Molecular Biotechnology

The TUM Bachelor’s program in Molecular Biotechnology deals with the production or construction of natural and artificial biomolecules with the help of cells or organisms. In times of genetic engineering and synthetic biology it has become much easier to reprogram or optimize the construction of natural and artificial biomolecules with the help of cells or organisms. It is also possible to create artificial biomolecules with improved or innovative functions. Through protein design but also proteomics, metabolomics, animal and plant biotechnology, cell culture technology, and modern microbiology you can create new molecular "tools". For example, you can develop new active ingredients and antibodies for medicine, biocatalysts for use in industrial biotechnology or make your contribution to climate protection through applied biotechnology. To do this, you use genetic engineering, protein biochemistry, and biophysical methods in conjunction with databases and computer simulation methods (bioinformatics).

In the foreground of this interdisciplinary course is the scientific construction and manipulation of biomolecules, cells and organisms in connection with modern biotechnological production processes. Get into new technologies and change the future.

Still not had enough of molecular biotechnology? Most graduates follow a consecutive master's program that enables them to carry out scientific work with professional decision-making competence. Still not enough? A doctorate allows you to become scientifically active independently.

Not looking for an academic  career? The Bachelor of Science is of course already a first professional qualification, which allows you to start your career directly in an industrial company. In addition to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, the biotechnology sector is of particular relevance to your skills. This industry is currently showing strong growth, giving you very good chances in the job market.

The goal of the Molecular Biotechnology program is a comprehensive education in molecular biology, biotechnology, and biochemistry. At the beginning of the program, the focus is therefore a thorough grounding in the core subjects of natural sciences, especially chemistry, as well as bioinformatics and statistics. For this reason, the lectures are initially also held across faculties, both at the TUM School of Life Sciences, the TUM School of Natural Sciences, and the TUM School of Engineering. You will benefit from the fact that you will always be taught by the respective specialists in the field and thus be at the cutting edge of science.

Compared to the traditional study of biochemistry, which has many similarities with molecular biotechnology, you will focus on constructive-synthetic research approaches in contrast to the deductive-analytical research approaches of biochemistry. Thus, you do not focus on analysis, but rather on the construction of molecules to solve medical or biochemical problems.

In addition to your compulsory modules such as Biochemical Analysis, General Pharmacology and Molecular Genetics, the elective modules allow you to pursue your own interests and thus build your own profile.

In the sixth and final semester of your studies, you will complete a Bachelor's thesis on a topic of your choice and conclude it with a presentation.

Interested? Take a look at the curriculum.

At the end of your studies you will have strong fundamental knowledge in the fields of biotechnology, mathematics, statistics, bioinformatics, chemistry, physics and biology and will be able to further apply this knowledge. The degree program prepares you for an independent scientific working environment with experimental methods through a close interlocking of theory and practice. You will be a specialist in the fields of genetic engineering, protein engineering, and metabolic engineering and your knowledge will help you to solve scientific problems. Due to your numerous laboratory internships you will be skilled in the use of modern analytical instruments, handling of microbial and human cell cultures, ELISA tests, cell staining, real-time PCR, purification of proteins, molecular biological DNA techniques and will have methodical and technical competence.

You will be familiar with the different fields of application of molecular biotechnology in research and industry. You will be able to familiarize yourself with new biotechnological topics of research relevance and work on them using your professional competence based on the current state of scientific knowledge. You will then be able to evaluate, explain, and interpret the results and place them in their scientific context.

In addition to your biotechnological knowledge, you will learn entrepreneurial thinking and trading methods, have expertise in soft skills, project management, patent law and bioethics, among others.

Application and admission requirements

To apply for a place on the bachelor's degree program in molecular biotechnology, you must have a higher education entrance qualification. This can either be a school-based higher education entrance qualification or an adequate professional qualification. You can find all information about the higher education entrance qualification here.

A further requirement is the successful completion of the two-stage aptitude test (EfV), which determines whether, in addition to having a university entrance qualification, the special qualitative requirements of the bachelor's degree program in molecular biotechnology have been met.

Language certificate

If you do not have a German university entrance qualification or German citizenship in the case of an international university entrance qualification (as well as at least 2 years of attendance at a German-speaking school), you must provide proof of sufficient German language skills for the German-language bachelor's program in molecular biotechnology by the application deadline.

Preliminary Documentation (VPD) by uni-assist

All applicants for a bachelor's degree, who did not obtain their university entrance qualification in Germany or from a school that offers the equivalent of the German Abitur exam need a preliminary documentation (VPD)  have to apply via uni-assist e.V.

Semester fees and tuition fees at TUM

All students must pay a semester fee for the student union.

++ NEW ++ International students from third countries, i.e. from countries that do not belong to the European Economic Area, will be charged tuition fees from the winter semester 2024/25. All information on the amount of fees, exemptions and scholarship programs can be found on the website for tuition fees for international students. 

Application period and start of studies

The application period for admission-restricted bachelor's programs at the TUM School of Life Sciences is from May 15 to July 15 of each year for the following winter semester. It is only possible to start the program in the winter semester. The semester dates can be found here.

In the bachelor's program in molecular biotechnology, it is only possible to apply for the summer semester in a higher semester. 

Online application

Applications can only be submitted via our online application portal, for which an applicant account must be set up. Instructions for the online application can be found here. Only after receiving an admission letter, the documents must also be submitted in paper form. All documents must be uploaded to the TUMonline portal by the end of the application period! Documents submitted by email cannot be processed.

++ Please note: Only applications with all required documents uploaded and the complete application submitted by the application deadline will be considered. 

Aptitude assessment procedure

Admission to the bachelor's program in molecular biotechnology requires a special qualification. The selection of our new students is therefore based on a two-stage aptitude assessment procedure.

First stage of the procedure:

In the aptitude assessment procedure, the first step is to calculate an average of the points from the grade of the university entrance qualification (“Abi grade”) and the points from the weighted individual subject grades (mathematics 2x, German, English, natural sciences from the last 2 school years, if available).

Applicants who achieve the specified minimum score of 97 points can receive direct admission in the first stage. If the score in the first stage is 74 points or less, the applicants are considered unsuitable and are rejected.

The exact calculations and regulations are described in the corresponding aptitude test statutes for the bachelor's degree program in molecular biotechnology.

Second stage of the procedure (online aptitude test):

The remaining applicants, who are neither admitted nor rejected on the basis of the points they scored in the first stage, take a 45-minute written online aptitude test in the second stage of the procedure.

The date of the online test can be found here.

We will automatically send you an email with the Exam-TUM Moodle login and access data at the latest one week before the online aptitude test. This means that you can access the Moodle course one week before the online aptitude test to familiarize yourself with the system and read all the information.

The online aptitude test itself will not be activated until the scheduled date.

The test will be in written form and in German as an online test. It will take 45 minutes and will consist of approximately 15-20 questions.

No materials will be provided to prepare for the test.

The questions relate to scientific and mathematical knowledge acquired at school, as well as general knowledge.

Applicants should show that they

- can link knowledge acquired in and outside of school from different disciplines,

- describe and quantify life science processes using the natural science disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics, as well as mathematical and statistical methods,

- possess knowledge of current, socially relevant scientific challenges that are being discussed in public, in particular in molecular biotechnology, and be able to describe current approaches and research topics.

The overall assessment of the second stage is calculated from the sum of the HZB points multiplied by 0.5 (points = 120 - 20 * grade) and the number of points from the online test multiplied by 0.5.

Applicants who have achieved at least 80 points in the second stage have passed the aptitude assessment procedure and will be admitted.

Applicants with an overall score of 79 or less in the second stage are not suitable for the program and will be rejected.

The notification of rejection or admission to the program will be displayed in the TUMonline account. More detailed information on the procedure can be found here in the statutes for the aptitude test for the bachelor's program in molecular biotechnology.

Enrollment

After admission to the program, the study place must be accepted in the applicant's account, the application for enrollment has to be signed and uploaded together with the missing documents for enrollment. And also the semester fees must be paid. All relevant information is displayed in the TUMonline applicant account. See here for details on the enrollment process and here for the glossary of documents.

++Please note: From the time of admission, we will only contact our students via the tum.de or mytum.de email address, which can be found in the applicant account. Instructions for setting up the e-mail address at TUM can be found here.

• Curriculum
  The degree chart 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

• General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
• Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)

• 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 board of examination is a committee consisting of university professors and lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the board of examination of your degree program is Prof. Dr. Brigitte Poppenberger. Applications to the board of examination are received by the secretary and submitted to the board of examination for decision. You can reach the secretary by sending an email to examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.
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A pre-study internship before the start of the course is not required for admission.

More information about

• Internships
• Excursions

Bus connection Weihenstephan – Garching