Master in Statistics

The MSc in Statistics at the University of Copenhagen gives you a framework for data modelling and methodologies for data analysis. The programme is built on probability theory as a mathematical model of uncertainty. It is taught in English and takes two years.

What you study

The programme has four compulsory courses that give you a common theoretical and practical foundation. You develop the mathematical theory behind widely used statistical models and standard methods, and you get the computational tools to apply them to real data.

You then choose restricted elective courses and free electives. The restricted elective list includes Regression, Statistics A, Statistics B, Project in Statistics, Computational Statistics, Machine Learning A, Machine Learning B, Causality, Survival Analysis, Monte Carlo Methods in Insurance and Finance, Numerical Optimization, and many more. You can shape your degree towards the mathematical and theoretical side of statistics, or towards the practical, computational and applied side.

You finish with a 30 ECTS Master's thesis on an academic problem in statistics. The thesis can be purely theoretical or have a major applied component, and it can be done with researchers in other fields, a public institution or a private company.

How the programme is organised

The structure is 30 ECTS compulsory courses, 30 ECTS restricted electives, 30 ECTS free electives and a 30 ECTS thesis. Each block is nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. In the first year you take restricted electives such as Regression, Statistics A, Statistics B and Project in Statistics. In the second year you take 30 ECTS of electives and then the thesis.

You can use some of your elective courses to do a project in practice in Denmark or abroad, for example with a company or an institution. You need a supervisor who approves the host company and guides you through the project and the oral examination. You can also study abroad for one or two semesters at one of the Faculty of Science's many exchange partner universities, or take a summer school. Passed courses can be credit transferred.

Who it suits

This programme suits you if you want to work with data modelling and analysis at a high mathematical level. You should be comfortable with measure theory, linear algebra and statistics on a measure theoretical basis. The programme is for students who want to understand why statistical methods work, not just how to run them. It also suits you if you are interested in causal inference, prediction and forecasting, or methodological development.

Graduates are in demand in research, the public sector and private companies that rely on data for research, documentation, marketing or decision making.

Admission, language and next steps

To apply, you must have a qualifying bachelor's degree or another relevant degree that the admission board assesses as meeting the academic requirements. The programme is taught in English, and you must meet the English B language requirement.

If you hold a bachelor's degree from Aarhus University in Mathematics with the elective package in mathematical modelling or statistics/mathematics (statistics), you automatically meet the academic admission requirements. Other Danish or international degrees are assessed individually. You need at least 22.5 ECTS in mathematical analysis including measure theory, at least 7.5 ECTS in linear algebra, and at least 15 ECTS in statistics on a measure theoretical basis. Applicants with a University of Copenhagen bachelor's in Actuarial Mathematics, Mathematics-Economics or Mathematics need at least 15 ECTS in statistics on a measure theoretical basis. Applicants with a bachelor's in Machine Learning and Data Science from the University of Copenhagen need specific courses: Lebesgueintegralet og målteori (7.5 ECTS), Sandsynlighedsteori (7.5 ECTS), and either Matematisk Statistik (15 ECTS) or Matematisk Statistik (7.5 ECTS) plus Sandsynlighedsteori 2 (7.5 ECTS).

Applications go through the application portal. The deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland is 15 January at 23:59 CET, with replies by 13 March. For Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, the deadline is 1 March at 23:59 CET, with replies by 15 May. There are 40 places. If qualified applicants exceed places, priority is given by total ECTS credits in mathematics and statistics. 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 is required.

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.