management
• Population Genetics
• Protists - Eucaryotic Microbiology
• Sensory Biology
• The Biology of Fish
• VVM i praksis
• Project in Practice (15 ECTS)
• Project outside the course scope
• Thesis Preparation Project

*Only one of the courses can be included in the programme.

Please note: The MSc in Biology with a minor subject is only for applicants with a Danish Bachelor’s degree in Biology including the required courses from the minor subject. The minor subject consists of courses taught in Danish, where the first part is compulsory in the Bachelor’s degree, and the remaining is part of the MSc.

You can study biology with a minor subject if you want to acquire the competences to teach or disseminate both subjects. This enables you to teach in Danish upper secondary schools or university colleges. You will also get the competences to work in e.g., biotech-, phamaceutical and related industries, NGOs, private consultancies, public administration, or the publishing industry.

Programme Overview

The programme can be structured in different ways depending on whether your minor subject is within or outside the field of science, and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if the minor subject is within the field of science with study start in September or February.

See the full programme overview, and a description of the competencies and skills you obtain in the Curriculum for Biology With a Minor Subject >>

Example 1: Study Start September, Minor Subject Within the Field of Science
Compulsory courses: 7.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 37.5 ECTS
Minor subject: 45 ECTS
Master's thesis: 30 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.

Example 2: Study Start February, Minor Subject Within the Field of Science

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

Compulsory courses: 7.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 37.5 ECTS
Minor subject: 45 ECTS
Master's thesis: 30 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.

Restricted Elective Courses

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

• Advanced Bacteriology 1
• Advanced Bacteriology 2
• Advanced Cell Biology
• Advanced Ecology
• Animal Diversity and Evolution
• Arctic Biology
• Biodiversity in Urban Nature
• Biological Sequence Analysis
• Cell Cycle Control and Cancer
• Cellular and Integrative Physiology
• Cellular Signalling in Health and Disease
• Climate Change and Biogeochemical Cycles
• Danske naturtyper, økologi og karakteristik
• Data Science for Genomics
• Developmental Biology
• Dynamical Models in Molecular Biology
• Epigenetics and Cell Differentiation
• Evolutionary Ecology
• Evolutionary Medicine
• Experimental Higher Model Organisms
• Experimental Marine Biology
• Experimental Medical Microbiology: From Gene to Function in Pathogenic Bacteria
• Experimental Molecular Genetics
• Freshwater Ecology
• Human Genetics
• Invasion Biology
• Macroecology and Community Ecology
• Marine Biology
• Marine Microbiology and Virology
• Medical Bacteriology
• Methodology and Sampling in Environmental Management
• Molecular Mechanisms in Metabolic Disease
• Ornithology
• Population Genetics
• Protists - Eukaryotic Microbiology
• RNA Biology
• Science and Technology Communication
• Social Behaviour and Communication
• Soil Biology
• Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes and Global Change
• The Biology of Fish
• The Human Microbiome
• Theoretical Molecular Genetics
• Videregående plantebestemmelse