Biology

Or would you like to design your programme at the crossroad of different biology domains? If so, Biology in Groningen is the master's degree programme for you. If you have a broad interest in biology, you are able to design a tailor-made programme under the guidance of a staff member who will coach you throughout your master's programme.

In the master's programme Biology you can choose the Research track or you can choose the Science, Business and Policy track.

The Research track prepares you for a career in academia or other research institutes. Within this track, you will focus on conducting research by actually doing it in research projects. You will go through the entire process of conducting science in the field or the laboratory, developing skills such as exploring scientific literature, formulating hypotheses, designing and performing experiments, and presenting results. In the master's programme Biology, you are allowed and stimulated to combine disciplines such as Ecology and Evolution, Biomolecular Sciences or Marine Biology. Please note that courses and research projects in the discipline of Biomedical Sciences are faced with a strict capacity issue and therefore it is not possible to specialize in the Biomedical Sciences within the Biology Master's programme.

Within the Research track, you can also opt to follow a dedicated research track that focuses on modeling: Modelling in the Life Sciences. Mathematical modelling and computational approaches are indispensable for modern research in the life sciences and call for students with an interdisciplinary background. In this track, you will learn how mathematical concepts and methods can be used to develop and interpret dynamic models in a broad spectrum of life sciences. This knowledge can be applied to address research questions in biological disciplines like Ecology and Evolution, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biomedical Sciences. This track offers a coherent package of courses that covers all aspects of modelling. The courses range from model development, analysis, interpretation and comparison with empirical data, implementation of simulation software and the presentation of theoretical work. At least one of the research projects will be used to implement the knowledge obtained in this track.

If you are interested in the policy and business side of science and you want to prepare for a job outside of academia, the Science, Business and Policy track might be the track for you. This track combines a six-month research training in the field of Ecology and Evolution, Biomolecular Sciences or Marine Biology with a six-month internship in a company related to the application of scientific insights in business, policy or administration.