Study programme

You will spend ten weeks completing compulsory theoretical courses.  

Electives enable you to increase your knowledge within your field of interest or (in part) to address educational deficiencies.

Students in the CVH&D programme are required to complete a major research project. They have the opportunity to work on diverse projects, ranging from lab-based studies to clinical research, gaining hands-on experience in cutting-edge cardiovascular science. Here are some examples from the previous years:

• Investigating genes that control heart rhythm
  Using zebrafish as a model, CRISPR/Cas9 knockouts of selected genes were created to study their effects on heart rate and rhythm, providing insights into genetic factors that may contribute to arrhythmic disorders.
• Developing new tools to study platelet function
  A small antibody (sdAb) was engineered, targeting the platelet receptor GPVI. To explore its potential as new and more reliable diagnostic tool for platelet function disorders, the antibody was tested in lab assays to assess how it activates platelets.
• Modeling heart failure using stem cells
  A lab model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) was developed using stem cell-derived heart and blood vessel cells from the same donor. The project explored cellular mechanisms behind heart stiffness and impaired function, laying the groundwork for future therapeutic research.
• Monitoring cerebrovascular anatomy
  MRI scans from over 1,000 human subjects were analysed to study anatomical differences in the circle of Willis, a key network of brain arteries. The project investigated how sex-specific differences in artery size and structure could affect the risk of cerebrovascular disease.

Profiles take up a big part of your 2^nd year and can be viewed as the minor in your Master’s. They are designed to equip you with skills for your next step while studying. You select 1 out of 8 profiles, all with an own theme and focus. You can choose profiles that provide you with a broad skill set and help you prepare for a business, educational or societal career, or profiles that provide you with in-depth research skills, catering for a research career. The options include:

1. Bioinformatics profile
2. Communication profile
3. Complex Systems profile
4. Education profile
5. General Research profile
6. Life Science and Society profile
7. Management profile
8. Translational Life Sciences profile

During the course of the Master’s programme, you are required to attend the Introducing Life Sciences week, at least seven Life Sciences seminars, and three workshops of the Navigation Towards Personal Excellence programme.

This writing assignment may consist of either a clear and thorough overview of recent literature, concluded by an in-depth discussion, or a PhD grant proposal.

• Shaping the Cardiovascular Professional
• Thrombosis and Haemostasis
• Mechanisms of Vascular Disease
• Mechanisms of Cardiac Health and Disease

• Academic Writing (online course)
• Basics of Biostatistics
• Better Science with less animal experimentation
• Bio-inspired Essentials
• Bio-tech-med Interdisciplinary Team Training (BITT Project)
• Career orientation and Professional Skills Training
• Communicating Life Sciences
• English for Academic Purposes (online course)
• Essentials of Neuroscience
• Fundamentals of Biofabrication (online course)
• History of Medicine
• Introduction to Designing & Teaching in higher education
• Laboratory Animal Sciences
• Career orientation & Professional Skills Training
• Online course Radiation protection - ELO on open sources
• Philosophy of Neuroscience
• Science and Society
• Thematic Interdisciplinary Challenge
• Vascularized Tissue Engineering Online Course