Decisions and guidelines

The programme syllabus for the Master's Programme in Medical Research was established by the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy on February 28th, 2013.

The general goals for the second-cycle higher education in the Higher Education Act (Chapter 1 Section 9) apply.

This advanced level programme is available to students with a BSc in biology, (bio)medicine, biotechnology, pharmacy, pharmaceutical biosciences, pharmaceutical chemistry, biochemistry, medical sciences, agricultural sciences, animal sciences or veterinary medicine.

The programme is provided in English.

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 Master's Programme in Medical Research aims to establish opportunities for students with a multidisciplinary approach in current medical research. The programme's ambition is to gather students with different academic backgrounds in medicine, biology, pharmacy and chemistry, and reinforce their curiosity and ability to orienteer in, integrate and apply knowledge from diverse disciplines for the benefit of human health. The students are encouraged to develop versatile skills relevant in modern biomedical research and to create a professional network providing future opportunities in academia, private sector and governmental agencies. The theoretical and practical education provided bridges the gap between medical, biological and computational research areas, promoting critical thinking necessary for future development in medical research.

Learning outcomes

The Master's Programme in Medical Research provides students with an internationally competitive education in current medical research and prepares students for further postgraduate studies as well as work in academia, industry and governmental agencies. After the programme is completed the students should be able to:

• apply a scientific approach in the assessment of current biomedical research frontiers
• evaluate and summarise scientific information relevant for the field of biomedical research
• summarise current medical research methodology, application and development
• plan and accomplish research projects, including analysis and critical evaluation of results
• discuss, appraise and conclude further research objectives
• present research results orally and in writing in a scientifically correct manner
• scrutinise and assess ethical aspects of conducting and reporting research, and evaluate impact of results from the ethical perspective.

Layout of the programme

During the first year of studies, the students receive a comprehensive theoretical and practical basis for performing cutting-edge biomedical research. Important concepts of genetic and genomic research in model animals and human diseases, as well as cellular processes from genes to expressed proteins, cell-signalling and tumour development are covered. The students are trained in advanced molecular techniques and bioinformatic methods for production, analysis and presentation of large data sets. Through lectures, seminars, practical exercises and tasks, the students are given the opportunity to work with a selection of current biomedical research questions.  The goal is to develop the ability to independently design, plan, execute and analyse experiments, as well as critically evaluate and interpret scientific resultswhile considering the ethical aspects of biomedical research.

During the second year, the students will gain deepened practical research training through individual research projects. Students are supervised by established researchers, engage in research group activities and interact with the research groups in a similar manner as PhD students. Additionally, the students also participate in a Scientific Presentation course module, which further develops the students' ability to communicate scientific information both orally and in writing. The gained proficiency is adopted in compiling a review article on the topic of the research project and a written Master's thesis, along with presentations of own and assessment of other students' research projects.

The programme consists of following courses:

Semester 1:

Comparative genomics for biomedicine, 15 credits

Biomedical research methodology, 15 credits

Semester 2:

Cellular communication, 7.5 credits

Cell and tumour biology, 7.5 credits

Bioinformatics, 15 credits

Semester 3:

Advanced Research Training, 30 credits

Semester 4:

Degree project, 30 credits

Instruction

The teaching at the Master's Programme in Medical Research consists of lectures, seminars, laboratory and computer exercises as well as project work. The lectures are strongly linked to forefront research in the fields of genetics and genomics, cell- and tumour-biology, biomedicine and bioinformatics. The aim of the seminars and workshops is to develop the ability to interpret and critically assess methods, scientific results and texts, as well as to summarise factual evidence and draw conclusions. Exercises in formulating scientific questions and designing experimental strategies constitute integrated and mandatory elements during the first year of education. Practical exercises aim at providing laboratory and bioinformatic skills, highlighting ongoing research within their respective areas; these are conducted during courses and applied at research laboratories as part of ongoing research projects. In order to train the ability to assess approaches, interpret results and solve scientific problems, achieved results are regularly discussed at seminars and group discussions.

For details see specific course syllabi. 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.

Other directives

Examination

In order to pass a course, the student needs to have performed with passed results during all the obligatory moments as well as the examination.

Possibility to complement unsatisfactorily performed laboratory moments can be given only during the next course occsion and in case of vacancy.

Grading is based on a 2- (Fail, Pass) or 3-point grading scale (Fail, Pass, Pass with Distinction), for details see specific course syllabi.

Progression of sudies

The programme follows a regulated progression of courses, meaning that the layout of courses must be followed.