Life Sciences

Short Profile

A BSc in Life Sciences at HAN is about learning to do research in a lab. But you don’t just train to become a scientist. You also work on project management and communication skills. After all, getting results is a team effort. As you progress through your degree, you specialize in an area of life sciences. Either molecular plant biology, biomedical research or biotechnology. Theory and practice are closely linked at HAN. Your lecturers guide you through all the current research topics in life sciences. At the same time, you dive straight into experiments in the lab. In fact, half your time is spent doing practical work. That means working in groups of 4-6 students on projects. Projects that deal with real problems in the field of life sciences. 
HAN works closely with companies and research institutes in the Netherlands and abroad. What does that mean for you? You get to work on cutting-edge research projects. Gain invaluable experience. And build on your problem-solving and communication skills.

Subjects

1st year 

Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry, Laboratory Calculations, Bioinformatics, Mathematics, One-day mini internship 

2nd year 

Molecular and Biochemical Research, Interaction between Human, Plant and Microorganisms 

3rd year 

Internship or Elective 
Choose your specialization in: 
Biomedical Research, Molecular Plant Biology, Biotechnology 

4th year 

In the 4th year you follow an elective or do an internship, depending on the path you choose in the 3rd year. You will finalize your studies with a graduation project. 

Career

With this degree, you can get a job as: 

• Research Assistant 
• Assay Development Scientist 
• Junior Project Leader/Lab Manager 
• Technical Sales Specialist 
• Biomedical Analyst 
• Microbiological Analyst 
• Biotechnological Analyst 
• Analyst in Molecular Plant Biology 

Zulassung

To get admitted to our Life Sciences program, you need the following:

• Diploma of secondary education with sufficient scores in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics
• Fluency in English:
  •    IELTS 6.0 or higher
  •    TOEFL 80 or higher (internet-based)
  •    Cambridge certificate: FCE Grade C (minimum score 169 / CAE/ CPE) 

For more information, check: hanuniversity.com/admission 

Lab facilities

HAN has all the basic lab facilities and more. Take the specialized microbiological, plant and biochemical labs. Here you can research DNA, RNA and protein in different organisms. How do you make the cells visible? Using light microscopy, fluorescent microscopy and electron microscopy. You can also do research on cancer. With real-time PCR apparatus, a high-performance plate reader and a flow cytometer. And use our fermentation lab. Ferment bacteria, fungi and yeasts and create your own biological products!

Student city Nijmegen

Nijmegen is a lively university town with a great atmosphere. Just wander through its beautiful old streets and you’ll feel its rich history. Looking for a charming pub or restaurant, a bit of culture or a great night out? Nijmegen has all this and more. Keen on sport or nature? Nijmegen has loads of sports clubs and is surrounded by beautiful forests full of hiking and bicycle trails.
Nijmegen has a population of around 170,000. The city is large enough to offer all the facilities you could wish for. At the same time, it has quite a relaxed feel to it.
Over 40,000 students study in Nijmegen. So there is a large offering of interesting cultural events and festivals. Film, music, literature, dance, stand-up comedy: you can find it all in Nijmegen!
Each year in July, Nijmegen hosts an enormous international event: the Four Days Marches. On 4 consecutive days, over 40,000 people participate in a march that starts and ends in Nijmegen. The activities surrounding the Four Days Marches are just as big as the walking event itself. Bands perform on stages all over the city and there are loads of food and drink stalls.