Master in Mathematical Bioscience

Master in Mathematical Bioscience 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 8,000 a year. 11 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

Mathematical Bioscience at Roskilde University is a two-year master's programme taught in English. It combines biology and mathematics to model how diseases, pollutants and viruses spread and develop. The programme is closed for admission. Only students holding a bachelor's degree from Roskilde University with a legal right of admission (retskrav) can still be admitted.

What you study

You learn to apply mathematical modelling to health, disease and environmental challenges. You analyse datasets from physical, biological and chemical processes, such as pandemic development, tumour growth or microplastic spreading, and build models that describe them. Computer programming and simulations are integrated throughout. You train in scientific computing, data science and dynamic systems analysis.

The programme has three specialisations. Mathematical Bioscience with Scientific Computing covers bioinformatics, advanced data analysis, statistics and probability theory. Mathematical Environmental Bioscience adds ecology methods for modelling macroscopic eco-systems. Mathematical Bioscience of Diseases focuses on modelling human diseases, cancer and epidemics.

Courses across the specialisations include Modelling of Biological Systems (10 ECTS), Dynamical Systems Analysis (5 ECTS), Parameter Estimation (5 ECTS), Probability and Statistics (5 ECTS), Differential Geometry (5 ECTS), General Molecular and Medical Biology (5 ECTS), Scientific Computing and Data Science (10 ECTS), and Applied Data Science and Data Visualisation (5 ECTS). Depending on your specialisation you also take Bioinformatics, Methods in Ecology, Biodiversity and conservation, Sustainable Use of Biological Systems, Pharmacology, or Advanced Eukaryotic Cell Biology 1. A Modelling project (15 ECTS) and a Specialisation Project or Project-oriented Internship (15 ECTS) are part of the programme, ending with a 30 ECTS thesis.

How the programme is organised

Teaching uses Roskilde University's problem-oriented project learning. You work in a relatively small research environment alongside PhD students and experienced researchers, and you can take part in research projects throughout the programme. The department hosts two research centres: PandemiX, on the spreading of pandemics, and Cancitis, on cancer treatment. You can spend a semester on an internship at a partner company or one you find yourself, or on exchange at a partner university abroad. Social activities include academic seminars, the student-run Natcafé, boardgames nights, alumni events and a yearly two-day overnight seminar with all students and staff.

Who it suits

This programme suits you if you like mathematics and want to use it on real biological and medical problems. You should be comfortable with programming, data and computer simulations, and willing to work independently on projects under academic guidance. The small environment and open-door policy mean you can get close support, but you also need to take responsibility for identifying problems and choosing methods.

Admission, language and next steps

The programme is closed for admission. Only holders of a bachelor's degree from Roskilde University with a legal right of admission (retskrav) can still be admitted. The qualifying RUC bachelor's degrees are the Naturvidenskabelig bachelor or the International Bachelor in Natural Sciences with one of these combinations: Mathematics plus Bioprocess Science, Chemistry, Computer Science, Datalogi, Environmental Biology, Medicinalbiologi, Molecular Biology or Physics. Teaching is in English. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee set by the institution. Applications for master's programmes go directly to the institution. Check the programme page for details on how to apply.

Master’s applications go straight to Roskilde 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.