Medical Biology

Is your passion linked to the human system? Are you interested in the workings of the brain, or would you be the one that bridge the differentunderstandings of fundamental biological processes and health & disease in humans? Your choice might be Medical Biology!

Where studying Biology starts with a fascination for life, Medical Biology shares this trait and specifies it towards the human system. The Master's in Medical Biology in Nijmegen focuses strongly on molecular and cellular life processes at the cutting edge of fundamental biology and medical scientific research.

Our programme is unique because it is a combination of fundamental research and the translation of its findings into clinical applications. This is facilitated by our close cooperation with the University Medical Centre.

Specialisations

At the beginning of the first year, all students follow an orientation course before they choose one of the three Master's tracks:

• Human Biology
• Medical Epigenomics
• Neurobiology
• Science in Society
• Science, Management and Innovation

During the first year of the Master's programme there is a strong emphasis on experimental research. You will gather a lot of practical experience in the field of research to prepare you for a career as an (international) scientist. The second year allows you to look beyond the scope of science and build a bridge between science and the public, in the field of communication, management or education.

Experts

Education is closely linked to on-going research within the Institute for Water and Wetlands Research, the Institute of Neuroscience and the Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences. Nijmegen's biologists are experts in the fields of animal physiology at system level as well as at cellular and molecular level. But they also are top researchers in the fields of human health, disease and development.

Personal tutor

The programme offers you many opportunities to follow your own interests under the guidance of a personal tutor. Each time you start a research internship you will select a research group and be allocated a supervisor. Together you will decide which research to carry out and the specialisations and subject choices that most effectively support it. In practice you will be occupied for four days a week with your own research and one day will be devoted to lectures.

Human Biology 

The first year of this specialisation contains four compulsory courses. You can compose the rest of the programme with specialisation electives and free electives.

• Transport and Metabolomics (3 EC)
• Molecular therapy (3 EC)
• Trends in Stem Cell Biology (3 EC)
• Translational Genomics (6 EC)

Specialisation electives

You can choose your specialisation electives from a list of selected courses. Examples are:

• Cellular Imaging in Four Dimensions (3 EC)
• Laboratory Animal Science (3 EC)
• Advanced Endocrinology (3 EC)
• Molecular Aspects of Host Defense, Tissue Destruction and Repair (3 EC)

Free electives

The 6 EC of free electives can be used to take any course taught at Radboud University, another Dutch university or abroad. These courses should be approved by the Examination Board.

(International) internships

During your internships, you’ll be responsible for your own experiments, under the supervision of one of our top researchers. At Radboud university medical center, relevant departments include:

• Human Genetics (Prof. Han Brunner)
• Pathology (Dr Benno Küsters)
• Pediatric Oncology (Dr Frank van Leeuwen)
• Haematology (Dr Harry Dolstra)

Of course, you can also choose to do your research internship(s) at a company or abroad. It is for example possible to apply for a grant to perform an internship at the Max Planck Gesellschaft, one of the world's most renowned research institutes.For other suggestions, you can contact one of the professors above or you can confer with our teaching staff or the student advisor.

Medical Epigenomics

The Master’s specialisation in Medical Epigenomics is taught at the Faculty of Science. It has a course load of 120 EC* (two years). The programme of this specialisation depends on the Master’s that you follow: Medical Biology or Science.

Schedule

Compulsory courses

The first year of this specialisation contains five compulsory courses. You can compose the rest of the programme with specialisation electives and free electives.

• Protein Dynamics and Networks (3 EC)
  The focus of this course is on quantitative mass spectrometry, the technology that can be used to study the dynamic proteome. It also includes hands-on experiments in which you will study protein-protein interactions that are relevant for epigenetics.
• Epigenomics in Health and Disease (3 EC)
  Here, you’ll dive into epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease. The latest advances in next-generation sequencing will be discussed, as well as the epigenetics of cancer and the function of DNA methylation. You'll be trained to write a research proposal in the field of medical epigenomics.
• Trends in Stem Cell Biology (3 EC)
• Computation for Biologists (6 EC)

Specialisation electives

You can choose your specialisation electives from a list of selected courses. Examples are:

• Human Fertility (3 EC)
• Oncology (3 EC)
• Principles of Systems Biology (3 EC)
• Moclecular Mechanisms of Novel Therapeutics (3 EC)
• Human Genetics (3 EC)

Free electives

The 6 EC of free electives can be used to take any course taught at Radboud University, another Dutch university or abroad. These courses should be approved by the Examination Board.

(International) internships

You’ll perform one research internship on systems biology, molecular genetics or molecular epigenetics, during which you’ll learn to work with big data sets. This internship will take place at the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life sciences (RIMLS), Faculty of Science or the Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc). Possible departments are:

• Molecular Biology (Prof. Henk Stunnenberg, Prof. Michiel Vermeulen)
• Molecular Developmental Biology (Prof. Gert-Jan Veenstra)
• Human Genetics (Prof. Hans van Bokhoven, Prof. Joris Veltman)

See the webpage Our research in this field for more information on these departments.

The second internship can take place at:

• A RIMLS, Radboud university medical center or Faculty of Science department (these departments will be listed in the online prospectus).
• Another university in the Netherlands or abroad. You can for example apply for a grant to perform an internship at the Max Planck Gesellschaft, one of the world's most renowned research institutes.
• Or the research department of a company working in a related field.

Possible research topics are:

• Comparing the epigenome of blood cells and leukemic cells
• Studying dynamic protein-protein interactions during stem cell differentiation
• Studying the dynamic epigenome of the malaria parasite
• Manipulating cells using CRISPR-Cas9 followed by functional experiments
• Studying cancer using organoid models
• Studying the effects of ‘epi-drugs’ on cancer cells
• Studying early development of model organisms (zebra fish, clawed frog)

Neurobiology

The Master’s specialisation in Neurobiology is taught at the Faculty of Science. It has a course load of 120 EC* (two years). Please note that this overview gives merely an indication of the programme outline, as the information on this page is subject to change.

The programme content depends on the Master’s programme that you follow:

Four compulsory courses form a common programme for all Neurobiology specialisation students in the first year:

Behavioural Neuroscience (3 EC)
All behaviour can be characterised in three stages, or phases: sensation of an external stimulus, perception of the stimulus and action towards a behavioural outcome. During this course, you will learn how to set up an experiment to study these stages.

Systems Neuroscience (3 EC)
This course focuses on how complex networks of neurons communicate with each other, up to an organismal scale.

Methods in Neuroscience (3 EC)
The course provides conceptual, methodological, and practical insights into the major high-resolution neurophysiological techniques.

Trends in Stem Cell Biology (3 EC)

Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (6 EC)

Systematic Reviews in Neuroscience (6 EC)
You will write a review article about a topic of your choice, in which you discuss the literature in that field of research.

Internships

A large part of this specialisation consists of two research internships that can be performed at departments of the Donders Institute. It is also possible to do an internship at a company, for example, at the Brain, Body, and Behaviour Division of Philips, Eindhoven, or at other Universities in the Netherlands (e.g. at Maastricht University) or abroad. If you're interested in studying in Germany, it is possible to apply for a grant to perform an internship at the Max Planck Gesellschaft, one of the world's most renowned research institutes.The number of internships and their focus and length depend on your specific Master’s programme.

Admission requirements for students with an international Bachelor’s degree

1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences or related area.
   Your degree has to be equivalent to a Dutch university diploma. The Admission's Office will determine if an international student has the required knowledge to be admitted. The Admission's Office will also indicate if the student is required to follow specific courses from the Bachelor's programme to eliminate possible deficiencies.

1. A proficiency in English
   In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
   1. A TOEFL score of >575 (paper based) or >90 (internet based)
   2. An IELTS score of ≥6.5
   3. Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

There are various scholarships available for studying at Radboud University Nijmegen. Please check which scholarship is applicable in your case.

Radboud Scholarship Programme

Open to talented prospective non-EEA students - the scholarship consists of a partial tuition waiver.

Orange Tulip Scholarship

Open to students from Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and China - offers a tuition fee waiver of 6,750 euros and exemption from visa and health insurance costs.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

Open to excellent American students - the grant will be paid in 12 monthly instalments of 1,050 euros, international travel and the cost of the residence permit will be covered.

Erasmus Mundus ERANET

Open for Russian candidates - applicants may be undergraduate exchange students, Master's students, doctorate and post-doctorate candidates, as well as academic and administrative staff.

Sino-Dutch Bilateral Exchange Scholarship

Open to students from China - the Dutch contribution to the scholarship consist of monthly allowance 1,000 euros, international travel costs 1,400 euros, tuition/research fee 1,906 euros, it also covers the cost of visa, insurance and other.

DIKTI-Neso Scholarships

Aimed at lecturers at higher education instituations in Indonesia who wish to pursue a PhD or Master's at a university in the Netherlands. A DIKTI scholarship includes allowances for living expenses, insurance, travel costs, tuition fees and more.

Dutch Student Finance

EU/EEA students and Swiss students under 30 years of age are eligible if they are working at least 56 hours per month in the Netherlands, or have been living in the Netherlands for five years or more. Dutch student finance consists of four components: a basic grant, a supplementary grant (depending on the parental income), a student travel product, and a loan.