To be accepted onto the MSc programme in Biology with a Research profile, you must first have completed a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline from a recognized university.
The MSc programme in Biology with a Research profile is two years in duration (120 ECTS). In the first year you will combine your required courses and electives and in the second year your time will be devoted entirely to research for the individual thesis on a topic of your choice.
Graduates who have completed this master programme are entitled to use the title of Master of Science (MSc) in Biology.
More information on the Danish education system
This Master's programme is research driven and laboratory work is coupled with field studies. The programme combines a broad foundation in natural sciences with state-of-the-art knowledge and advanced experimental methodology within ecology, animal physiology, ecotoxicology and neurobiology. This provides you with ample opportunity to specialise within the areas of research represented at the Institute of Biology.
- Bioacoustics and behaviour
Members of the Bioacoustics and behaviour group study a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate model systems to better understand the processing and use of acoustic information. Animals studied include, but are not limited to, lizards and lungfish, bats and moths, toothed whales and toadfish.
All members of the group investigate problems demanding a multidisciplinary approach at several levels of analysis. All members consider themselves to be neuroethologists of one kind or another, some at the more behavioural and ecological end of the spectrum, others more concerned with biomechanics, robotics, and physiology.
Students interested in pursuing research in ecological physiology should contact associate professors Frank Bo Jensen and/or Steffen Madsen. Research on ecological physiology at the Institute of Biology primarily uses fishes and crustaceans as study organisms.
Questions addressed include how water and ionic balance in aquatic animals is regulated, the effects of such processes on hormone production, and the physiological effects of contaminants. Ecological physiology is an interdisciplinary pursuit by nature and problems are often tackled through a combination of studies at the molecular, cellular and whole organism levels.
Geobiology
You can also choose the profile in Geobiology where you learn about the influence of microorganisms in today’s aquatic environment and throughout the history of the world. You will learn why deogygenation occurs in the sea and how you can identify the activity of microorganisms in geological sediments. This subject is a marriage of biology and geology and includes microbiology, molecular ecology, aquatic chemistry and biogeochemistry.
A complete study environment
As a student at University of Southern Denmark, you will become part of a study environment we call Living Science. Your day will be characterised by great academic value and you can look forward to meeting your fellow students as well as researchers from a wide variety of fields. But a university programme at the Institute of Biology is much more than courses, classes and lectures. Good friends, a solid network and a living study environment are all part of creating a connection between the academic and social spheres.
From the evolution of life on Earth to climate change
Biology covers a large spectrum of subjects from molecules to ecosystems and from early life forms on Earth to climate changes on land and in the sea. As a biologist from University of Southern Denmark, you will gain a broad education which can be used in many different contexts in almost any work place; in the private business sector, research, teaching and public administration. In the Biology programme, you will work with current issues every day, which will often be close to home, daily life and the nature around you.
Work is primarily experimental in the laboratories on campus in Odense and at Marine Biological Research Centre in Kerteminde as well as different locales around the country and the rest of the world.
Research at the Institute of Biology
The Institute of Biology at the University of Southern Denmark focuses its research in experimental biology within four different areas. In these areas, the research is cutting edge and as a student, you get to be where that research is developed. However, teaching in the biological courses is broad and includes all the basic biological disciplines. The research areas are:
Environmental stress
The research area of Ecotoxicology and environmental stress includes examination of the detrimental effects of chemicals on natural organisms (for instance endocrine disruptors, heavy metals and pesticides) and the adaptation of organisms to naturally occurring stress factors (variations in oxygen levels, salinity, temperature etc.) as well as the interaction between chemicals and the natural stress factors.
Bioacoustics and behaviour
The research area of Bioacoustics and behaviour deals with the connection between animal behaviour and the function of the sensory organs and nervous system. The sound communication between animals and physiological mechanisms behind hearing and sound production are researched in particular in a range of animal groups such as mammals, birds, frogs and insects.
Ecology
In the research area of Ecology, the department examines life in the sea and fresh water. Research spans from bacteria to animals and plants and covers the anatomy, physiology and ecological role of individual organisms as well as compound and energy cycle in aquatic environments as a whole. Hereby, we gain a detailed understanding of the ecosystem’s function and productivity as well as its sensitivity toward manmade and natural influences. A particular focus on the ecology of microorganisms created the basis for exploration of the early evolution of life in prehistoric Earth.
NordCEE
Research at NordCEE spans a wide range of areas from microbial ecology, molecular biology, biogeochemistry, microbial physiology to geobiology. We are concerned with the role of micro-organisms in controlling the cycling of elements on the modern Earth and how this role has changed through geologic time. We work in diverse environments ranging from lakes to the oceans and in geologic formations of all ages.
Read more about research at the Institute of Biology