Entry requirements

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. The main field of study must be within the life sciences (e.g. biomedicine, biotechnology, medicine, veterinary medicine) including 10 credits each of cell biology, biochemistry and genetics..

Language requirements

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.

Aims

The program is designed to prepare for biomedical research education and to give students the conditions for well-founded choice of dissertation projects. The program provides a theoretical basis, practical experience of two research projects, a broad and deep knowledge of current biomedical research and a network of contacts with researchers.

The program aims to provide:

• solid theoretical and methodological basis for scientific problem solving and critical thinking.
• knowledge of how genomics of both human and non-human organisms can contribute to understanding human physiology and disease.
• knowledge of how signals from the environment control the behaviour of cells.
• knowledge of underlying cell biology mechanisms for the development of cancer
• proficiency in bioinformatic analysis of biological data sets.
• practical experience from own research projects as well as insight into and knowledge of several other on-going projects.
• proficiency in statistical analysis of experimental results.
• knowledge about scientific presentation techniques.
• wide network of researchers active in academia, healthcare and companies

Learning outcomes

After the programme is completed the student should be able to

• apply a scientific approach in the assessment of research and science-related statements
• search for, evaluate, and in written form summarise scientific texts of a project area.
• plan and accomplish research projects, and critically evaluate methods and results.
• present results from completed projects orally and in writing in scientifically correct manners.
• present research results orally, in written and poster format.
• apply ethical rules and standards for conduct and reporting of research projects, and evaluate impact of results from the ethical perspective

Layout of the programme

The program consists of

Year 1

3MR100 Comparative genomics for biomedicine, 15 credits

3MR101 Biomedical research methodology, 15 credits

3MR102 Cellular communication, 7.5 credits

3MR104 Cell and tumour biology, 7.5 credits

3MR103 Bioinformatics, 15 credits

Year 2

3MR001 Advanced Research Practice, 30 credits

3MR010 Degree project, 30 credits

Students who have passed at least 60 credits at the advanced level in medical science/life sciences at another faculty/university can apply for credit transfer for the first year's studies.

During the first year, the student receives a comprehensive theoretical basis for performing modern biomedical research. Important concepts in cell biology from genes to expressed proteins and cellular activity are covered, as well as bioinformatic methods for analysis of large data sets. The student is given the opportunity to work with a selection of current research questions and projects at the department, thereby training on practical and theoretical aspects of biomedical research.

During the second year, the student will gain deepened practical research training through an individual project of approximately 15 weeks during semester 3 and a degree project of approximately 19 weeks during term 4. Students will be supervised by established researchers and interact with the research groups in a similar manner as PhD students. During term 3, the student also participates in a biostatistics course (3 weeks) and a course in scientific presentation (1 week), which prepare the student for important aspects of scientific data management and presentation.

The projects are presented at joint presentations where students discuss each other's research findings, choice of research methods and experience from the various internships. During term 3, the student also compiles a review article on the project's research area. The thesis project is presented in writing (master thesis) and is presented orally at a mini-symposium.

All teaching is in English.

Instruction

The teaching at the master programme in Medical research consists of lectures, seminars, laboratory and data excercises and project work. The lectures are strongly linked to the ongoing research in the fields of comparative genomics, bioinformatics and cell- and tumorbiology. The aim of the seminars and workshops is to develop the ability to interpret and critically assess scientific results, methods and texts, as well as to summarise facts and draw conclusions. Exercise in formulating scientific questions and choosing experimental strategies constitutes integrated and mandatory elements during the first year of education. Practical exercises aim at providing laboratory skills as well as highlighting ongoing research within their respective areas; these are conducted in part at research laboratories as part of ongoing research projects. In order to train the ability to assess approaches, interpret results and solve problems, achieved results are regularly discussed at seminars.

For details see specific course syllables. All teaching is in English.

Degree

The programme leads to a Degree of Master in Medical Science (120 credits) with Medical Science as the main field of study