The Master in Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences (MCLS) is research oriented and takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of molecules, cells, and organisms. By the end of the programme you will have gained sufficient fundamental knowledge to start working on applications in the field of medical and biotechnological issues. These applications may include the development of new medicines and vaccines, new strategies for crop improvement, or enzymes to be used in industry.

MCLS is the ideal Master’s programme if you are interested in molecules as the basis of life and disease and if you want to know how chemistry, biology, biomedical sciences, and physics contribute to our understanding of how these molecules work. The interplay of molecules in cells and organisms is the central focus of the programme.

Programme Objective

In this programme, you will develop extensive knowledge about cellular processes such as cellular signaling, membrane biogenesis, and intracellular transport. You will also learn skills and methods to study the molecules involved in these processes by using biochemistry, cell biology, biophysics, computational biology, proteomics, and genomics.

Within the MCLS programme a track for Computational Biology is organized. The research projects and courses in this track focus on solving interesting biological problems with mathematical modelling and computational techniques.

The programme offers you the flexibility to choose any specialization within the field of molecular and cellular life sciences.

Computational Biology enriches our mechanistic understanding of complex living systems at all scales, e.g., from molecules to cells, to organisms (or patients), and communities (or ecosystems). This track enables master students to explore an exciting new field and develop a unique interdisciplinary expertise. As a student in this track, you will develop the conceptual and technical skills to do research in Computational Biology, and you will acquire a deep understanding of the biology in your particular area of interest.

After Graduation

After graduation, students receive a Master of Science degree in Chemical Sciences or Biological Sciences from the Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences Master’s programme. Programme graduates will be qualified for research positions in the fields of cell biology, structural biology, biotechnology, medical chemistry, and genomics/ proteomics, either in the academic world or at pharmaceutical or biotech companies.

Career Perspectives

MCLS graduates have excellent job prospects at universities, research institutes, and business organizations, ranging from large pharmaceutical industries to start-up biotech companies. Around 60% of all MCLS graduates are offered a PhD student position before ending their programme.