Chemistry is at the root of all biological processes, and in areas ranging from the development and use of medicines for disease management to food safety and sustainability, it all starts with an understanding of the chemical and biological mechanisms at play. The Master’s programme in Chemical Biology at RUC lays the foundation for understanding the role chemistry plays in biological processes, and how chemical tools are employed to study, understand, and regulate these processes.
In this interdisciplinary programme, you will learn to approach biological questions and problems from a chemical perspective by applying chemical tools, methods, and analyses to study, evaluate and regulate biological systems. We work with the latest scientific discoveries emerging from the field of Chemical Biology, together with advanced experimental methods and instruments. Therefore, you will learn concepts and develop skills at the forefront of areas such as organic chemistry, spectroscopy, eukaryotic cell biology, proteomics, and metabolomics. You will also receive training in good experimental practice (GxP) and data analysis, enabling you to perform high quality experiments and evaluate complex data sets.
After completing of this programme, you will have the knowledge and scientific skills required to make a significant contribution to the development and production of medicines, drug delivery systems, and other health and biotechnology related products. Furthermore, you will develop a practical skillset that enables you to work seamlessly with chemical and biological researchers in their respective laboratory settings.
In this programme, you can choose to specialise in Chemistry in biological systems, Protein properties & function or Omics.
As a student in Chemical Biology, you will become part of the Department of Science and Environment, giving you the opportunity to work closely with expert researchers from the disciplines of chemistry, biology, and physics. This interdisciplinarity is uniquely found in the natural sciences programmes at Roskilde University and makes for a vibrant study environment that prepares you for the many professional challenges you will meet in a wide variety of modern companies and research groups.
As Chemical Biology is a relatively small programme, you will have close contact with researchers and supervisors and ample access to state-of-the-art equipment, giving you the perfect setting to pursue your own scientific interests in collaboration with your fellow students. In addition to time spent in the labs and classrooms, you will also have the opportunity to attend events, such as the night café (Natcafé), and participate in activities, such as student organised board game nights.
As a graduate in Chemical Biology, your academic profile and skill set will be attractive to the pharmaceutical, biotech, health, and food sectors, in which your role could involve research, development, production, and control. You will have a unique skillset to work in interdisciplinary settings conducting tasks, such as chemical synthesis and analysis, assays, and biophysical characterization. There are career opportunities in the public and private sector, education, and consultancy. Some of our graduates stay at RUC or go to other universities to carry out PhD studies.
Here are some examples of positions held by previous graduates:
You can shape your education yourself and specialise in:
Here you will learn about the important role proteins play in biological processes and gain an understanding of the factors that govern their function, and how to study and regulate their behaviour.
Chemistry in biological systems is where you will learn how life works from a chemical perspective and how we can use chemistry to regulate biology.
Medicinal Chemistry, where you will learn how drugs are made and how they interact with biological systems.
| 1. year | 2. year | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 semester | 2 semester | 3 semester | 4 semester |
| Course
Essential Organic Chemistry 10 ECTS |
Course
Advanced Eukaryotic Cell Biology I - Inside the Cell 5 ECTS |
Master thesis
Thesis in Chemical Biology 60 ECTS Continues on 4 semester or Internship or Project - Project-oriented Internship - Project 15 ECTS and Master thesis Thesis in Chemical Biology 45 ECTS Continues on 4 semester |
Master thesis
Thesis in Chemical Biology 60 ECTS Continued from 3 semester or Internshipor Project - Project-oriented Internship - Project 15 ECTS and Master thesis Thesis in Chemical Biology 45 ECTS Continued from 3 semester |
| Course
Good Practices in Experimental Sciences 5 ECTS |
|||
| Course
Applied Spectroscopy 5 ECTS |
Course
Applied Data Science and Data Visualisation 5 ECTS |
||
| Course
Experimental Biotechnology 5 ECTS |
Elective course
Biophysical Chemistry 5 ECTS |
||
| Course
General Molecular and Medical Biology 5 ECTS |
Elective course
Protein Biochemistry 5 ECTS |
||
| Elective course
Proteomics and Metabolomics 5 ECTS |
Elective course
Bioinformatics 5 ECTS |
||
| 1. year | 2. year | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 semester | 2 semester | 3 semester | 4 semester |
| Course
Essential Organic Chemistry 10 ECTS |
Course
Advanced Eukaryotic Cell Biology I - Inside the Cell 5 ECTS |
Master thesis
Thesis in Chemical Biology 60 ECTS Continues on 4 semester or Internship or Project - Project-oriented Internship - Project 15 ECTS and Master thesis Thesis in Chemical Biology 45 ECTS Continues on 4 semester |
Master thesis
Thesis in Chemical Biology 60 ECTS Continued from 3 semester or Internshipor Project - Project-oriented Internship - Project 15 ECTS and Master thesis Thesis in Chemical Biology 45 ECTS Continued from 3 semester |
| Course
Good Practices in Experimental Sciences 5 ECTS |
|||
| Course
Applied Spectroscopy 5 ECTS |
Course
Applied Data Science and Data Visualisation 5 ECTS |
||
| Course
Experimental Biotechnology 5 ECTS |
Elective course
Biophysical Chemistry 5 ECTS |
||
| Course
General Molecular and Medical Biology 5 ECTS |
Elective course
Bioorganic Chemistry - from metabolites to medicines 5 ECTS |
||
| Elective course
Advanced Chemical Methods * 5 ECTS |
Elective course
Preparation and Testing of Biopharmaceuticals 5 ECTS |
||
* Course can vary from semester to semester and will be announced on study.ruc.dk prior to semester start.
Remy Kronbak
QC-chemist, pK Chemicals
You can choose to spend a semester travelling with your education. Either as an internship at one of our partner companies or at a company that you find yourself. You test your academic and procedural skills in a job, make valuable contacts, and find out whether it is a future career path for you. You can also choose to take a semester of exchange at a partner university abroad, where you can gain international outlook, experience and network.
You will be part of a strong academic environment where you will be in close contact with researchers, in dialogue about everything from academic issues, possible methods and theories, ways to create new insights and your wishes for the academic direction of your master’s degree study. You will become part of a social environment typically centred in one building on campus, where researchers and students work next door to each other. You will study within the university's project format, where identification of a problem, in-depth analyses, choice and implementation of a methodological approach, as well as setting up a strong theoretical framework are your responsibilities under academic guidance from a researcher. You will participate in a number of courses which expand your methodological and theoretical knowledge. During a semester, you will identify a significant problem within your subject field and develop the knowledge to produce scientific arguments for possible solution(s). You will gain concrete experience with the entire scientific process.
The university is situated on one single physical campus. There are multi-purpose sports courts, a football field, a disc golf course, nature trails along the lake, stream and the fields, a training centre, innovation workshops, a canteen, and a cinema. Our joint meeting place is called “the Student House RUC”, where there is a student-run café and lounge. Both outdoors and indoors, we work to make the campus as sustainable as possible. Among other things, we have reduced energy consumption by 38 percent over the last 5 years and are converting our outdoor areas to wild nature.
Roskilde University welcomes both exchange and guest students and you will find suggestions for semester packages taught in English.
Contact us if you need advice on choosing a course of study, more information about the content of a degree, or about applying and admission to Roskilde University.
Contact the Study Guidance office
See if there are current events that might be something for you. For example, participate in Open House, see the campus, and meet teachers and students.
Read all about requirements and admission to Roskilde University's master's programmes.