Karolinska Institute (KI) in Stockholm ranks among the top 50 universities globally and among the top 10 medical universities in Europe. Well known for its Nobel assembly, KI has chosen the Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine since 1901. As students at Karolinska, we get to meet the Nobel laureates and attend their lectures on campus.
KI offers six master’s programme that are taught in English. I am currently pursuing my master’s in biomedicine. KI’s high research output, international community, research infrastructure and renowned faculty were the main factors that drove me to undertake my master’s degree over there.
A little about biomedicine at KI: The master’s in biomedicine at KI is a two-year course with 120 credits. During these two years of studies we are given the opportunity to perform three different projects in three separate research laboratories. Thus the programme lays a foundation for students pursuing a career either in academia or in the pharmaceutical industry. We also have the opportunity to do a semester abroad in one of Karolinska’s partner universities as a part of the Erasmus programme.
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Karolinska Institute and Swedish Institute offer limited number of scholarships for international students to assist them in covering the tuition fee cost. I’ m fortunate to be one of the few recipients of Karolinska’s prestigious Global Master’s Scholarship.
The facilities on campus include a university library (one of the largest medical libraries in the Nordic region), student health centre, restaurants, computer rooms, gym, and student lobbies for team work. Since buying food at restaurants is expensive, it’s really convenient that there are dining halls and microwaves at many places on campus for those who prefer to bring their self-cooked food.
Finding an accommodation in Stockholm is very difficult. Limited university accommodation is available for international students on a first-come-first-serve basis. Living in a student accommodation has been a wonderful experience for me. Meeting fellow students from different parts of the world and travelling to various places with them have helped me adapt to and appreciate the various cultures around the world. Born and bred in the tropics, adapting to the extreme cold and shorter days during winter was the biggest challenge I faced, but Stockholm’s beautiful archipelago makes up for it with its picturesque views and countless outdoor activities like skiing and ice-skating.
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As Karolinka puts it “Karolinska Institutet will always be about what you achieve tomorrow. The research landscape is being re-drawn. Wouldn’t it be nice to hold the pen?”
Master’s in Biomedicine, Karolinska Institute
Email: sushmitha.sathiyamoorthy
@stud.ki.se