| The most important facts at a glance: | |
|---|---|
| Degree: | |
| Standard period of studies: | 4 semesters |
| Start: | Winter and summer semester |
| Admission restrictions: | Open admission |
| Application: | You find information on the application procedure for international students here. |
| Applicants with foreign certificates: | Language of instruction: German Required language certificate: DSH-2 |
| Deadlines: | Winter semester: April 1 - September 1 Summer semester: October 1 - March 1 |
| Required Bachelor's degree: | |
| Homepage: | |
| Faculty: | Faculty 08 - Department of Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Accreditation: | The accreditation of study programmes for Bachelor and Master Degrees constitutes as a precondition for the granting of state approval. |
Subject matter
The first two semesters are designed to provide a broad foundation in computer science and mathematics in order to put students in a position to analyze, modify and apply bioinformatic algorithms and programs. Moreover, advanced life sciences courses deepen the students’ knowledge in biology. These courses aim at extending the knowledge of biological systems and working methods and introduce current research topics. Depending on their personal interests, students can chose between different application areas of biology. The second and third semester deal with important algorithms and methods from different fields of bioinformatics. While the lectures and seminars focus on methodological aspects, the internship offers the possibility to apply theoretical methods. During the third and fourth semester, current bioinformatic methods are applied to concrete research questions of biology. The master’s seminar prepares the students for this research task. The seminar is usually held in small groups and can be tailored to individual expectations, such as studying the relevant literature for the research task. The master’s thesis is supervised by two university teachers (from the field of computer science and from the field of life sciences, respectively). The presentation and discussion of the results of the thesis take place during the final oral examination.
Master entrance requirements
Proof of a bachelor’s degree in biology or an equivalent degree from a higher education institution in Germany or abroad.
Basic programming skills; if the applicant cannot provide proof of basic programming skills before the application deadline passes, he or she may acquire the relevant knowledge by completing the lecture “Einführung in die Programmierung” of the bachelor's program Computer Science. Failure to do this before the end of the first year usually means the student will no longer be entitled to continue his/her studies.
The applicant is expected to have sufficient active and passive knowledge of English to read specialist literature and to participate in courses taught in English; this does not necessarily include written examinations in English.
Applicants who have neither completed their university entrance qualification nor their bachelor’s degree at a German-speaking institution have to provide proof of their German language proficiency according to the ‘Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH)’.
Information
The International Office offers counselling for international students about the application process and general information.
The Academic Advisory Office offers specific information on the subject (List available in German only).
The Student representatives give information from a student perspective (List available in German only).