Master in Nanoscience

Master in Nanoscience is one of 13 English-taught Science programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 7 institutions. 13 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 2,400 to EUR 17,300; this programme lists EUR 16,300 a year. 11 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students. The same programme title is offered at 2 institutions, so compare the content, campus and requirements before you choose.

Nanoscience at Aarhus University is about understanding and using materials and phenomena at the nanoscale, between 0.1 and 100 nanometres. Working at that scale lets you create improved or completely new functions and properties in materials. The MSc is a full-time, two-year programme taught in English, based at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, iNANO.

What you study

The programme is 120 ECTS credits. You take subjects in physics, chemistry and molecular biology alongside specific nanoscience subjects. Through your course choices and your MSc project you specialise in one of three disciplines: nanophysics, nanochemistry or molecular biology, depending on your academic background.

You can complete your MSc project in areas such as nanomaterials, nanocatalysis, nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, nanofood, toxicology, and ethical aspects of nanotechnology. The degree concludes with the MSc project.

How the programme is organised

You build your own individual study programme with help from a teacher associated with iNANO, choosing courses from a course catalogue. The plan must be approved by the Board of Studies before you can enrol for examinations.

Teaching focuses on independence, critical thinking and collaboration. Lectures introduce new angles compared with textbooks, and theoretical and practical exercises run in small groups where you study relevant issues in depth. Most students also take courses with a highly experimental content. You are in close contact with researchers, and the door to the professor's office is open if you need clarification.

iNANO brings together researchers from Physics, Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Bioscience, plus associated researchers from Health. Its mission rests on three pillars: top-level international research, education from BSc to PhD, and innovation and interaction with industry and society.

Who it suits

The programme is open to students with a BSc from Denmark or abroad who have an interdisciplinary background in nanoscience and/or physics, chemistry and molecular biology. It is practical and research-oriented, so it suits someone who wants laboratory work and a research project rather than a purely theoretical degree.

Student life centres on iNANO. Nanorama, the academic and social student association, organises Friday bars, celebrations, study-related lectures and excursions to Danish nanotechnology companies.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a bachelor's degree comparable to a Danish one in level and duration (180 ECTS). Specific requirements include 80 ECTS broadly distributed across mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, solid state and statistical physics, inorganic and organic chemistry, molecular quantum chemistry and chemical spectroscopy, biochemistry, cell biology and fundamental molecular biology, plus 80 ECTS in dedicated nanoscience courses and 15 ECTS in mathematical subjects. The university cannot assess your degree in advance, so apply if you believe you meet the requirements.

A Bachelor's degree in Nanoscience from Aarhus University gives a legal right of admission if you apply within three years of completing it. Intake is limited and ranked on grades from your qualifying degree, grades in chemistry, physics, molecular biology, mathematics and nanoscience, and the share of your degree in those fields. You must meet the university's English language requirements. Applications go directly to the institution. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee set by the institution.

Master’s applications go straight to Aarhus University, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.