MSc in Molecular Biology
Aarhus, Denmark
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 15,300 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 15 January for non-EU citizens and 1 March for EU citizens
** for non-EU/EEA students only | EU/EEA students study for free
Introduction
Science and technology form part of our day-to-day lives wherever we are, and we constantly have to make decisions drawing on scientific and technological knowledge. Natural scientists tell us the significance of C02 in relation to climate change, and when we have to decide whether to reduce C02 emissions, we need to understand what sort of knowledge we have and on what it is based. The MSc in Science Studies provides you with insight into how scientific discoveries and knowledge have affected our lives and our societies. You learn to place scientific knowledge within historical, philosophical, and social perspectives, and you work comprehensively with the many challenges and opportunities that science provides.
Science, Culture, and Society
The MSc in Science Studies is open to students with a BSc degree in science and an interest in gaining a wider perspective on how the natural sciences have developed in their interaction with society and contemporary culture. The program includes the following themes supplementing students’ basic studies in science: history and philosophy of science; science, technology, and innovation; science and society; and science and communication.
As a student in science studies, you will learn to understand the social and philosophical implications of science, the forces driving technological change, and contemporary developments within research and public understanding of science. Knowledge of the development of science and the ability to analyze science in a cultural and societal context can be useful in many different situations. For example, graduates may choose to work with communicating science and its challenges and opportunities to the general public through the media. Their knowledge of the interaction between the natural sciences, technology, and society can be applied in public administration, the business community, and in many different organizations. With a BSc degree in science and the broad perspective provided by the MSc in Science Studies, graduates are well prepared to enter into multidisciplinary collaboration with colleagues in many different fields. The MSc program also qualifies graduates for a research career in science studies.
An Intimate Study Environment
The MSc in Science Studies program is taught in the framework of a small center where students benefit from an international, yet informal, down-to-earth atmosphere between staff and students. As an MSc student, you will have excellent opportunities for engaging in projects related to current research and/or practical content, and you will have the option to specialize in many different subjects.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please visit the university website for more information.
Curriculum
The Master’s degree in molecular biology counts as 120 ECTS credits and mainly consists of subjects within the molecular biology field of study. You specialize by participating in course activities and projects and by writing a thesis. During your very first week, you structure your study program with the help of a teacher from the Department of Molecular Biology by choosing courses from a course catalog. Your program is based on your academic qualifications and interests and the subjects you studied for your Bachelor’s degree. The plan must be approved by the Board of Studies before you can enrol for examinations.
Forms of Teaching
At the University of Aarhus, you are in close contact with researchers in a way that you rarely experience at other universities. The door to the professor’s office is always open if you need clarification of the study material, and you are encouraged to ask questions at lectures and during exercises. We make heavy demands on your academic skills and independence. In return, you gain considerable benefits in the form of academic challenges and scientific knowledge, in addition to broad competencies.
The teaching at the university focuses on independence, critical thinking, and collaboration. Part of the teaching is in the form of lectures that introduce new angles to the material compared with the textbooks. The theoretical and practical exercises take place in small groups where you study relevant issues in depth. Most molecular biology students also spend a certain amount of time on laboratory work.
The varied forms of teaching, collaboration in groups, and the opportunity for close scientific dialogue with the researchers provide you with general competencies that are in great demand in the global job market. These competencies include abstract, critical, and independent thinking, analytical skills, and strategic planning. You can use these skills in many contexts – even in jobs you didn’t know you were qualified for.
Program Outcome
With a Master’s degree in molecular biology, you gain the following competencies:
- You have general knowledge of molecular biology and detailed knowledge of key disciplines, methodologies, theories, and concepts within this field
- You can independently plan, manage, and implement projects and apply the results in scientifically relevant decision processes
- You can assess the applicability and appropriateness of theoretical, experimental, and practical methodologies for the analysis and solution of scientific questions and issues.
- You can structure your own competence development independently and critically.
- You are able to systematically and critically familiarise yourself with new subject areas.
- You can communicate academic questions and issues to both a scientific and a general audience.
- You can collaborate constructively on a scientific basis to solve subject-related issues.
- You are familiar with ethical questions and issues relating to molecular biology.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The MSc in Science Studies is open to students with a BSc degree in science. It is of particular interest to science students who want to gain a wider perspective on how the natural sciences have developed in interaction with society and contemporary culture.
As a student in science studies, you will learn to understand the social and philosophical implications of science, the forces driving technological change, and contemporary developments within research and public understanding of science.
Knowledge of the development of science and the ability to analyze science in a cultural and societal context can be useful in many different situations.
For example, graduates may choose to work with communicating science and its challenges and opportunities to the general public through the media. Their knowledge of the interaction between the natural sciences, technology, and society can be applied in public administration, the business community, and in many different organizations. With a BSc degree in science and the broad perspective provided by the MSc in Science Studies, graduates are well prepared to enter into multidisciplinary collaboration with colleagues in many different fields. The MSc program also qualifies graduates for a research career in science studies.