Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering

In the master's program in Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering, as in the preceding bachelor's degree, everything revolves around the combination of engineering, natural sciences and economics. In this interdisciplinary orientation, the program is unique in Germany.

The focus of the course is on the one hand on plant engineering, process engineering and process control and on the other hand on molecular biology, bioprocesses and pharmaceutical technology. Your studies cover everything from the development of new production and fermentation processes to the optimization of existing production methods or the analytical control of drug properties to the introduction and control of quality assurance methods.

Thanks to a wide range of electives, you can develop freely within the specializations and follow your interests and inclinations. In doing so, you will already form an initial profile for your future career path. The biopharmaceutical industry is comparatively young and is waiting for innovative minds like you to drive the industry forward.

Expertise in biotechnological production is in high demand worldwide. Graduates of pharmaceutical bioprocess engineering can apply their skills in a variety of ways thanks to the broadly based degree program. You will primarily find job opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry – but with your master's degree, you will also be in great demand in related industries such as the cosmetics, biotechnology or chemical industries. Depending on your taste, you can work in areas such as production, research and development, or quality management.

Today, many pharmaceuticals are produced biotechnologically. A combination of engineering skills and biotechnological knowledge is therefore also in high demand in plant engineering, so this area also offers opportunities for you. Other core tasks include planning, monitoring, controlling and evaluating fermentative processes and ensuring product quality.

Finally yet importantly, of course, you have the opportunity to continue your scientific career with a doctorate at the university.

Basically, the Master Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering builds on the fundamentals of the previous Bachelor. In the compulsory modules, there is an in-depth study of subjects such as protein engineering, pharmaceutical technology, bioreactors, bioreaction technology, and automation and control technology. Here, the usual combination of process engineering and bioprocess engineering material is evident for this degree program. In order to create sufficient practical relevance, you can also choose from a wide range of laboratory practicals in addition to the lectures.

Compared to the bachelor's degree, you have a much greater freedom of choice in the master's degree. You can take 50 credits in modules according to your interests. The versatile subject areas are bioprocess technology and biotechnology, engineering and process technology, and economics. Take advantage of this freedom and shape your own personal profile that matches your interests and makes you unique on the job market. Possible specialization topics include production and fermentation processes, reactor technology, process development and optimization, bioprocess engineering, protein chemistry and analysis, hygiene, quality management and legal requirements in the production of pharmaceuticals. You can also choose up to 10 credits through an industrial - and research internship and thus get a practical reference to the theory.

We are also happy to support you in the selection and supervision of research topics for a research internship that contributes to your individual profile. You can also organize your studies flexibly and, for example, gain additional experience and skills by spending a semester abroad.

In order to successfully complete your studies, you will decide on a topic of your choice in the fourth semester as part of your Master's thesis and demonstrate that you can independently and purposefully answer a complex question from the field of pharmaceutical bioprocess technology.
Here, too, you will be supervised by our internationally recognized lecturers and professors. You can also work on and write your thesis in English.

Interested? Just take a look at an exemplary curriculum!

After graduating with a Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, you will impress with your in-depth knowledge in the fields of process engineering and bioprocess engineering. Thanks to the great freedom of choice in your studies, you have formed an individual profile. This allows you to combine fields of activity and apply your knowledge in a problem-solving manner. In order to prepare you for a career in research and science, you have learned in your master's degree how to work correctly and scientifically and how to comply with all safety standards in the laboratory.

In the field of engineering and process technology, you have learned to plan and implement biotechnological plants and to protect pharmaceutical products from environmental influences. Knowledge of the various basic process engineering operations, the process steps involved in drug production and everything to do with industrial plant utilities round out your profile.

In the bioprocess engineering concentration, you will acquire a wide range of skills: for the production and characterization of biotechnological products, for the assessment of processes, for product safety measures, for mechanisms of action of pharmaceuticals, for the biotechnological manipulation of microorganisms, for the microbiological, chemical-technical and structural assessment of products and for pharmaceutical technologies.

The TUM website on the application process provides a general overview. The following sections contain information specific to this degree program.

Application Requirements and Eligibility

Qualifying Degree
To apply for this Master’s program, you need to provide a qualifying Bachelor's degree of at least six semesters or an equivalent degree. Your degree can be obtained from either a domestic or a foreign university. It must belong to the field of food technology, pharmaceutical bioprocess engineering, brewing and beverage technology, or a comparable degree program.

Minimum Credits
At the time of application, you don’t need a fully completed qualifying Bachelor's degree. For a Bachelor's degree program with six semesters of regular study duration, you are required to submit a transcript of records with modules of at least 120 credits with your application; for a seven-semester Bachelor's degree program, modules of at least 150 credits, and for an eight-semester Bachelor's degree program of at least 180 credits.

Verification of Language Skills

The language of instruction in this degree program is German. Therefore, it is necessary to prove sufficient German language skills with your application. Please check whether you need a language certificate and which types are accepted.

Preliminary Documentation (VPD)

For applications for studies starting from winter semester 2025/26, all applicants with a entrance qualification for Master’s degree programs that was not obtained at a German university must apply for a preliminary Documentation (VPD); this also applies to entrance qualifications obtained in EU/EEA countries. The VPD must at first be applied for at uni-assist e.V. before it is uploaded together with the application at TUM. 

Application Period and Start of Program

The application period is from 1 April to 31 May each year for the following winter semester. We strongly recommend that international students apply as early as possible. You can start this program only in the winter semester. Please find the semester dates on the TUM website.

Semester fees and tuition fees at TUM

All students pay a semester fee for the Studierendenwerk.

Online Application

You can only apply online via our application portal in TUMonline. There, you set up an applicant account (manual). Please upload all required documents to your applicant account by the end of the application period. Documents issued in languages other than German or English must be translated into German or English by a sworn translator. Both the original document and its translation must be uploaded as one PDF file. 

Aptitude Assessment

As part of the aptitude assessment, the Aptitude Assessment Commission checks whether you have acquired the relevant skills and abilities for the degree program.

In the first stage of the aptitude assessment, your professional qualifications are examined. In the so-called curricular analysis, the modules of your Bachelor's degree are compared with the corresponding modules of the B.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering of TUM. A maximum of 30 points are awarded for the professional competencies. Another 30 points can be achieved via the grade of the relevant modules.

The following areas are included in the curricular analysis:

• Chemistry (comprises organic, inorganic and biological chemistry)
• Calculus incl. statistics
• Microbiology
• Physics
• Hygienic Design and Hygienic Processing
• Fluid mechanics
• Engineering mechanics
• Thermodynamics
• Molecular Biotechnology
• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Quality Management and Product Safety

For this stage, please enter the modules completed in your Bachelor's program into the Curricular Analysis Portal and generate a PDF file from it, which you then upload to your applicant account in TUMonline. You will find the link to the Curricular Analysis Portal and the required application number (1-00xxxxxx) in your TUMonline account. At the portal entrance, you will receive detailed instructions on completing the curricular analysis.

The overall evaluation of the first stage results from the sum of the calculated score of the curricular analysis: 

• If you achieve 35 points or more, you will pass the aptitude test and receive admission to the degree program.
• If you achieve less than 25 points, you will not pass the aptitude test and be rejected.

Applicants who have received between 25 and 34 points in the first stage of the aptitude test will be admitted to the second stage. The Assessment Commission will invite the applicants to an aptitude assessment interview, which will last 30 minutes and take place online. Applicants will receive the date for the interview by e-mail at least one week prior.

The entire application procedure is described in detail in Appendix 2 of the Academic and Examination Regulations for the degree program (in the menu “Examination matters” towards the bottom of this website; only available in German).

Enrollment

As soon as you have received a letter of admission for this degree program, you accept your study place in your applicant account. You then upload the remaining documents for enrollment and pay the semester fees. All relevant steps will be displayed in your TUMonline account. Additionally, you can learn the details of the enrollment procedure.

Questions

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the student advisor (see end of this page).

• Curriculum
  • Curriculum 20221
  • Curriculum 20191 (expiring)
    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)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20221 (from start of degree program WS 22/23)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20191 (from start of degree program WS 19/20)

• 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.-Ing.Heiko Briesen. 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.