MSc in Biology
Aarhus, Denmark
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 16,300 / 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/Swiss citizen students study for free
Key Summary
Introduction
The MSc program in Biology provides you with the opportunity to specialize in one or more of the areas of biology that you find most interesting. Because all students begin with a basic knowledge of biology, the teaching is at a high level right from the start. The Department of Biology at Aarhus University is popular among students and researchers from abroad. It is an active and international research environment.
Individual Study Plan
When you commence your MSc program in Biology, you compose your own individual study plan in collaboration with a lecturer. The degree program counts as 120 ECTS and consists of elective courses and a thesis. The considerable freedom of choice is an excellent opportunity for in-depth studies in one of the many disciplines within biology – such as genetics, evolution and ecology, ecophysiology, aquatic biology, microbiology, and ecosystem function and management.
The MSc thesis is often based on a major fieldwork and/or laboratory project. Under the supervision of a researcher, students are personally responsible for a project description as well as for preparing and completing their thesis. The practical element must be substantiated by theory and the project is placed in a wider context, so students will normally spend a full year working on their thesis. The thesis may be combined with fieldwork abroad, if this is deemed relevant for the project.
Welcome to the Research Group
Teaching is carried out by researchers who are specialists in their subject and who keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their field.
For students in the program, the door to your lecturer’s office is always open if you need clarification of the study material, and you are encouraged to ask questions during lectures and during exercises. The program requires high-level academic skills and independent study, but in return, students gain considerable benefits in the form of academic challenges, practical competencies, and scientific knowledge.
When you write your thesis, you become associated with a group of researchers where you participate in a journal club and attend guest lectures, in addition to taking part in academic discussions and dialogue.
Admissions
Curriculum
The Bachelor's degree program in Biology gives you the opportunity to specialize in one of three major biological disciplines that are of particular interest to you:
- Ecophysiology
- Biodiversity and Evolution
- Ecology
A specialization has a scope of 30 ECTS and is composed of courses that are central to the chosen subject area (constituent courses). The remaining 30 ECTS credits in the first year of the Master's program can be selected from the total course offering of the Master's program, including courses included in other specializations. You also have the opportunity to follow courses offered from other disciplines if the academic context of the program is ensured.
PhD Degree Program
If you have the necessary skills and interests, you have the option of applying for admission to the PhD program. You can apply when you have completed your Bachelor’s degree and one year of your Master’s degree or when you have completed your Master’s degree. In the PhD program, you start working on a research project and are gradually trained through courses and personal guidance to become a researcher.
Forms of Teaching
At Aarhus University, 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 is based 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 work with relevant issues in depth. Most biology students also spend a certain amount of time on laboratory work or work related to field courses.
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 Biology, you have the following competencies:
- You have general knowledge of biology and detailed knowledge of key disciplines, methodologies, theories, and concepts within biology
- 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.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Graduates from the Department of Biology find work in a wide range of dynamic fields, including research and development, administration, and consultancy, as well as teaching and communication. With a MSc in Biology from Aarhus University you will have excellent opportunities to continue your career with a PhD at a Danish or international university.
Job Profile
Aarhus University educates Biology graduates for the regional, national, and international job markets. Graduates from the Department of Biology find work in many different fields and institutions. Most jobs are within research, administration, and consultancy as well as teaching and communication in the private or public sectors.
Biologists are employed in positions within a wide range of biology areas ranging from biotechnology, nature, and the environment to biological production within agriculture and the fishing industry. Many biologists also work as consultants or environmental officers within environmental administration and management.
If you have a burning desire to communicate about biology, you can choose to teach at upper secondary school or at laboratory technicians’ or teachers’ training colleges, or in connection with different forms of adult education. Finally, some biologists work with communicating biological knowledge in the media and publishing worlds or as nature consultants. A Biology degree is the key to many different types of jobs throughout society.