Molecular Medicine (Research Master)

The Master of Science in Molecular Medicine programme consists of a curriculum that combines core courses, which provide students with a broad education in biological sciences, with basic research training in internationally recognized research laboratories within Erasmus MC. The programme focuses on molecular and cellular biology, as well as on methods and approaches of research, such as database researches, DNA microarray technology, proteomics, and advanced microscopic techniques.

The programme is intense and designed for students with exceptional abilities and motivation. The core courses during the first three years of the programme (part I) run concurrently with the second, third and fourth year of the regular medical curriculum. In addition, part I of the research training will involve the keuze-onderwijs and ?onderzoek periods of the third and fourth year. Succesful completion of part I of the programme results in the presentation of a Molecular Medicine Certificate, simultaneous to the award of the doctoraal diploma. This entitles students to enter the fourth year of the training (part II), which is foucused on the performance of an in-depth laboratory research project. At the end of this year students present a Master of Science Essay, which will be defended during a seminar and an examination. Succesful completion of these requirements leads to a Master of Science degree in Molecular Medicine. Further completion of the programme leads to a PhD title.

Students submitting an application are expected to be highly motivated and research oriented, and to strive for excellence in the field of medical science. As a starting point for the curriculum, the candidates are expected to gain a complete and profound understanding of the principles of molecular and cell biology as presented in the textbook Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts et al., 2003). Eligible are students with a bachelor?s degree or equivalent in the life sciences, such as biology, biomedicine, medicine, or other related fields.

In the period October-January of the second year of the regular medical curriculum, candidates take part in the introduction phase, which involves a series of open sessions of the core course Experimental Approach to Molecular and Cell Biology. Upon completion of these sessions, candidates take part in a short entrance examination and interview to assess their knowledge and abilities in problem solving and experimental inquiry. The selection of up to ten students for the training programme is based on the outcome of the examination, interview, submitted application, and the academic performance of the candidates during the first year of the regular medical curriculum.

The Master of Science in Molecular Medicine programme is intended to develop excellent medical students into academic medical researchers who wish to actively participate in the future advancement and application of molecular and cellular approaches to medical science. Students will receive a broad exposure to biology and a focused in-depth research training in a scholarly discipline relevant to medicine.