By enrolling in the Master's degree program in Biomolecular Chemistry and Bioinformatics, you will be part of one of the most rapidly developing interdisciplinary fields on the scientific horizon today. Address important questions about DNA, RNA, proteins and diseases – all while using blazingly fast computers that only a select few get to play with and using modern biotechnology in the laboratory.

Some of our projects deal with products and technologies to overcome antibiotic resistance, develop cancer drugs, optimize enzymes used in vaccine production and diagnostics, reduce our environmental footprint by finding degradable bioplastics and recycle industrial products that are currently considered as waste.

You will write your Master thesis as part of a group that aims for breakthrough products and technologies that help improve our lives and the health of our planet. You can be part of a team that develops state-of-the-art tools and databases to support the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet) in their fight against infectious diseases like COVID-19. You can also collaborate with outstanding partners in high-impact life-science projects through the international organization ELIXIR.

This degree can make you eligible for a career in biotech companies such as ArcticZymes and Amicoat, in aquaculture industry, in academia, in hospitals, or in information and communication technology companies such as Microsoft.

After completion of the programme, the candidate:

Knowledge

• has an overview of discipline-relevant scientific approaches to analyse and understand molecular properties and processes
• has thorough knowledge of theory and methods used in molecular sciences
• has advanced insight into international research and development within her or his discipline
• has acquired advanced knowledge and understanding needed to contribute to innovation and discovery within her or his discipline

Skills

• can independently use and analyse various sources of information to structure and formulate scientific arguments
• can independently produce and analyze data, products and results employing discipline-relevant scientific methods, instrumentation, and software
• can critically analyze and evaluate the quality of data and results
• can conduct scientific work and document results in accordance with applicable standards and norm for research ethics
• can carry out independent limited research under supervision
• can manipulate and study biological macromolecules at DNA and amino acid levels experimentally (recombinant protein production) and/or computationally (bioinformatics)
• can study structural, functional, and biophysical properties of biological macromolecules experimentally (crystal structure determination, intermolecular interactions, enzyme function) and/or computationally (molecular modelling, drug design)
• can apply informatics tools to analyse biological macromolecules and their properties at genetic sequence and/or amino acid and/or structural levels

General competence

• can critically read, cite, analyse and understand scientific literature
• can independently communicate scientific information clearly and precisely, bothwritten and oral forms
• can independently analyse and judge the reliability of information obtained from different sources and has a sound critical attitude towards knowledge from all sources
• can independently conduct research activities and communicate the research questions and results in both written and oral forms
• can carry out knowledge-based evaluations of general problems in science and communicate this to the public
• can accomplish research projects under guidance, e.g. under a PhD program in molecular sciences, chemistry or related areas
• can apply the obtained knowledge to independently solve new problems in natural sciences and to contribute to research and innovation

You can be qualified if you have a Bachelor degree in:

• Chemistry
• Biochemistry*
• Biomedicine*
• Biotechnology*
• Molecular sciences*
• Pharmacy*
• Mathematics*
• Physics*
• Informatics*

*with a minimum of 30 ECTS in chemistry.

Bachelor's degrees within other related areas may be considered on an individual basis.

For more information regarding admission requirements, see Admission requirements for Master in Molecular Sciences.