Applied Computational Science - Biology: Master's Degree Project

The degree project is a core component of secondcycle studies in Applied Computational Science with a specialisation in Biology. It consists of an independent research or development assignment in which you apply computational methodology to a problem within biology or, more broadly, the natural sciences. Together with a supervisor, you select a topic and design a project that may involve literature studies, development or analysis of computational approaches, simulationbased investigations, or applied modelling linked to ongoing research at the Faculty of Science or to external collaborations with companies or organisations. If the project is carried out outside the faculty, an additional supervisor from the Faculty of Science with expertise in computational science will be appointed.

The purpose of the project is to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding, skills, judgement and approach required for a Master of Science degree. After completing the course, you should be able to describe biological research questions, apply specialised computational methods, analyse biological data, and evaluate the strengths and limitations of your chosen approaches.

You conduct the project independently with regular supervision. At the start of the course, you create a detailed study plan that includes a description of the assignment, a problem analysis and a project timeline. Your work may involve an indepth literature review, implementation or development of computational models, analysis of biological datasets, numerical simulations or theoretical studies within a specialised area of biology.

The course includes compulsory activities that support advanced academic work, including lectures and seminars on scientific, academic and popularscience communication. These cover written and oral presentation, discussion and feedback. Progress is evaluated through a halftime report and a midterm seminar (15 credits).

The project concludes with a scientific report in English, a brief popularscience summary in English or Swedish, and an oral presentation at a public seminar (15 credits). Before the final presentation, you and your supervisor review the work to ensure alignment with the learning outcomes and the expected standard for a Master’s degree.

The Master’s Degree Project prepares you for doctoral studies and for advanced roles in which computational biology, modelling and datadriven analysis are central. You gain experience in planning and completing a substantial scientific project, evaluating computational approaches, working with complex biological data and presenting your results clearly to diverse audiences.

After completing the degree project, you will have strengthened your ability to reflect on your learning, identify areas for further professional development and plan how to acquire new knowledge. You will also have gained insight into how computational methods contribute to understanding biological systems and addressing important scientific and societal challenges.

These skills are valuable in research environments and in sectors such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, genomics, ecology, bioinformatics, conservation biology, environmental monitoring, agriculture, healthcare, and dataintensive public organisations.

Prerequisites

Admission to the course requires courses corresponding to MATA04 Mathematics for Scientists 2, 15 credits, NUMA01 Computational Programming in Python, 7.5 credits, BERN01 Modelling in Computational Science, 7.5 credits, and BERN02 Reproducible Data Science and Statistical Learning, 7.5 credits. Furthermore, 15 credits in Biology at the advanced level are required, as well as knowledge corresponding to English 6/B.

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 92,500
First payment: SEK 92,500

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Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.