BSc in Biology
Nijmegen, Netherlands
BSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Apr 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,695 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Final deadline for EU students: 01.07.2026| Deadline for EU students who want to get assistance with housing: 01.05.2026
** Institutional tuition fee EU/EEA: €13,020.00* | For non-EU/EEA students: €17,809.00* (*The institutional tuition fees are still subject to change)
Key Summary
Do you want to know how climate change affects biodiversity? Or how to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases? Are you fascinated by evolution, the human brain, genetics, and ecology? Then Biology is what you are looking for.
Something for you?
- A challenging and broad curriculum with specialised learning trajectories.
- Strong emphasis on Biology in Society, team-based learning, and lab sessions.
- Excellent and innovative research facilities.
- Possible internships at the RIBES, RIMLS and DCN research institutes.
- Active study association to meet fellow students, alumni, and lecturers.
Why study Biology in Nijmegen?
Biology is an English-taught Bachelor's programme that lays a solid foundation of biology as seen from a variety of perspectives. You develop an understanding of the entire field by following courses from seven learning trajectories: Ecology, Environment and Sustainability, Microbiology, Physiology & Adaptation, Functional Genomics, Human Biology and Neurobiology.
Study duration: 3 years (180 EC)
Each learning trajectory consists of a set of courses, enabling you to specialise in a specific topic. The different learning trajectories are connected to the Master's specialisations in Biology and Medical Biology. This is why the courses are more specialised in the second part of the programme. It enables you to deepen your knowledge and align your courses with your interests. You also get familiar with the philosophical and ethical debates within your field.
Biology is a three-year, English-taught Bachelor's programme at the Faculty of Science of the Radboud University. In the first part of the programme, you get a general introduction to the field of biology and medical biology. In the second part, you choose your own domain specialisation to deepen your knowledge.
Curriculum
Curriculum year 1
In the first year, you get a broad introduction to the field of biology and medical biology. You acquire considerable knowledge by following courses from all domains. You learn about everything from animals, biodiversity, plants, and climate change to parts of a cell and the chemical structures of DNA and RNA. And you develop your research and analytical skills.
Curriculum year 2
You spend the first two periods of the second year finishing the general phase. In the last two periods, course content becomes more specialised and there is a lot of freedom of choice. You can choose a domain specialisation and add courses from other domains. This means you can create a programme that fits your interests. You can choose courses from all fields of biology and medical biology.
Curriculum year 3
In the third year, you continue following your chosen domain specialisation. In the first two periods, you have the opportunity to go abroad or follow courses at another university. The final period is spent completing an internship within a research department.
After your studies
The field of biology is wide and gives you lots of choices on the job market. Work as a researcher, teacher, consultant, policymaker, or manager in a profit or non-profit organisation. The programme provides you with a huge number of opportunities to discover your strengths and to explore all career fields.
Possible occupations
- Researcher in a university, hospital, research institute (for example RIVM, TNO in the Netherlands) or company.
- Teacher in secondary school or higher education
- Consultant for a consultancy company
- Consultant for companies in agriculture or the pharmaceutical industry
- Policymaker for a non-profit organisation, environmental federation, or government
- Project leader or manager
Preparation for the job market
If you choose Biology, you will quickly find that it is a compelling and broad field. However, do you know what you want to do after? Do you want to become a researcher, or do you prefer consulting companies, or maybe teaching? You don't need to know what kind of job you would like to have as a biologist before you start studying Biology. We provide you with all kinds of opportunities to discover your strengths and which direction you would like to pursue. This way, you will be ready to tackle the job market when you graduate.
During the Bachelor’s programme, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the job market. What kind of job would you like? How can you land a job? How do you write a CV and what happens during a job interview? You will learn about this through:
- Meetings with your student advisor
- Guest lecturers from different fields
- A career orientation course
- Following courses at other programmes
- The course Personal and professional development
- Talks with study choice and career officers
- Lectures by alumni
Continue with a Master's
With a Bachelor's degree in Biology, you can advance to several Master's specialisations in Biology and Medical Biology. Or you can get your teaching qualification in biology by doing the Master's in Education (in Dutch).