Are you curious, creative and determined to solve biomedical challenges? Are you fascinated about the fundamentals of biomedicine and do you dream to be a scientist, work in a clinic or be an entrepreneur?

Then the master's in Biomedical Sciences (BMS) might be exactly what you are looking for. Through a mix of theoretical courses, practical training sessions and a one-year internship, you’ll explore the relationship between human beings and their environment, from molecule, to gene, to cell and organ, to individual and to entire populations. You’ll learn how new scientific knowledge is obtained in basic and applied research areas, and how these insights can be used to benefit patients.

Upon graduation you’ll be able to pursue a career as a researcher studying diseases and treatments in both academia and industry.

Why this programme?

The 21st century may well be called the century of medical biology. Amid wide-scale investments in life sciences all over Europe, there is a growing demand for highly specialised professionals in a range of life science fields.

The master's in Biomedical Sciences focuses on the state-of-the-art methodology and skills that enable researchers to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms in health and disease with the ultimate goal to restore health. You'll explore the relationship between human beings and their environment, from molecule, to gene, to cell and organ, to individual and to entire populations.

Biomedical Sciences in Maastricht is a unique programme:

In addition to comprehensive theoretical knowledge, the programme provides you with all the universal career skills that are essential for your future work. You will study and practice these skills both with a personal coach and in small groups.

Next to lectures from experts in the field, you will acquire theoretical knowledge via a special student-centred learning programme and practice your knowledge in modern, high-end equipment laboratories.

This programme also offers you the freedom to tailor your studies to your own interests and ambitions. Develop your own profile in the domain of biomedical sciences by picking one of six specialisations and by designing your own research project.

Finally, this unique programme enables you to discover your own talents and to develop a successful career, also outside the academy.

Tailor your degree to your ambitions:

The programme is versatile, offering a large variety of courses that provide you with plenty of opportunity to concentrate on specific areas of interest and specialise in a particular field.

You will pick a specialisation, pursue your own research interest and then apply the skills and knowledge gained during a one-year internship at an approved laboratory of your choice. The internship can be undertaken within academic institutes, clinical labs and the pharmaceutical industry, anywhere in the world. This allows you to personalise your degree and specialise in a topic that fits your interests, under the guidance of top experts in the field. 

Over the course of the Biomedical Sciences master's, you will gain practical and professional experience and will rapidly develop from working on assignments in small groups to becoming an independent researcher.

A long internship period:

Within the master's in Biomedical Sciences, we consider an internship an indispensable experience.

You will gain practical and professional experience and will rapidly develop from working on assignments in small groups to becoming an independent researcher. An internship will also give you an advantage when looking for a job.

Therefore, as of 2020, the master's in Biomedical Sciences contains an internship of one whole year, which may take place at UM or another approved laboratory, in the Netherlands or abroad.