Life science programmes at UTU for international students: what to expect from your studies?

As an integral part of the core science, life science explores deeply to uncover the secrets of life at different levels from the molecular to the ecological to the medical science. Studying for a life science degree can open the door to exploring living organisms and a broader concept in the applied field of developing new treatments, drugs, and medical technologies.

UTU offers a wide range of programmes in this area for international students which are taught in English at the master’s level. For example:

• Master’s Degree Programme in Human Neuroscience
• Master’s Degree Programme in Biomedical Sciences: Drug Discovery and Development,
• Master’s Degree Programme in Biosciences: Molecular Systems Biology.

However, choosing the right programme can be rigorous depending on your interest and previous course curriculum. Besides, the expectations from the programmes can be often confusing.  Then, what can you even expect while studying one of these programmes at UTU?

The courses in the life science programmes at UTU are structured with real-life relevance integrating both theoretical and practical applications and industry insights into the curriculum. You will be learning to apply your knowledge in a professional setting aligned with your academic learning. The new study plans have been published on 15 May for 2024–2027 for all the programmes.

The courses are spread out over four semesters in each academic year including the thesis and they include both theoretical and laboratory courses in almost all the programmes in life science. In addition, the courses can be flexible for electives and many courses to choose from. Some of the electives I took were cancer biology, Basic Bioimage Informatics, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and its applications.

Also, many of the programmes come with specialised tracks. For example, MDP in Biosciences has two specialized tracks: Molecular systems biology and Evolutionary biology. The course structure for molecular systems biology in two academic years can be found here. In my first year in Molecular systems biology, I took many courses including bioinformatics, systems biology, molecular biology, and Introduction to programming. Many of them are added as mandatory courses to complete your degree.

The duration of the courses can vary from courses to courses. For example, systems biology course run around three months whereas applied bioinformatics course is conducted for five weeks with three hours of practical work each week. They are all mandatory requirements to participate to pass the course. Also, Finnish Intensive Beginners’ Course I, another mandatory course for you to learn Finnish as a beginner, runs more than four months with daily participations in classes, assignments, and exams.

For more lab experience, another recommended course is M.Sc. Training in Molecular Systems Biology which is a five weeklong lab training to learn and perform supervised laboratory work. This is not a part of the thesis work and optional for those who want to be familiar with the lab culture at UTU. In this training, I became familiar with different laboratory skills (for example: qPCR, gel electrophoresis) which will be helpful in the thesis in my second year of studies.

Another example of the course structure for the specialization track in Drug Discovery and Development:

UTU students are allowed to have flexible study rights as collaboration with other Finnish universities. This will allow you to take courses from both universities in biomedical science and biosciences such as the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Turku, the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Turku, and the Department of Biosciences at Åbo Akademi University. Although major course studies are specific to each track, they can be also available as elective courses across all tracks.

You have the flexibility to create a personalised study plan and to choose courses that align with your interests and background. I took two courses from Åbo Akademi University named Applied Bioinformatics and Good Manufacturing Practice in Pharmaceutical Industry. However, the GMP course is not a requirement for molecular systems biology, rather a course I took because I was interested in it. All the credits I earned from the Åbo Akademi University were transferred to my UTU study plan.

The University of Turku has multifaceted research facilities. For instance, Turku Bioscience, Turku PET center, and Turku center for disease modeling. All of them offer hands-on experience in the laboratory. Depending on your interests, availability, and instructions from your programme, you may conduct your thesis in any of the labs. Notable research fields at UTU include cancer proteomics, cancer cell signaling, neural signaling pathways, systems medicine, and the list goes on.

During my first year, I did two lab courses named Transcriptomics and Proteomics. These courses helped me to work in molecular biology laboratory, write scientific reports, and get familiar with using different tools.

So, if you’re prepared to embark on a journey into life sciences, start to plan for the upcoming application session in 2025!