Study in Denmark

Denmark has a wide variety of Higher Education Institutions. These are the different types:

• Universities: These teach courses and conduct research in different topics. They offer certificate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral programs. Danish Universities may be state-funded or private; in either case, they have complete autonomy in day-to-day operations. There are eight public research Universities in Denmark, the oldest of which (the University of Copenhagen) was founded in 1489. They are responsible for the bulk of the research activities in the country.
• University Colleges: Denmark has seven institutions of higher education that provide professional Bachelor’s degrees in practical skills that are important in the European labor market. These University Colleges usually focus on first cycle (undergraduate) professional degrees, and use their strong connections with the corporate sector to ensure 100% placements for their graduating students.
• Higher Education Institutions within Arts and Architecture: There are four such entities, all under the Ministry of Education. Most of the programs offered by them are diplomas in fine arts and architecture, and students can follow a parallel track in art school prior to embarking on full-time careers as artists. 
• Business Academies: Eight of these institutions are operational in Denmark. They offer professional Bachelor’s courses, diploma programs for young professionals, and continuing education courses for senior business executives. They are similar to University Colleges in that their curriculum is heavily focused on practical training and professional qualifications.

Maritime Educational Institutions

: In keeping with the rich history of Denmark as a shipping nation, and the current importance of its port cities, these institutions report to the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science. They offer training certificate programs for members of the Danish Navy, the merchant navy, and fishing fleet owners.

Certificate and diploma programs in Denmark are offered by Universities and Business Academies. The Academy Profession degree is offered after one year of part-time study. Diploma programs last two years, and require their students to complete part-time courses adding up to a total of 60 ECTS credits (full-time degree programs are usually associated with 60 ECTS credits per year). These programs are primarily targeted at adult learners, and achieve the goal of making continuing education affordable and accessible. There are also short-term certificate programs (three months or less), in popular topics like the Danish language, digital marketing, and data science.

There are two kinds of undergraduate programs offered within the Danish higher education system: University Bachelor's degrees and Vocational Bachelor's degrees.

University Bachelor's degrees are similar to undergraduate programs in other European countries. Most of them are offered in English, and most students graduate in three years. The first five semesters are filled with introductory courses in one or two broad fields of study. The final semester has a Bachelor's thesis, which is an intensive project in a specialized topic related to the overall major subject of the degree program. There is an approximately equal split between graduates of these programs who take up a job immediately and those who join a Master's degree program.

Vocational Bachelor's degrees

 take an average of eight semesters to complete. Depending on the area of training, they qualify their students to enter a professional trade. Courses are structured around practical work, seminars, and industry-defined projects. There are many different subjects to choose from: popular vocational disciplines include Information Technology, Nutrition, Pedagogy, and Social Work.

The Master's degree (referred to as Candidatus in Denmark) is a two year program with a focus on rigorous coursework and guided research. The first three semesters have a mixture of compulsory and elective courses. Postgraduate students in Denmark can choose between a general Master's degree in their discipline (for example, Mechanical Engineering) or a specialized field of study within their broad area of study (for example, Automation and Mechatronics). 

The last six to nine months of a Danish postgraduate program are spent working on the Master's Thesis. This is usually a small research project within a research lab, under the guidance of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Graduates of Danish Master's programs  have access to some of the best career opportunities in the world, both in the corporate sector and academia.

PhD programs in Danish Universities last three years, and have the following components:

• Coursework: This is typically equivalent to a single semester's credit load, and consists of courses related to research techniques and analysis. Students may also choose electives relevant to their subject of study.
• Independent research: The main part of a PhD in Denmark is spent on original work under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.
• Participation in research networks: Doctoral students in Danish Universities are expected to participate actively in conferences and spend time at collaborators' research laboratories in other countries. Through this, they aid in the process of knowledge transfer between research groups.
• Teaching assistance: During most semesters, Ph.D. students work with their professors to create teaching plans for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
• PhD thesis creation: Doctoral courses end in a thesis defense, where candidates summarize the work done before a panel of external examiners. The dissertation is a voluminous document, often running to 200 pages or more.

All Danish Universities offer doctoral programs; admissions are competitive and are decided on the basis of past research work and the plan submitted during the application process.