Decisions and guidelines

According to a decision taken by the Vice Chancellor 2006-09-16, Uppsala University will offer two-year Master programmes in biology, computer science, physics, earth science, sustainable development, chemistry, mathematics, computational science and applied biotechnology, all from 2007-07-01.

Entry requirements

For eligibility requirements see the separate specialisations.

Cell and Molecular Biology

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology; and
• 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry.

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.

Ecosystems and Aquatic Ecology

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 60 weeks of full-time studies (90 credits) in biology; or
• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology plus 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry and/or earth sciences.

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.

Ecology and Conservation

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 60 weeks of full-time studies (90 credits) in biology; or
• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology plus 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry and/or earth sciences.

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.

Erasmus Mundus Master in Evolutionary Biology (MEME)

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 60 weeks of full-time studies (90 credits) in biology; or
• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology plus 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry or earth sciences.

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.

Evolutionary Biology

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 60 weeks of full-time studies (90 credits) in biology; or
• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology plus 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry and/or earth sciences.

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.

Genetic and Molecular Plant Science

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology; and
• 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry.

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.

Immunology and Microbiology

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology; and
• 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry.

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.

Limnology - Ecology and Environment of Inland Waters

Environmental Toxicology

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology; and
• 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry.

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.

NABiS - Nordic Master in Biodiversity and Systematics

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 60 weeks of full-time studies (90 credits) in biology; or
• 40 weeks of full-time studies (60 credits) in biology plus 20 weeks of full-time studies (30 credits) in chemistry and/or earth sciences.

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

After completing the programme a student can receive the degree of Master of Science (120 credits). The main field of study is biology. After one year of study the student can receive the degree of Master of Science (60 credits).

The Master programme in Biology should give skills and competences for qualified professional career within private enterprises, governmental organisations or further studies for a PhD. After examination the student should be able to take responsibility for research and development in various topics within the studied fields.

Learning outcomes

According to the Higher Education Act, the following applies for second-cycle studies:

Second-cycle studies shall be based fundamentally on the knowledge acquired by students during first-cycle courses and study programmes, or its equivalent.

Second-cycle studies shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, aptitudes and accomplishments in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:

• further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge,
• develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
• develop the students' potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work. Ordinance (2006:173).

Objectives for a Degree of Master (120 credits) according to the Higher Education Ordinance, System of Qualifications.

Knowledge and understanding

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in their main field of study, including both broad knowledge in the field and substantially deeper knowledge of certain parts of the field, together with deeper insight into current research and development work; and
• demonstrate deeper methodological knowledge in their main field of study.

Skills and abilities

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must

• demonstrate an ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and to analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, even when limited information is available;
• demonstrate an ability to critically, independently and creatively identify and formulate issues and to plan and, using appropriate methods, carry out advanced tasks within specified time limits, so as to contribute to the development of knowledge and to evaluate this work;
• demonstrate an ability to clearly present and discuss their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments behind them, in dialogue with different groups, orally and in writing, in national and international contexts; and - demonstrate the skill required to participate in research and development work or to work independently in other advanced contexts.

Judgement and approach

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must

• demonstrate an ability to make assessments in their main field of study, taking into account relevant scientific, social and ethical aspects, and demonstrate an awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work;
• demonstrate insight into the potential and limitations of science, its role in society and people’s responsibility for how it is used; and
• demonstrate an ability to identify their need of further knowledge and to take responsibility for developing their knowledge.

In addition to the general objectives stated in the Higher Education Ordinance, shall the student after completed programme

• have theoretical insights and sufficient skills to independently apply the achieved knowledge to define and formulate biological research problems and use information retrieval, data collection, experiment and/or computer methods to solve such problems
• have advanced skills in biological work using computer, lab or field methods,
• be able to solve biological problems by applying knowledge and skills from adjacent fields such as chemistry, mathematics, statistics and earth sciences,
• be able to critically analyse and evaluate scientific models,
• be able to analyse the role of biology in society, particularly regarding ethical considerations and sustainable development.

Layout of the programme

The biology education at advanced (Master) level is based on studies at basic (Bachelor) level, and includes a development of the student's skills and competences. The courses within the Master programme focus on topics with a strong research base at the University, and the courses are given in close contact with active research. In addition, there are courses that prepare for a professional life in private companies and various organisations.

The Biology programme has several specialisations characterised by one or several profile courses, a recommended course sequence and a relevant degree project. Beyond this, the student can choose courses quite freely. Common to all specialisations is the compulsory module Introduction to Master's studies, 2 credits, during the first period of the programme. This module discusses the role of biology in society, issues relevant for future job careers, research ethics, gender issues and sustainable development - discussions that continue in seminars throughout the study period.

For the Master's degree there are several options for degree project: one project of 30, 45 or 60 credits, or two projects of 30 + 30 credits. The one-year Master concludes with a 15-hp degree project.

The programme has the following specialisation:

Specialisation	Starting course	Other profile courses
Cell and Molecular Biology	Trends in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology	Molecular Cell Biology, RNA - Structure, Function and Biology
Ecology and Conservation	Ecology D	Population and Community Ecology, Conservation Biology, Ecological Methods
Environmental Toxicology	Toxicology D	Ecotoxicology, Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Erasmus Mundus Master of Evolutionary Biology. Apply through www.evbio.eu	Summer School in Evolutionary Biology and Evolutionary Processes	Evolutionary Patterns
Evolutionary Biology	Evolutionary Processes	Evolutionary Patterns
Genetic and Molecular Plant Science	Genetic and Molecular Plant Science	The programme offers courses in a regional cooperation: Genetic diversity and Plant Breeding (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU) Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (Stockholm University, SU)
Immunology and Micro Biology	Trends in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology	Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Infection Biology
Limnology	Limnology D	Applied Ecosystem Ecology, Aquatic Ecosystems
NABiS - Nordic Master in Biodiversity and Systematics	Alpha-taxonomical Principles and Fundamental and molecular systematics	a free choice of NABiS courses at cooperating universities in Sweden and Norway

Instruction

Education in the Masters programme builds upon upon the prior knowledge and experience of the students. Students are expected to participate actively in their education and take responsibility for personal learning outcomes as well as contributing to the learning of others. Academic staff in the programme have the primary responsibility for establishing foundations for active individual and collective learning. Continuos educational development builds on a respectful dialogue between students and staff, through which everyone is empowered to contribute to educational evolution and mutual learning.

Degree

Upon request, a student who has received a pass grade in a course is to receive a course certificate from the higher education institution. Upon request, a student who meets the requirements for a qualification is to receive a diploma from the higher education institution.

A Degree of Master is a so called general degree, which means that the student achieve the degree in its main subject according to the criteria below, regardless of the courses being part of the program or not, therefore there is a possibility also to include single subject courses in the degree.

Regulations according to Higher Education Ordinance

A Degree of Master (120 credits) is obtained after the student has completed course requirements of 120 higher education credits with a certain area of specialisation determined by each higher education institution itself, including at least 60 higher education credits with in-depth studies in the main field of study. In addition, the student must hold a Degree of Bachelor, a Degree of Bachelor of Arts, a professional degree worth at least 180 higher education credits or an equivalent foreign qualification.

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must have completed an independent project (degree project) worth at least 30 higher education credits in their main field of study, within the framework of the course requirements. The independent project may comprise less than 30 higher education credits, but not less than 15 higher education credits, if the student has already completed an independent project at the second level worth at least 15 higher education credits in their main field of study, or an equivalent project in a foreign educational programme.

A Degree of Master (60 credits) is obtained after the student has completed course requirements of 60 higher education credits with a certain area of specialisation determined by each higher education institution itself, including at least 30 higher education credits with in-depth studies in the main field of study. In addition, the student must hold a Degree of Bachelor, a Degree of Bachelor of Arts in…, a professional degree worth at least 180 higher education credits or an equivalent foreign qualification.

For a Degree of Master (60 credits) students must have completed an independent project (degree project) worth at least 15 higher education credits in their main field of study, within the framework of the course requirements.

Local regulations

A Degree of Master (60 credits) may, except for courses on advanced level, contain one or several courses on basic level comprising not more than 15 higher education credits. A degree of Master (120 credits) may, except for courses on advanced level, contain one or several courses on basic level comprising not more than 30 higher education credits. The course or the courses are meant to provide such additional competence as is needed for in-depth studies in the main field of study and cannot be included in the student's basic degree.

For a Degree of Master (120 credits) students must have completed an independent project (degree project) worth at least 30 higher education credits.

Other directives

Students who, outside the programme, have acquired equivalent qualifications corresponding to at least 15 credits on advanced level in addition to the degree at Bachelor’s level, may apply to be accepted to a later part of the programme. The application deadline is for the autumn term May 1 and for the spring term December 1.