English > Studying at SCIENCE > Full degree MSc Degrees (in english) > MSc Programmes > Biochemistry

As a graduate student in biochemistry, you will work experimentally and theoretically with biochemical and molecular biology problems within a focus area of your own choosing. The possibilities are practically endless. You will specialise within a core subject and do an experiment-based Master's thesis corresponding to 60 ECTS credit points. This will be an independent project and will often be part of a larger on-going research project, but you will also be an integral part of a team of researchers.

• Academic focus
• Content of the programme
• Structure
• Master's thesis project
• Career opportunities
• Admission requirements
• Tuition fees and application
• Need to know more?

Academic focus

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

Content of the programme

The study programme contains three core modules that you are required to follow concurrently with other courses and your Master's thesis. 

You choose your field of specialisation from within a number of general core subjects, including protein chemistry, immunology, genetics, molecular cell biology and plant molecular biology. 

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

During your studies, you will choose a number of elective courses that are relevant to your core subject and thesis topic. 

Within your core subject, you are required to carry out a large experiment-based thesis. Typically, you will work on an independent project that represents a smaller portion of a large on-going research project.

Structure

One block is nine weeks and counts as 15 ECTS credit points.

The diagram shows a recommended course of study, but many other combinations are possible; however, the core project must be carried out before commencing work on the Master's thesis.

Major courses/core courses can be placed in different blocks. The white fields indicate elective courses that are relevant to core subjects and thesis topics. A number of elective courses are offered within the MSc in Biochemistry, but courses offered through other programmes or at other institutions may also be selected. The Master's thesis corresponds to one year's work (60 ECTS credit points) and must be experiment-based.

Master's thesis 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: 

• Enzymological characterisation and clarification of the 3-D structure of enzymes 
• 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

Career opportunities

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 at universities, institutions of higher education, within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, at hospital laboratories or in the public sector. You can also continue your research and obtain a PhD in Denmark or abroad. Unemployment among graduates with an MSc in Biochemistry has been low for several years.

Admission requirements 

The admission requirements are described in §4 of the curriculum.

Tuition fees and application 

You can find information about tuition fees and how to apply for the programme under Admission.

Need to know more?

If you have further questions, you are welcome to contact the international coordinator (go to top of page).