Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences

The MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen is a two-year, English-taught master's for students who want to work with medicines, from the first idea for a new drug to how it is used by patients and societies. The programme is tied closely to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry in the Copenhagen region, often called Medicon Valley, where almost 300 life science companies sit on the doorstep.

What you study

You choose one of three tracks, and each one points you towards a different part of the drug world.

• Drug Discovery is about the early hunt for new pharmaceutical substances. You can shape the track towards pharmacology (finding and validating new drug targets), medicinal chemistry (designing and synthesising compounds) or biopharmaceuticals (large biological molecules and their behaviour in the body).
• Drug Development looks at how a substance becomes a usable medicine: getting the right amount of active ingredient to the right place at the right time. Profiles here include pharmaceutics and drug delivery, and biopharmaceuticals.
• Clinical Operations and Regulatory Affairs focuses on the impact medicines have on people and societies, and the rules and operations that surround them.

Across all tracks you take drug-oriented courses, and you have room to build a specialised profile through electives and projects.

How the programme is organised

The two years are split roughly into 50% mandatory courses, 25% elective courses and 25% thesis. Teaching comes in the form of lectures, case-based group work, laboratory work and research projects. There are about 50 students in a year, and the programme is known for its cooperation with industry. You will be studying in an international environment with connections to researchers and companies.

Who it suits

This master's suits you if you have a bachelor's degree with a strong base in chemistry and biology and you want to work in the pharmaceutical or biotech sector. The programme is built for people who like project work and teamwork across disciplines. The page notes that pharmaceutical industry teams mix specialists, and that a graduate from this programme can build bridges between people with different backgrounds. If you are curious about how a molecule becomes a medicine, or how medicines are regulated and used in society, this is a good fit.

Admission, language and next steps

To apply, you need a qualifying bachelor's degree or another relevant Danish or foreign degree that the admission board assesses as meeting the academic requirements. Several specific bachelor's degrees from Danish universities automatically meet the academic requirements, including Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Copenhagen. If your degree is from elsewhere, you need at least 120 ECTS credits in chemical and/or biological disciplines, at least 15 ECTS credits in biochemistry, molecular biology or microbiology, and at least 15 ECTS credits in chemistry subjects, with at least 7.5 ECTS credits in organic chemistry. You must also meet the English B language requirement.

Your bachelor's degree must normally be no more than five years old at the start of the programme. Exemptions are possible in exceptional circumstances, and you would then need to explain and document how you have kept your qualifications up to date.

Applications go through the University of Copenhagen's application portal. The deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland is 15 January, and for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland it is 1 March. The programme starts in September. Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge. Other students pay a tuition fee set by the institution, and an application deposit applies. The page does not offer pre-assessment of your background, so compare your courses with the requirements before you apply.

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.