Master in Biology

Master in Biology is one of 5 English-taught Biology programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 5 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 8,000 to EUR 17,300; this programme lists EUR 8,700 a year. 5 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students. The same programme title is offered at 3 institutions, so compare the content, campus and requirements before you choose.

The MSc in Biology at the University of Copenhagen is a two-year master's taught in English. The programme has a wide academic scope: you can work on organismal biology or ecosystem processes in the field, or on physiological, cellular and genetic processes in the laboratory. You choose one of five specialisations, or you study biology with a minor subject (the minor option is only open to applicants with a Danish bachelor's degree in Biology). Elective courses let you shape the degree around your interests.

What you study

Whichever specialisation you pick, you meet three types of courses: compulsory courses covering the basic elements of the specialisation in your first year, restricted elective courses chosen from a list set out in each specialisation description, and free elective courses worth 15 ECTS. All courses, written assignments and exams are in English.

The programme names five specialisations, and the page describes Molecular Biology and Genetics in detail. That track covers the genetic and epigenetic basis for cell functioning, regulation and differentiation, including immune systems and genetically modified organisms. You learn about genomic structure, organisation and function, and about the causes, diagnosis and inheritance of human genetic diseases. Graduates should be able to set up, perform and evaluate genetic and genomic screens, design and construct genetically modified cells for biotechnological and biopharmaceutical purposes, and apply bioinformatical methods and databases to analyse DNA, RNA and protein sequences.

Every specialisation ends with a thesis of 45 or 60 ECTS. Thesis subjects given as examples include genes and mechanisms of programmed cell death, the effect of water pollution on water fleas, the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and the effects of global warming on ecosystems.

How the programme is organised

The degree runs over two years. One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The course tables differ depending on whether you write a 45 or 60 ECTS thesis and whether you start in September or February; if you start in February you begin in blocks three and four. The tables are a guide and may be revised.

You can use some of your elective courses for a project in practice, in Denmark or abroad, for example with a company or an institution. You need a supervisor before you start who approves the host company, guides you during the project and examines you at the end. The project report forms the basis of an oral examination. You can also study abroad for one or two semesters, or a shorter period such as a summer school, and have passed courses credit transferred. The Faculty of Science has around 100 Erasmus+ exchange agreements plus more than 100 university-wide agreements with non-European universities.

Who it suits

This suits someone who wants breadth with a chosen depth. If you like field and laboratory work and want to decide later whether to lean towards organismal biology, ecology and evolution or towards cell, molecular and genetic processes, the structure gives you that room. The Molecular Biology and Genetics track is for students aiming at laboratory and bioinformatics work on genomes and disease. The minor subject route is only for holders of a Danish bachelor's in Biology.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through the application portal, and the university does not pre-assess educational backgrounds. A bachelor's in Biology or Animal Science from the University of Copenhagen carries a legal right of admission, guaranteed if you apply by the deadline and usable up to three years after you finish the bachelor's. Other Danish or international degrees need at least 5 ECTS in each of organismal biology, ecology, evolution biology, cell biology, physiology, molecular biology, microbiology, statistics, data science and programming (for example R and Python), chemistry and biochemistry, plus 30 ECTS of practical laboratory and field skills in the main areas of biology. English B is required.

Applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland apply by 15 January for a September start. EU, EEA and Swiss applicants apply by 1 March. A February start exists for legal right of admission only, with a 15 October deadline. Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee set by the institution. Places are capped, and when qualified applicants outnumber them after legal right applicants are placed, priority goes to ECTS within the subject areas listed and then to grade point average.

Master’s applications go straight to University of Copenhagen, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. The register shows 15 January 2027 as the next deadline for this programme. Intake, as the register states it: Starts 1 September 2027 (apply by 15 January 2027). 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.