100% English
German courses are available at the university’s House of Languages, including “early bird” and evening classes for beginners, specially designed for international Master's and PhD students. The full German course programme is available at www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/1056.
Winter semester: 31 May
Summer semester: 15 January
Approx. 1,500 EUR per semester for students from non-EU countries
Why come to Tübingen to pursue your Master's degree in life science?
Biochemistry is the science of the fundamentals of life and disease. How do nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and sugars come together to form cells and, ultimately, organisms? What is going wrong in the diverse diseases that plague us and how can this be fixed? Most modern drugs stem from biochemical research.
Biochemistry combines biology (more macroscopic) and chemistry (more atomic). In this course, you will have a chance to learn about a selection of the following topics: immunology, cell biology, molecular and structural biology, biophysics, virology/microbiology, pathobiochemistry, toxicology, pharmacology, bioinformatics, developmental biology, neuroscience, and molecular medicine.
The Tübingen Master's in Biochemistry programme allows for a very flexible curriculum. You do not have to take all the elements in a specific order or at a specific time. Nevertheless, we recommend that you organise your degree roughly in the following order: advanced biochemistry, current topics, modules, labs, and, finally, the Master's thesis. The theoretical elements are a good starting point to gain an overview of the fast moving field of biochemistry and are thus well positioned at the beginning. They may also serve as preparation for the laboratory work later on in the programme. Modules are designed to be a transition from theory to more practical work since they contain both the background and corresponding guided experiments. Labs require more organisation on your part and are your stepping stone from pre-designed modules to the more independent Master's thesis that concludes the Master's in Biochemistry.
The first year typically kicks off with a joint lecture series presented by all the research group leaders at the institute. Building on the basics you have acquired in your previous degree, this series takes you into the advanced topics of biochemistry and to the research frontier. At the same time, you will choose your first modules and your first lab placements. In parallel to the lecture series, you will take a course on current topics, which includes a lecture series given by guest speakers from outside the institute and abroad. At this lecture series, these speakers present their latest discoveries. In addition, you will most likely select a third module and a second lab placement.
As you enter the second year, the elements of the programme will become longer and more in-depth, culminating in the half-year Master's thesis at the end of the degree. You may decide to participate in one or more of the research placements outside the institute or abroad. We will support you with national and international placements using our contacts. At the end of the last semester, you will write up the data collected during your thesis and present the results to the faculty. During the entire degree, you will be able to acquire transferable skills ranging from numerical proficiency, IT, self-management, and communication to interpersonal skills. The IFIB (Biochemistry Institute) faculty will support you while you make your future professional decisions following your Master's degree in Tübingen. We hope that you will be an active member of our alumni network.
The most important international elements are optional laboratory rotations abroad, which last between two and six months. These can take place all over the world, typically in top notch life science labs and companies. In addition, we often invite international speakers to present their latest research and offer skills training in scientific English.
The Master's programme contains four lab rotations. The duration of each lab rotation is two months. Several students opt to do one or more labs in companies working on a biochemistry-related topic. Recent examples include well-known international companies such as Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Zeiss, etc.
Approx. 1,500 EUR per semester for students from non-EU countries
Enrolment fees at the University of Tübingen are currently about 160 EUR per semester. This includes use of local public transport free of charge from Mondays to Fridays in the evenings, at the weekend and on public holidays. In addition, students may purchase a semester ticket for unlimited use of public transport in the city of Tübingen and the surrounding area (currently about 130 EUR).
Estimated basic student expenses are about 950 EUR per month according to the Tübingen Student Services organisation (“Studierendenwerk”), including rent for student accommodation. Rent for private accommodation will be more expensive.
See also: http://www.ifib.uni-tuebingen.de/studium/master/admission.html
Evidence of very good written and spoken English is required. No documentation is required if your mother tongue is English, if you have studied in English, if you lived for an extended period in an English-speaking country, or if sufficient English skills are documented in your school leaving certificate. Otherwise, you will need to provide one of the common certificates. If you make the short list, we may verify your English skills via a short conversation.
Winter semester: 31 May
Summer semester: 15 January
Online application: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/facilities/administration/iv-student-affairs/advising-and-admission-of-international-students/
For questions regarding the application process, please contact the International Students Admissions Office, e-mail study@uni-tuebingen.de.
The Biochemistry Institute (IFIB) and nearby labs provide many teaching and research assistantships to Master's students. Once you are in Tübingen, you can submit an application directly to the programme organiser or the group leader.
Accommodation is available through the Student Services organisation (“Studierendenwerk“) or on the private market. Rooms in student accommodation cost approx. 200 to 400 EUR per month. As Tübingen is a very attractive place to live, private accommodation is more expensive and can take some effort to find. To make sure you find a suitable place to live, you should start looking as early as possible.
We recommend you apply for student accommodation through the “Studierendenwerk” at the same time that you apply for admission to the Master's programme (https://www.my-stuwe.de/en/housing/halls-of-residence-tuebingen/ and https://www.my-stuwe.de/en/housing/faqs/) and send in a copy of your notification of admission as soon as you have received it. (Your application won’t be processed before the “Studierendenwerk” has received proof of your admission.) For further information, check out the “Studierendenwerk” pages on housing in Tübingen (https://www.my-stuwe.de/en/housing/housing-infos/).
The university offers a number of “onboarding” services for newly arriving international students. These include:
For further information, please refer to: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/182071 (onboarding for degree-seeking students).
A student initiative offers a buddy programme and a wide range of social activities during the orientation week and throughout the semester (www.studit-tuebingen.de/en/).
Furthermore, there is the Office for Advising and Admission of International Students (http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/90787).
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