A profound education in the field of biochemistry

The Master's programme (MSc) Biochemistry offers a profound education in the field of biochemistry. Apart from its focus on cellular biochemistry, it also provides the students with in-depth knowledge in the fields of chemical biology, biophysics, and physiology and includes extensive hands-on in training in practical courses and individual research projects. Students are taught to perform state-of-the-art research projects self-reliantly and are able to participate in at least three individual research projects on different scientific topics. Most of the students are integrated into research groups located in the LIMES institute in Bonn. All students have the opportunity to perform parts of the education program (research projects) at other universities in or outside of Germany.

The Master's program comprises lectures, practical courses, workshops, excursions, and independent research projects. It is an interdisciplinary hands-on training program that prepares students to solve scientific problems independently.

Title/Degree: Master of Science in Biochemistry
Duration: 2 years (120 CP), full-time
Start: Winter semester (October)
Study places: 40
Language of instruction: English
Social fee: currently 309,91 EUR per semester (including free public transportation in the region)

Course contents

Modern life sciences bring new and unexpected insight into highly complex processes in cells, organs and organisms. But whatever the process is, it will have a molecular basis that will be revealed using biochemical methods. So, on the one hand, biochemistry is the basis of life sciences and linking chemistry, biology, physiology and biophysics. With a strong education in biochemistry, all fields of life sciences are open for you. On the other hand, biochemistry, studying the molecules of life, is a fascinating subject on its own. Here, biochemistry covers both the analysis of biochemical systems and the reconstruction of biological systems by synthetic biochemistry with close relation to chemistry in a field that we call Chemical Biology.

In addition, modern biochemistry is inspired by technological breakthroughs:

• high resolution light microscopy allows tracing of single proteins and molecules in general
• latest high resolution mass spectrometers separate, identify and quantify minute amounts of biomolecules with extreme precision
• new chemical methods allow labeling and tracing of biomolecules in single cells
• robotics enable handling large sample sets with unprecedented speed and precision

Building on a century of state-of-the-art biochemical research in Germany, our master course Biochemistry offers theoretical and practical education in the major fields of biochemistry in lecture series, a method-oriented course and lab rotations at LIMES and related laboratories in Bonn. You can learn in depth about Chemical Biology of nucleic acids, about lipids, lipidomics and metabolomics, about membrane protein biophysics and about the biochemical basis of neurophysiology. You will use state-of-the-art instrumentation and methods and will be supervised by experienced and internationally renowned scientists. And last but not least, the course offers bridges to the strong research environment both at the LIMES itself with its strong focus on immunology and metabolism and to the other science institutions in Bonn.

Thematic focuses

The Master in Biochemistry focuses on a profound education in the areas of cellular biochemistry, chemical biology, biophysics and physiology. The program is research-oriented and is taught completely in English. Apart from an in-depth education of scientific knowledge in the mentioned areas, it is characterized by a high proportion of individual research projects in which students are integrated into the highly competitive and interdisciplinary research groups of the LIMES institute at an early stage. Alternatively, all students have the possibility to perform such research projects in other universities or abroad during their Master's studies. Additionally, students are trained in a large variety of methods and techniques applied in life sciences and gain first contact with representatives of life science industries. Finally, a mentoring system helps the students to study efficiently, to plan their careers in a more focused manner, and to become independent.

Job prospects

The primary goal of our study programs is to provide students with an excellent background in basic biomedical research and to prepare them for a master's degree or doctorate.

Activities can be carried out later in academic or industrial environments (universities, non-university research facilities, industry research departments, etc.).

Typical occupational fields are:

• in research at the university, at a clinic, at a research institute or in industry
• in project management
• in science journalism
• as a lecturer in teaching

Admission requirements

The principal admission requirement for the MSc program is a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Molecular Biomedicine, Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Molecular life sciences, Pharmacy or related fields. Applicants must have conducted an experimental Bachelor's thesis.

All courses are held in English. Applicants who are not native speakers of English should demonstrate adequate competence of the English language by acceptable results on an internationally recognized test. Minimum language requirements are met by achieving the following test scores:

• TOEFL paper-based test: 550
• TOEFL computer-based test: 213
• TOEFL Internet-based test: 87-109
• IELTS: 6.0

In addition, the certificates APIEL and CPE meet the requirements of English proficiency. Applicants who took English courses at a German "Gymnasium" until their final examinations (Abitur) or wrote their Bachelor's thesis in English do not need the above-mentioned tests.

Tuition fees

No tuition fees. Students must pay a social fee of approx. 285,11 EUR per semester ("Sozialbeitrag") to the Student Union, which is used to support student activities and provides free public transport in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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