Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Biophysical Life Sciences
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €14,000: International students
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Introduction
Study Life from Different Perspectives
Are you fascinated by life at the molecular and cellular levels? Do you have a broad interest in the natural sciences? The interdisciplinary Bachelor’s program Molecular and Biophysical Life Sciences (MBLS) combines biology, chemistry, physics, and the pharmaceutical sciences to study life from different perspectives. The MBLS program will equip you to make meaningful contributions to our understanding of life and to address life science-related societal challenges.
MBLS is an international English-taught program with a strong link to modern life science research. MBLS may be just the right program for you if you are interested in questions like:
- How do biomolecules function in health and disease?
- How can we see molecules at atomic resolution inside cells?
- How can proteins act as molecular motors?
- How can we modify plants and microorganisms to solve sustainability issues?
- How can we make molecules to fight infectious diseases?
- How can we use computers to model life at the molecular and cellular levels?
Why Utrecht University
As a Molecular and Biophysical Life Sciences (MBLS) undergraduate student, you will study and perhaps live in the Utrecht Science Park, a vibrant environment where academic teaching, research, biotech, and entrepreneurship come together.
Curriculum
A Solid Foundation
In the first three semesters (1½ years) of the program, you learn fundamental concepts and research methods of the various disciplines. In the wet lab and during computer practicals you will become familiar with techniques to study biomolecules in isolation or inside cells and even in atomic detail. You will learn the basics of programming and bioinformatics to explore the vast amount of data produced in the modern life sciences.
Shape Your Own Program
After completing your basic training you have substantial freedom to follow your own interests and ambitions by choosing subjects both within and outside this bachelor. To assist you in shaping your own program MBLS elective courses have been grouped in four different themes:
- Genes to Organisms
- Molecules and Cells
- Molecules and Medicine
- Biophysics and Modeling
The crown of your Bachelor’s is a three-month research project in which you put all skills and academic competencies you acquired into practice. MBLS provides an excellent basis for a broad range of Master’s programs in the Netherlands and abroad.
Career Opportunities
Molecular and Biophysical Life Sciences (MBLS) graduates have many career prospects, either in the Netherlands or abroad.
Examples of careers after obtaining a Master's degree are:
Cancer Researcher
As a researcher, you conduct research into the development of the cancer disease: How come a normal cell changes into a cancer cell? You will also research how cancer cells spread and how they can be fought. You work at the molecular level in biological model systems.
Molecular Biologist
As a molecular biologist, you study all processes that take place in a cell. These are just a few examples of many:
- How do proteins interact with each other?
- How is a protein folded into its final structure?
- How do molecules bind to the cells' receptors?
- How is gene expression regulated in a cell?
- What does the membrane of a cell look like?
Microbiologist
A (medical) microbiological researcher is for example engaged in the detection of pathogens (bacteria and viruses). But you can also conduct research into the way in which bacteria penetrate an organism or, even more fundamentally, into how the cell membrane of the bacterium is built.
Researcher Pharmaceutical Industry
A researcher in the pharmaceutical industry is looking for new drugs or is making sure that current drugs work even better. This often has a commercial purpose. Examples include the search for a remedy for Alzheimer's or improvements to current medicines for travel sickness.
PH.D. Molecular Cellular Life Sciences
As a doctoral candidate / Ph.D. researcher in the field of Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, you will conduct a major research project after your studies, under the supervision of a professor. For example, you are concerned with the mechanisms that underlie the growth, differentiation, and death of cells. You use all kinds of advanced techniques such as electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, light microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance. You conclude your doctoral research by writing and defending a dissertation. You obtain a doctorate, abbreviated to Dr.
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