Experimental and Medical Biosciences

Overview

The programme has been designed to provide students with frontline knowledge in biomedicine and related subjects. It unites theoretical knowledge with practical skills, as is most clearly seen in the individual experimental projects.

The master’s programme in Experimental and Medical Biosciences at Linköping University received the highest rating in the Swedish Higher Education Authority’s assessment of Sweden’s biomedicine programmes, with five of the evaluated learning outcomes being appraised as Very High Quality and the sixth as High Quality -  – the best result of all international biomedicine master’s programmes in Sweden.

The Experimental and Medical Biosciences master’s programme prepares students for a scientific career within the broad field of the life sciences, with particular emphasis on understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms related to health and disease.

The programme has been designed to provide students with frontline knowledge in biomedicine and related subjects. It unites theoretical knowledge with practical skills, as is most clearly seen in the individual experimental projects.

Courses are taught using several formats, including regular lectures, tutorial groups that apply problem-based learning (PBL), laboratory work and seminar discussions. The laboratory classes use powerful model systems to illustrate modern concepts of medical biology, while PBL promotes lifelong learning. 

After two initial, mandatory courses, elective courses offer individual study plans and flexibility in creating a profile that increases the employability of all students within the life sciences. Different areas such as cardiovascular biology, stem cells and applied regenerative medicine, medical genetics and neurobiology are covered. Scientific reasoning, ethical attitudes and multidisciplinary collaboration are given particular emphasis, in order to prepare students for an independent and professional future in biomedicine.

Individual projects in which students apply their theoretical and methodological knowledge are key parts of the programme. During the first year, the project in Experimental and Medical Biosciences will allow students to work with on a specific assignment for ten or twenty weeks. During the second year, a one-term degree project (master’s thesis) is carried out. 

Both projects are chosen in collaboration with a supervisor, and the student’s aim is to define a research goal, carry out the experimental work and produce a written report that places the work in the context of current knowledge in the field. The degree project is conducted in a research laboratory, either at Linköping University or at another Swedish or international university, in industry or in the public sector.

Double-degree programme

An extra feature of the programme is the possibility for a limited number of students to study in Vienna, Austria, during the second year. Apart from the experience, an additional degree is earned -  – Master of Science in Engineering. Studies at the University of Applied Sciences, Technikum Wien, within the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine programme have a strong link to industry.

Career opportunities

The Experimental and Medical Biosciences master's programme is designed to prepare students for careers in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Graduates will be able to work in biomedical research settings, development or production companies, in the public sector or within academia, through PhD programmes.