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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
The programme qualifies you as an experienced neuroscientist with highly specialized knowledge of the cells of the brain, their circuits, and higher brain functions. Through cutting-edge and research-based lectures, journal clubs, hands-on lab sessions, and a master’s thesis during the last academic year, you will be challenged to find new applications in the field of neuroscience.
What makes the programme at UCPH unique?
The programme offers a broad education in neuroscience, covering topics from basic neuroscience to higher cognitive functioning. The research-based lectures contain new scientific discoveries from the teacher’s own research and the pharmaceutical and med-tech industries. You also have opportunities to specialise through elective courses and an extensive thesis project.What specialisations does the field of study offer?
A substantial part of the programme are the mandatory courses “Cells and circuits”, “Higher brain functions”, and “Experimental neuroscience.” The courses cover different aspects of neuroscience and introduce you to the major technologies applied in this discipline. Elective courses give you opportunities to learn clinical and computational neuroscience (bioinformatics and computational modelling).Admission and application
To apply for admission to this master's degree programme, you must have completed 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.
There are no bachelor’s degrees that give legal right of admission to the MSc in Neuroscience.
If you hold one of the bachelor’s degrees listed below from a Danish university, you are considered to meet all academic admission requirements and have direct access to apply to the master’s degree programme in Neuroscience:
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- Biology-Biotechnology
- Biomedicine
- Medicine
- Medicinal Biology
- Molecular Biomedicine
- Molecular Medicine
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Veterinary Medicine
- Cognitive Data Science with a specialisation in Neuroscience
Degrees with specific course requirements
If you hold one of the bachelor’s degrees listed below, you are qualified for admission if you fulfil specific course requirements:
- Medicine with Industrial Specialisation
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
In order to qualify for admission, you must have passed 30 ECTS within 3 of the following 4 fields:
- Cell biology
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Please note that having a bachelor’s degree that 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:
- Health sciences
- Life sciences
- Biological sciences
Furthermore, you must have obtained at least 30 ECTS within cell biology, physiology, molecular biomedicine and/or neurobiology.
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. |
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.
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 30 students each year. One third of the seats may be reserved for students from countries outside the EU/EAA.
Selection criteria
If more than 30 applicants fulfil the admission requirements, the applicants will be prioritised based on the following (listed in prioritised order):
- Documentation of relevant bachelor’s degree including courses, internships or work within the field of neuroscience.
- Grade point average from bachelor’s degree.
| Admission statistics Neuroscience 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Admitted | 32 |
| Admission distribution (legal right/other) | 0% / 100% |
| Applicants | 226 |
| Age average | 23 |
| Legal gender distribution (cpr. - m/f) | 34% / 66% |
| Nationality (dk/international) | 25% / 75% |
| Available spots | No |
Programme structure
The MSc in Neuroscience is a 2-year programme taught in English, and there are approximately 30 students in a year.
The programme is known for its extensive and ambitious cuririculum, cutting-egde research based education and lecturers from both the university and the industry.
Teaching forms are lectures, case-based groupwork, laboratory work and research projects, depending on your electives, it can also include journal clubs, case studies, and visits to laboratory facilities at the University of Copenhagen and university hospitals.
• 37% mandatory courses
• 13% elective courses
• 50% thesis
During your first year, you will complete a number of compulsory and elective courses. The courses provide you with a thorough introduction into key areas such as cells and circuits, higher brain function, and experimental designs and methods in neuroscience. In your second year you can specialize in an area of research during your extensive thesis project.
1st year
| 1st semester | 2nd semester |
|---|---|
| Neuroscience I - Cells and circuits (20 ECTS) | Neuroscience II: Higher brain function (15 ECTS) |
| Experimental design in Neuroscience (10 ECTS) | Electives (15 ECTS) |
2nd year
| 1st semester | 2nd semester |
|---|---|
| Master's Thesis (60 ECTS) | Master's Thesis (60 ECTS) - continued |
In addition to your compulsory courses, you must choose two of the following three electives:
- Drug discovery and development – Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Novel technologies and laboratory animals in behavioral neuroscience
You will attend lectures by specialists in the topics covered by the individual modules. The specialists include internationally acclaimed professors and leading medical specialists from the University of Copenhagen or the industry.
You will also take part in journal clubs, undertake case studies, and visit laboratory facilities at University of Copenhagen and university hospitals.
You choose the subject for your thesis according to your own preferences within the field of neuroscience.
Researchers at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences can offer inspiration within a wide range of thesis subjects that enables you to tailor a programme that matches your personal interests.
The thesis can be carried out at the university or combined with a research placement at pre-clinical or clinical laboratories, and private or public institutions. The master's project gives the student substantial experience in individual experimental work.
Some students write their thesis in research departments abroad. The research placement is planned by the student in cooperation with their chosen host institution and their main supervisor at UCPH.
You choose the subject according to your own preferences within the field of immunology. Researchers at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences can offer inspiration within a wide range of thesis subjects that enables you to tailor a programme that matches your personal interests.
Career opportunities
Upon graduating, you will be qualified to find solutions in neuroscience and for patients with brain disorders.
You will acquire highly specialized knowledge of and competences within experimental neuroscience, translational neuroscience, and partly clinical neuroscience.
The programme focuses on methodologies and newly developed in vitro and in vivo models. You will acquire practical skills within neuroscience research which enables you to apply neuroscience to solve complex problems.
As a graduate, you have a wide range of career opportunities.
You are qualified to e.g.
- continue your academic studies as a PhD student at world-leading universities.
- work within the medicotechnical and pharmaceutical industries in Denmark or abroad.
Some of the advantages about studying Neuroscience are:
- a high quality education in English
- a flexible study structure
- world leading facilities
- a vibrant international study environment
- the opportunity to experience life in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.
Additionally, your master's thesis is based on experimental laboratory work during the last academic year. The thesis offers your the opportunity to specialise and obtain individual qualifications.
As a graduate, you have completed a research-based degree programme enabling you to work in the field of neuroscience.
Knowledge
You will acquire knowledge and understanding of:
- neurology and psychiatry: disease pathology, disease mechanisms, diagnostics and treatments.
- the brain structure and its function.
- the mechanism of perception, locomotion, and higher brain functions.
- methods, definitions, and tools in neuroscience.
- the brain in health and disease, and technologies used to determine various measures in the brain, such as, drugs, medico-technology, as well as digital solutions.
- the contribution of neuroscience in other disciplines and fields.
- how to describe neurobiological domains such as cognition, affection, addiction, locomotion, pain and more.
Skills
You will be able to:
- use central neuroscientific tools, as well as more general academic tools.
- evaluate relevance and ability of neuroscientific methods and theories.
- combine knowledge at the cellular and molecular level with brain functions.
- communicate and discuss research-based knowledge with both neuroscientist and people with limited knowledge in the field.
Competences
You will have the competences to:
- plan and execute neuroscientific experiments and interpret neuroscience data and literature.
- develop and evaluate solutions in neuroscience.
- work independently as well as in teams.
- critically assess literature in neuroscience.
As a graduate, you have a wide range of career opportunities.
You are qualified to
- continue your academic studies as a PhD student at world-leading universities or
- find work within the medicotechnical and pharmaceutical industries in Denmark or abroad
- at hospitals
- within research
- as support and assistance for research facilities and industries
Student life
When you study Neuroscience, you will be part of an international and vibrant study environment.
Roughly 8,000 students including many international students are studying at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
The programme is based at North Campus.
The safe atmosphere, the well-developed infrastructure, the low level of pollution and the many cultural events all contribute to making Copenhagen one of the most liveable cities in the world.
Contact student guidance
SUND Study Information
If you have questions about
- the MSc programme
- the study environment
- your career opportunities
Do you have questions about digital application?
Read quick guides, instructions and FAQ in our user guide to the application portal.
In case of technical problems, please contact the IT Helpdesk by
- Mail: it-service@adm.ku.dk
- Tel: +45 35 32 27 00
Location
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, North Campus, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 København N.
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