Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the right choice for you if you want to undertake basic research or work in the pharmaceutical field. You will adress biochemical and molecular biology problems experimentally and theoretically within a focus area of your own choosing.

The programme is offered in English.

Do you want to be at the cutting edge of the research? To develop new drugs, carry out basic research or create biotechnologigal products of the kind we need as society becomes increasingly environmentally aware? Do you see greatness in small things? At the molecular level?

If you are into test tubes, microscopes, computers and a future that is progressing at breakneck speed, an MSc in Biochemistry may just be right for you.

Your MSc will offer you a wide range of career paths to follow. In Denmark as well as internationally.

Profile and Career

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 choosing.

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 research group concerned.

Competence Description

• 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.

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.

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 microbiology.

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.

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

Specialisations

You can choose between the 5 specialisations listed below.

• Biochemistry with specialization in Molecular Cell Biology
• Biochemistry with specialization in Molecular Genetics
• Biochemistry with specialization in Molecular Microbiology
• Biochemistry with specialization in Immunology
• Biochemistry with specialization in Protein Chemistry

(1) Applicants with a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry, molecular biomedicine or nanoscience from the University of Copenhagen, a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry or molecular biology from the University of Southern Denmark, or a Bachelor's degree in biotechnology from Aarhus University, may be admitted to the Master's Programme in Biochemistry.(2) Applicants with other Bachelor degrees from the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, may be admitted if their programme included min. 60 ECTS credits in chemistry and biochemistry/molecular biology, of which min. 22.5 ECTS must be in chemistry and 22.5 ECTS in biochemistry/molecular biology. In total, the applicant must have min. 30 ECTS credits that stem from experimental laboratory exercises.Subject to approval from the Board of Studies, courses in protein chemistry or biophysical chemistry may be counted as either chemistry or biochemistry/molecular biology.Applicants must also be able to document that they have built up practical skills in laboratory or fieldwork in key subject areas corresponding to min. 30 ECTS credits.(3) In addition, the Faculty may admit applicants who, after a thorough assessment, are deemed to possess educational qualifications equivalent to those required in subsections(1)–(2).Prioritisation criteriaApplicants with Bachelor degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Copenhagen are guaranteed admission on the first MSc intake after graduation.Other applicants will then be prioritised on the basis of their total number of ECTS credits in the areas of chemistry and biochemistry/molecular biology. Applicants will then be ranked according to grades achieved in the areas concerned. If different grading systems make comparison impossible, applicants will be prioritised on the basis of an individual evaluation by the head of studies.Language RequirementsTo gain admission to an MSc in the English language, non-Danish applicants must document qualifications on par with the Danish secondary school ‘English level B'. The Faculty of Science accepts the following 3 ways of documenting this:English is your native language. The Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, accepts The University of Purdue view that citizens of the following countries are exempted from taking an English Language Proficiency exam: Anguilla, Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Dominica, Grand Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Irish Republic, Jamaica, Montserrat, New Zealand, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, & Wales and United States of AmericaIf you are citizen of one of the above countries, you are not required to submit any proof of English proficiency. Your copy of your passport will suffice as sufficient proof.Prior studies completed in the English language/in an English speaking country. For example, if you have studied your Bachelor degree in England you are not required to complete an English language proficiency exam. We ask such students to provide a signed statement from the Educational institution (with the institution's stamp on it) stating that English is the main language of instruction. Furthermore, applicants from Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) do not need to provide proof of English language proficiency.Applicants with English as their second language (except Scandinavians) must pass an IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge Advanced English test before being admitted. The Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, accepts the following tests and scores:IELTS-test (British Council) with a minimum score of 6.5Computer-based TOEFL-test with a minimum score of 213 pointsPaper-based TOEFL-test with a minimum score of 560 pointsInternet-based TOEFL-test with a min score of 83 pointsLanguage tests older than 2 years are not accepted (from the application deadline) English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 560 TOEFL iBT® test: 83

The Faculty of Science will not be awarding any scholarships for the academic year 2014/2015.

Please note that many scholarships are offered by companies or organisations, it can be worthwhile to research your particular options from your home country.