Denmark Gets Its First Master’s Degree Programme in Neuroscience

The University of Copenhagen is establishing a national master’s degree programme in neuroscience – with DKK 15 million in funding from the Lundbeck Foundation. The programme will welcome its first students in September 2020.

One third of Europeans suffer from a central nervous system disorder, costing society just under EUR 800 billion a year. And the ageing population will only increase the human and financial costs in the future. There is thus a growing need for new knowledge about the brain and the central nervous system. Therefore, the University of Copenhagen is now establishing a master’s degree programme in neuroscience – with just over DKK 15 million in funding from the Lundbeck Foundation.

‘For a long time we have wanted to offer talented bachelors the opportunity to focus on the brain in one study programme – from molecular aspects at cellular level to networks and behaviour. I am therefore pleased that the University of Copenhagen is able to do this with the help of the other universities in the country’, says Head of Studies, Professor Jens D. Mikkelsen. 

Among the Leading in the World

The Lundbeck Foundation, which has called for and worked on establishing a Danish master’s degree programme in neuroscience for a number of years now, has high hopes for the new programme:

‘Within a number of areas, Danish brain research has reached a very high level. However, if we are to raise the level and width of the research even further and become one of the world’s leading nations within brain research – which I believe we have the potential to do – the first step is to establish a master’s degree programme in neuroscience. This will give us Masters with research-based insight into the complexity of the brain’, says Jan Egebjerg, Director of Research at the Lundbeck Foundation.

‘The programme both meets the current health challenge – that we are unable to offer effective treatment to the increasing number of patients – and a demand in the labour market for Masters who have specialised in neuroscience’, he says.

The programme is the first and only of its kind in Denmark, and it will be housed at the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen. It has already managed to attract highly qualified, talented and committed students with a bachelor’s degree from a relevant Danish or international programme in biology, medicine or biochemistry.

‘The funding from the Lundbeck Foundation gives us the opportunity to affiliate new teachers to the programme who will strengthen the university’s research-based teaching at a high international level’, explains Head of Department at the Department of Neuroscience, Professor Ulrik Gether.

The plans for the master’s degree programme have been approved at all levels at the University of Copenhagen as well as by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The first students will begin on 1 September 2020.

For more information, please contact:

Jens D. Mikkelsen, Head of Studies, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, phone: +45 40205378, jens_mikkelsen@dadlnet.dk

Ulrik Gether, Head of Department, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, phone: +45 28757548, gether@sund.ku.dk

Jan Egebjerg, Senior Vice President, Grants & Prizes, Lundbeck Foundation, phone: +45 39128009, je@lundbeckfonden.com

Regitze Reeh, Head of Communications, Lundbeck Foundation, phone: +45 30546608, rr@lundbeckfonden.com