Prerequisites for Biotechnology

Academic requirements for this programme

National Applicants (holding a Bachelor from Denmark)

Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSc Eng) 

The following Bachelor programmes from DTU give students legal right of admission to the MSc Eng programme in Biotechnology, 

• Human Life Science Engineering
• Life Science Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• General Engineering (living systems)
• Biotechnology 

Recommended courses are listed under the description of the individual study lines

The following Bachelor programmes from DTU

• Quantitative Biology and Disease Modelling
• Chemistry and Technology

have access to be admitted, subject to having completed the following 2 courses:

It is recommended that also the following courses (or similar) have been completed:

Bachelor in Engineering (BEng)

The following DTU bachelors in Engineering:

• Chemical and Bio Engineering
• Chemical Engineering and International Business

have access to be admitted, subject to having completed the following courses:

DTU bachelors in Engineering, Food Safety and Quality have access to be admitted, subject to having completed the following courses:

and one of the following mathematics courses:

The following Bachelor programmes have access to be admitted:

• BEng in Biotechnology from Absalon University College 
• BSc Eng in Sustainable Biotechnology from Aalborg University 

Other National and International (holding a Bachelor from outside Denmark) Applicants

To be eligible for admission, applicants must document a relevant Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent). Students enrolling into the MSc Eng programme need a broad range of competences. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 75 ECTS credits within relevant subject areas, distributed across the following groups.

• 15 ECTS Matematics and/or Statistics and/or Experimental Design
• 10 ECTS General and Organic Chemistry
•  5 ECTS Physics or Biophysics
•  5 ECTS Biochemistry
•  5 ECTS Computer Programming
•  5 ECTS Bioinformatics
• 30 ECTS Life Science, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Experimental Microbiology, Fermentation Technology or Bioengineering

The assessment will be based on completed and documented courses. Admission is based on an overall academic assessment. Meeting the minimum ECTS requirements does not in itself guarantee admission.

Students with a bachelor degree in Biotechnology, Life Sciences or equivalent from other universities may be admitted to the MSc program provided their education comprises academic elements equivalent to the elements described above. The applications will be evaluated individually based on the documents submitted. In general, it is recommended to have more competencies in biochemistry, and molecular biology, and at least basic knowledge in bioinformatics. A scheme, mapping and documenting the duration of prequisite course modules (in total hours), is supplied as part of the application.

BScs in Biology from the University of the Faroe Islands have access to be admitted but it is recommended that they have passed courses equivalent to those recommended to other bachelors from DTU described above. Furthermore, they may expect that they need further courses in mathematics and physics. 

Limited intake and selection criteria

The master's degree programme has a limited intake. Meeting the admission requirements does not automatically ensure your offer of admission. Because of the limited intake all qualified applicants will be prioritised according to a set of selection criteria and a point-based system.

Only if you are a student with a Bachelor’s degree from a Danish institution and meet one of the four criterias listed below will you be guaranteed an offer of admission:

1. Legal right of admission
2. Direct admission
3. Students who have been conditionally admitted under the Supplementary admission
4. Pre-approved students under the *Transition semester* category

Other National and International applicants

Selection criteria

If there are more qualified applicants than available student places, the selection will be based on the following criteria: 

Evaluation Criteria and Weighting: 

The minimum point requirement for the programme will be determined based on the overall competitiveness of the other applicants.

General admission requirements

Only applicants holding a relevant Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor in Engineering (diplomingeniøruddannelse) or a Bachelor of Natural Science degree can be admitted to a Master of Science in Engineering programme. The bachelor's degree must be less than ten years old.

Supplementary educational activities (only applicable for National students):  The individual MSc Eng programme states in detail which bachelor programmes qualify and whether applicants must complete supplementary educational activities. Requirements for supplementary educational activities can equate to up to 30 ECTS credits and are specified as a list of courses under the individual MSc Eng programmes. The specific requirements must be met before graduating from the bachelor's programme or in connection with conditional admission to a particular MSc Eng programme. The courses must be passed prior to the commencement of studies within one year from the conditional admission. Supplementary educational activities in connection with conditional admission to an MSc Eng programme do not form part of the MSc Eng programme, and tuition fees are charged. If the supplementary courses have not been passed within the specified deadlines, the conditional admission to the programme is withdrawn.

The Master of Science in Engineering programmes are offered in English. Therefore applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English (B-level, IELTS, TOEFL, CAE) Applying for an MSc at DTU - Language test requirements

DTU offers an Honours Programme as part of all MSc  Eng. programmes. The admission requirements are described at https://www.dtu.dk/english/education/graduate/honours-programmes

Specific prerequisites for the Industry MSc Eng Programmes

The prerequisites are similar to the specific ones that apply to the 2-year-programmes, but in addition, the applicant must have a job relevant to the studies with a workload of at least 25 hours a week, or the applicant may be self-employed in a start-up company. Read more about the rules on https://www.dtu.dk/english/education/graduate/industry-master-of-science-in-engineering