International Programmes 2024/2025

Biochemistry (MSc) Biochemistry (MSc)

University of Tübingen • Tübingen

Degree
Master of Science
Teaching language
  • English
Languages

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.

Full-time / part-time
  • full-time
Programme duration
4 semesters
Beginning
Winter and summer semester
Additional information on beginning, duration and mode of study

Beginning of courses and lectures:

  • winter semester: mid-October
  • summer semester: mid-April

Mode of study:

  • in presence (no online courses/lectures available)
Application deadline

Winter semester: 31 May
Summer semester: 15 January

Tuition fees per semester in EUR
Varied
Additional information on tuition fees

Approx. 1,500 EUR per semester for students from non-EU countries

Combined Master's degree / PhD programme
No
Joint degree / double degree programme
No
Description/content

Why come to Tübingen to pursue your Master's degree in life science?

  • We focus on laboratory and organisational skills. Theoretical education is becoming easier to access. What gives you an edge is practical proficiency in research and personal skills.
  • We offer a broad degree. You are not pushed into premature specialisation before you have gained a good overview of different areas of the life sciences and you can make a well-informed career decision.
  • Our programme is flexible. You have your own personal preferences and instead of changing them to fit the course, courses are designed to meet your needs.
  • The Tübingen Master's in Biochemistry is international and career-oriented. We teach in English, the lingua franca of science, and support you with writing and presenting courses. Also, our student body is international; it is your first step to a worldwide peer network, and the majority of our students do lab rotations abroad in Europe, North America, and Asia supported by our faculty.

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.

Course organisation

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.

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A Diploma supplement will be issued
Yes
International elements
  • International guest lecturers
  • Specialist literature in other languages
Description of other international elements

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.

Integrated internships

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.

Special promotion / funding of the programme
  • ERASMUS+
  • Other (e.g. state level)
Course-specific, integrated German language courses
No
Course-specific, integrated English language courses
No
Tuition fees per semester in EUR
1,500 EUR
Additional information on tuition fees

Approx. 1,500 EUR per semester for students from non-EU countries

Semester contribution

Enrolment fees at the University of Tübingen are currently approx. 160 EUR per semester. This includes use of local public transport free of charge on Mondays to Fridays in the evening, at weekends 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 approx. 140 EUR).

Costs of living

Estimated basic student expenses are around 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.

Funding opportunities within the university
No
Academic admission requirements
  • Excellent Bachelor's degree in biochemistry or a closely related discipline (typically top 10% of the class)
  • Extensive biochemical lab skills (Describe these in detail in your CV; Supply independent evidence.)
  • Very good spoken and written English (see below)
  • University entrance qualification
Language requirements

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.

Application deadline

Winter semester: 31 May
Summer semester: 15 January

Submit application to

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.

Possibility of finding part-time employment

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

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 finally 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/).

Support for international students and doctoral candidates
  • Buddy programme
  • Specialist counselling
General services and support for international students and doctoral candidates

The university offers a number of “onboarding” services for newly arriving international students. These include:

  • a help desk
  • an advisory programme: “How to Study at the University of Tübingen”
  • a wide range of social activities offered by student groups

For further information, please refer to: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/182071

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).

Supervisor-student ratio
1:4

University of Tübingen

University location

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