Biology

The TUM's Master’s program in Biology offers a wide range of subjects covering almost all areas of modern biology, from basic research to applied research. The field ranges from biochemistry to ecology. The approach always focuses on connecting factors: going, for example, from biological principles for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer and neurogenerative alterations to the biotechnology associated with them; from systematic approaches to individualized diagnostics and medication and the bioinformatics methods required for this; from securing the world's food supply through, for example, development of drought-resistant crops using modern methods of molecular plant breeding.

Of course, there are also many organism-based tasks to be performed, such as recording and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems and dealing with neophytes and neozoans. Exciting topics include, for example, research into the human microbiome and the physiological consequences associated with it; the challenges of neurobiology at the interface between the senses, processing and control and the connection to psychophysics and human-machine communication.

The big scientific strides are more often taken in interdisciplinary areas than within the traditional subjects. That's why you choose a focus of three individual study specializations. The degree program offers great freedom in your choice of modules. You can choose from a catalog of more than 200 elective modules from the TUM School of Life Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine and Helmholtz Zentrum München, and build your profile accordingly. You can freely combine focus areas and modules to build a unique competence profile.

The program is primarily research-oriented – but there are also fields of activity with particular practical relevance, for example, in pharmacy, pharmacology, animal and plant production, or the food and brewing industry, as well as clinical laboratories. Graduates of the TUM Master’s program in Biology are well prepared to master the challenges of the 21st century in the life sciences.

The career opportunities for biologists are diverse. Depending on your choice of specialization, you will find jobs in university, applied, medical and industrial research, in the food industry, quality control, product marketing as well as in offices, authorities, and public institutions. The fields of activity that particularly relate to research are broad and can be found, for example, in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunobiology, virology, oncology and tumorigenesis, microbiology, genetics, cell biology, neurobiology, taxonomy, animal and plant physiology, and ecology. For certain positions a doctorate is recommended, which you can take following your Master's degree.

For the Master’s in Biology, you can choose from seven possible majors:
•    Biochemistry / Cell biology
•    Genomic / Biostatistics
•    Medical biology
•    Microbiology
•    Ecology / Environmental Management
•    Plant sciences
•    Animal sciences

You must complete at least three of these specializations with 25 credits each. You are free to combine the specializations as you wish, resulting in over 35 possible and very different qualification profiles. You can therefore develop according to your interests and prepare for your desired profession. It makes sense to combine related subjects (for example microbiology, cell biology/biochemistry, and medical biology), but in individual cases an unusual combination can also lead to a profile suited to a specific role.

If you complete at least 35 credits as well as your Master’s thesis in one of the main areas of study, you can expand this into your main area of qualification. Specialization in this main area provides the broad approach and networked knowledge of different areas that are characteristic of biologists. Additional modules outside of your specialization and one general subject complement your profile.

Interest aroused? Just take a look at an example curriculum!

As a graduate of the Master's program in Biology, you will be able to understand and analyze complex biological relationships. You will have deepened and expanded the knowledge acquired in your bachelor's degree and, by choosing your specialization, you will now have more specialized knowledge, while being able to work across disciplines. Your competence profile will reflect your inclinations, interests and abilities. The various internships during your studies will enable you to plan and carry out experiments independently, to process and evaluate the data acquired from them, and to put that data into a larger context. Besides this, you will be able to plan entire research projects and develop solutions for complex biological questions. The knowledge you acquire in the Master's program, together with professional and methodological competences as well as personal and social skills, will enable you to conduct basic research, to work on applied problems, and to deal confidently with as yet unknown topics. You are thus ideally prepared to make your mark in the dynamic and interdisciplinary field of the life sciences.

All students must pay a semester contribution to the Studierendenwerk. 

++ NEW ++ International students from third countries, i.e. from countries that are not part of the European Economic Area, will be charged tuition fees from the winter semester 2024/25. All information on fee levels, waivers and scholarship programs can be found on the website on tuition fees for international students.
 

Application requirements and admission requirements

The prerequisite for admission to a Master's degree course in Biology is a qualified Bachelor's degree of at least six semesters or an equivalent degree in the fields of Biology, Molecular Biotechnology, Biochemistry, or a comparable course of study, which you have obtained at a university in Germany or abroad. However, you can also apply if you are about to graduate from university - we want you to be able to continue your studies quickly! You can find more information on this in the current subject examination and study regulations, Annex 2 to the aptitude procedure for the Master's degree program.

In this aptitude test, we check whether you have the necessary prerequisites and motivation for the degree program.

At the time of application, you must submit a transcript of records with modules amounting to at least 120 credits [ECTS], modules amounting to at least 150 credits for a seven-semester Bachelor's degree program, and modules amounting to at least 180 credits for an eight-semester Bachelor's degree program.

An application is also possible if the qualifying degree has not yet been completed. However, proof of the qualifying degree must be provided within one year otherwise the course cannot be continued. 

The aptitude test is carried out annually and only for applications for the following winter semester.
 

Language certificate

Applicants whose training was completed at a German-speaking institution do not require a separate language certificate.
Applicants whose training was completed at an English-speaking institution do not require a separate language certificate.

All other applicants must either 
i) provide proof of English proficiency, 
e.g. by means of a recognized language test such as the "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL; at least 88 points), the "International English Language Testing System" (IELTS, at least 6.5 points) or the "Cambridge Main Suite of English Examinations". Please find additional information on our language certificate website

or
ii) provide proof of German language proficiency, e.g. level DSH II or equivalent. Please find additional information on our language certificate website.

Semester fees and tuition fees at TUM

All students must pay a semester contribution to the Studierendenwerk. 

++ NEW ++ International students from third countries, i.e. from countries that are not part of the European Economic Area, will be charged tuition fees from the winter semester 2024/25. All information on fee levels, waivers and scholarship programs can be found on the website on tuition fees for international students.
 

Application period and start of studies

The application period is from April 1 to May 31 of each year for the following winter semester. It is only possible to start studying in the winter semester. Please find the semester dates here. 

Students with a qualifying university degree outside the scope of the Lisbon Convention must send an application 1 week before (!) the TUM-Test, as the TUM-Test and its result are part of the application process. See also below aptitude procedure, group 2.
 

Online application

You can only apply via our online application portal, for which you must set up an applicant account. You can find here the instructions for your online application.
You upload your documents for the application to the Master's degree program in Biology directly in the portal. You only need to send your documents in paper form by post to the TUM Center for Study and Teaching once you have received a letter of admission. The final certificate of the qualifying preliminary studies (e.g., BSc) must be submitted no later than one year after admission.

Depending on the country in which you obtained your qualifying university degree (e.g., BSc), you will need to submit different documents via our online application portal. Some extra documents are required, especially for degrees outside the EU/EEA. Please check which documents are required in your case and make sure that you have them ready for your online application. The following, therefore, applies: Please note the country-specific regulations on the application documents required and refer to the glossary of documents  for information on the respective documents. For qualifying degrees from outside the EU/EEA, for example, a so-called preliminary examination documentation (VPD) must usually be prepared for a valid application via uni-assist e.V.. In a few cases, an APS certificate is required for the VPD. In these cases, please take the necessary steps at an early stage! Please note that it can take uni-assist 6-8 weeks to process your VPD. Therefore, apply for the VPD as early as possible, at the latest before the application deadline at TUM. If you apply late in the application period, you must expect delays in the processing of your application at TUM. We can only process your application once all documents are complete, including the VPD.

Documents issued in German or English do not need to be translated. Documents that are not issued in German or English must be translated into German or English by a sworn translator. Please attach both the original and the translation together and upload them as one PDF file.
 

Suitability procedure

In a subsequent aptitude test, we check whether you have the appropriate qualifications and skills for the course.

++ N E W ++:

There are two different application procedures:

Group 1) For applications with an undergraduate degree within the scope of the Lisbon Convention. 
Group 2) For applications with an undergraduate degree outside the scope of the Lisbon Convention (outside the EU / EEA): TUM-Test

The application procedures are described in Annex 2a (without test, but with curricular analysis) and 2b (with TUM-Test, but without curricular analysis) of the subject examination and study regulations of the degree program.

TUM will assign you to one of these two application procedures. Please check which application procedure you have been assigned to!
Details of the online application procedure can be found here.

Group 1) Applicants with an undergraduate degree within the scope of the Lisbon Convention (within the EU/EEA) must complete a curricular analysis on an online platform as part of their application but do not have to take a TUM-Test in return. 

In the first stage of the aptitude assessment procedure, the so-called curricular analysis evaluates the qualifications acquired in the first degree course on the basis of the existing grade as well as the existing specialist knowledge on the basis of the achievements documented in the transcript of records.

You will find the link and the application number to complete the curricular analysis in the online application portal. Before entering the data for your curricular analysis, however, the electronic application must first created in the TUM application portal and also submitted digitally in the application portal. This is the only way to generate an individual and, therefore, valid application number for you. Without this application number, you will not be able to create or complete a valid curricular analysis. 
Important note on generating a valid application number: Saving your application temporarily in the application portal is not (!) sufficient to generate an application number! An application number is only generated when you submit your application digitally! This application number must, therefore, be generated in good time before the curricular analysis is created by the submission process. And: Don't worry! It is still possible to upload documents to the application portal after this digital submission process.
 For modules that cannot be clearly assigned to subject groups based on their title, it is recommended that you also upload the relevant content (e.g., module handbook, module descriptions). Please enter all (!) verifiable university modules in the curricular analysis. The curricular analysis fully replaces the TUM-Test, which is only intended for group 2.

The aptitude committee uses the curriculum list to check the extent to which you have the basic skills of the following subject knowledge groups from your previous studies and evaluates them on a points scale.

- Fundamentals of natural sciences (e.g., mathematics, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, computer science, statistics) 
- Biosciences (e.g., genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, ecology, plant sciences, animal sciences) 
- Credits from modules belonging to the natural sciences and/or biosciences or a related field

The overall assessment of the first stage is the sum of the calculated score of the curricular analysis and the calculated score for the average grade of the modules suitable for the curricular analysis and best graded there.

If you have achieved at least 80 points, you will be admitted.
If you have scored less than 70 points, you will be rejected. 
The remaining applicants will be invited to an aptitude interview (so-called "second stage").

Group 2) Applicants with an undergraduate degree outside the scope of the Lisbon Convention (outside the EU/EEA) must take an electronic test (TUM-Test) before the application deadline. The TUM-Test is used in the first stage of the aptitude assessment procedure to evaluate the qualifications acquired in the first degree program based on the result (score) of the TUM-Test. The test fully replaces the curricular analysis, which is exclusively intended for Group 1.

Please note: At the latest 1 week before the test date, the electronic application must be created in the TUM application portal and also submitted digitally in the application portal. 
Deadline for the valid creation of the electronic application is Monday, April 29, 2024 at 24:00. Only by sending (!) your preliminary application and application number will be rewritten to the same, but then valid application number and only then will it be technically created as a valid application in the TUM application portal. If this application number is missing in the application portal at this point, you will not be invited to the test. 
Therefore: An intermediate storage of your application in the application portal is not (!) sufficient to generate an application number! An application number is only generated when you submit your application digitally! This application number must be generated at the latest one week before the test. And: Don't worry! Documents can still be uploaded to the application portal after this digital submission process.

• The TUM-Test for the Master's program in Biology is offered once per application phase and will take place for the application for the winter semester 2024-25 on Wednesday, 8 May 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST)!
• You will receive an invitation to the TUM-Test by e-mail to the e-mail address you have specified at least 1 week before the date. Here you will find all information about the test procedure. Please also check your spam folder, etc., for incoming mail.
• The TUM-Test takes place in written form and in English as an online test. It lasts 30 minutes and comprises approx. 20 questions. A maximum of 100 points can be achieved in total.
• The TUM-Test covers the following topics:

Genetics and biochemistry 
Microbiology 
Ecology 
Plant sciences 
Animal sciences 
Natural science basics

• If you have achieved 80 or more points in the TUM-Test, you will receive a letter of admission.
• If you have scored less than 70 points in the TUM-Test, you will receive a rejection letter.
• If you have achieved between 70 and 79 points in the TUM-Test, you will be invited to an aptitude interview (so-called "second stage").
• You will receive a confirmation of participation in the TUM-Test with the number of points achieved, which serves as proof during the application process and must be uploaded with the application documents.
• The test is valid for a maximum of 2 years.
   

Enrollment

Once you are admitted to this program, you have to accept your study place in your applicant account. Subsequently you have to submit your certified paper copies for enrollment and pay the semester fees. All relevant information will appear in your TUMonline applicant account. See here for details on the enrolment process and here for the glossary of documents.

Please note that from the time where you receive admission, we will only contact you via your tum.de/mytum.de email address, that you find in your applicant account. Make sure that these emails can be received by you. See here for instructions how to set up your email address at TUM.

• Curriculum
  The curriculum gives you an overview and recommendation, which modules you should take in which semester according to academic and examination regulations (FPSO).
   
• Timetable (TUM ID required for login):
  This timetable is intended to give you an overview of the planned compulsory and elective modules of a semester. It is for orientation purposes only and will not be updated during the semester! 
  
  Via TUMonline you can have a timetable created for each semester according to FSPO.
  
  You can also create your own individual timetable, which can contain not only the dates of the selected courses, but also your personal appointments.
  
  First steps with TUMonline

Your individual curriculum is for your statutorily correct study planning. To be used ONLY for the start of studies until summer semester 2022/23.
The statutes from incl. winter semester 2023/24 (start of studies 2023W) are completely mapped via TUMonline, a study plan is no longer necessary. Please edit only with Windows-PC and only with MS-EXCEL!

• General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
• Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20231 (from start of degree program WS 23/24) - Amending statute 17.01.2024
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20211 (from start of degree program SoSe 2022)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20211 (from start of degree program WS 21/22)

• Examination dates & registration via TUMonline
  In TUMonline you can register for the module examinations that accompany your studies. 

  Important: You can only take most of the exams if you have actively registered yourself via TUMonline within the registration period. The registration and deregistration period will be displayed at the exam date.

• Further examination matters
  • Academic progress check
  • Examinations
  • Recognitions
  • Theses
• Board of Examination
  The examination board is a committee of university lecturers including  lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the examination board of your degree program is Prof. Dr. Philipp Benz. Applications to the examination board are accepted by the secretary and submitted to the examination board for decision. You can reach the secretary via e-mail examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.

Scientific Project Planning (WPP) (ger: „Wissenschaftliche Projektplanung“, short: WPP)

For students starting the Master's program in the WS 23/24 or later:
The WPP is part of the thesis and should be successfully completed before starting work on the thesis. It will be graded as "pass/fail" using the form linked below.
A separate registration is not necessary, as your Master's thesis examiner is also the examiner of your WPP.

For students starting the Master's degree program before WS 23/24:

Scientific Project Planning (WPP) is a mandatory module for Master's students of Biology. It must be successfully completed before the start of the Master's thesis. The WPP must be registered with the examination board and approved by them together with the thesis. This means that the thesis must be registered in the portal around the same time. Registration of the WPP takes place using the form linked below. Thesis and WPP must be registered at least 4 weeks before the WPP.

Your examiner must report the WPP examination to the Campus Office using the form linked below. 

Information on the WPP can be found in the module description in TUMonline, as well as in §46a of your FPSO.

• Registration form for the scientific project planning (WPP)
• Grade notification form for scientific project planning

Important information on the submission of theses

A pre-study internship before the start of the course is not required for admission.

Bus connection Weihenstephan – Garching

More information about

• Internships
• Excursions