M.Sc. Biosciences

Are you interested to learn about the fascinating complexity of living organisms, from single molecules to global ecosystems? Would you like to become familiar with cell biology, biochemistry, neurobiology, molecular genetics, evolution, ecology, bioinformatics, metabolomics or proteomics, would you like to understand behavior, neuron function, mechanisms of microbial infection, parasitology, tumor development or tissue regeneration?

The seven BioEU Master of Science Programmes offer you tailor-made -curricula according to your personal interests. Selecting a particular BioEU Master program will allow you to become a specialist in your chosen field of interest, and, during the master's program, you will be involved in ongoing projects in leading-edge research groups either at the University of Würzburg or partner universities. Furthermore, you may directly continue your research activities in a subsequent doctoral program in a leading-edge environment.

M.Sc. Biosciences - Biophysics

Based on current research topics, biophysical methods and corresponding applications are presented. Topics that are discussed include fundamentals in thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and molecular interactions in general as well as with respect to the analysis of single cells down to single molecules. Further topics include both theoretical and methodological aspects of plant membrane transport systems, structural biology, biochemistry, biomedicine, integrative biology, and bioinformatics.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology, which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

M.Sc. Biosciences - Cell and Infection Biology

The curriculum relates topics of cell and developmental biology with those of infection biology and corresponding diseases. The cell biology topics comprise developmental subjects such as tissue regeneration and morphogenetic cell migration, molecular stem cell biology, epigenetic plasticity, multicellularity, and environment-depending development. Based on general aspects and novel approaches in molecular biology, including bioinformatics and computational biology, current research topics in the fields of cell biology, microbiology, biophysics, and bioinformatics are emphasized. In particular, these include the action of pathogenicity factors of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic human pathogens as well as ways to develop strategies against the spread of disease.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

M.Sc. Biosciences - Ecology

The program focuses on animal and plant ecology and also includes aspects of sociobiology and other topics of organismic biology. Further topics include constraints for plant growth and development (biogeography, biodiversity), the interactions of plants and animals with abiotic and biotic environmental factors (e.g., plant-insect, plant-fungus interactions) including the evolutionary adaptations at the physiological and organismic level, aspects of neurogenetics and behavior as well as the interaction of individuals, social groups, and large populations in complex and variable ecosystems. Using tropical biology with its specialties, unique and general principles in ecology are communicated. Both fundamentals and novel approaches based on molecular biology tools are discussed with respect to organismic biology.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

M.Sc. Biosciences - Molecular and Computational Biology

The program Molecular and Computational Biology introduces students to molecular aspects in cell biology, developmental biology, microbiology, and biophysics. Furthermore, topics and concepts in neuroscience, infection and immunity, integrative biology, and biomedicine are presented. Special attention is given to the eucaryotic cell and both the fundamental principles of molecular cell biology and the huge structural and functional diversity of molecules, organelles, and cells. Molecular aspects are addressed using tools of bioinformatics and approaches based on computational systems biology. These include functional genomics, dynamic analysis of the transcriptome, and metabolic and regulatory networks.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

M.Sc. Biosciences - Neuroethology

The program gives an overview of the fields of neurobiology, behavioral physiology, and sociobiology. This includes aspects of neurogenetics and behavior as well as the interaction of individuals in social groups. The students learn basic principles of how the brain controls behavior and of chronobiology/endogenous clocks. They also learn integrative approaches to elucidate complex correlations in the field of behavioral biology. They obtain insight into current research in the field. The two topics selected provide both theoretical and experimental skills. Each topic consists of two theory modules and a practical course unit. Further specialized research training is provided in a selected field of interest. The students are actively involved in ongoing research projects. They learn to independently plan and perform both theoretical and experimental work and finally, to summarise and discuss their obtained results.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

M.Sc. Biosciences - Protein Chemistry

The program deals with fundamentals in structural biology and biochemistry, with a special focus on protein chemistry and biophysical methods for high-resolution analytics. Fundamentals in thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and theoretic aspects of molecular interactions are discussed. The students become familiar with biophysical methods allowing them to delineate the structures of single cells down to single molecules. Examples include electron manipulation and dielectric spectroscopy of cells, electrokinetic techniques, protein folding, single-molecule fluorescence methodology, high resolution, and dynamic microscopy. Further topics are current approaches in bioinformatics, including the analysis of genomes and sequences, protein domains and protein families, further large-scale data analysis (e.g. next-generation sequences, proteomics data), and the analysis of different functional RNAs (e.g. miRNAs, lncRNAs). Aspects of computational systems biology include functional genomics, dynamics of the transcriptome, of metabolism and metabolic networks as well as regulatory networks.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

M.Sc. Biosciences - Systems Biology and Metabolomics

The program focuses on the reprogramming mechanisms of the metabolism in association with transcriptional, metabolomic, physiological, phenotypic, or behavioral changes including disease development. Current techniques of metabolomics and bioanalytics, including quantitative metabolite analysis methods (chromatography, mass spectrometry) are applied for comprehensive gene function analysis or stress response analysis. Bioinformatics and complex computational approaches yield insights into the field of computational biology and metabolic networks.

In particular, advances and current results of systems biology are discussed including bioinformatics (genome and sequence analysis, protein domains, or protein families) and large-scale data analysis (e.g. next-generation sequences, proteomics data). Moreover, systems biology analyses the dynamics and effects of different functional RNAs (e.g. miRNAs, lncRNAs), modeling in functional genomics, and the dynamics of the transcriptome and of metabolism. Finally, metabolic networks and their integration with regulatory networks are investigated and discussed.

Program Content

• Theoretical and practical courses,
• Research training and research projects,
• Thesis

Admission Requirements

Bachelor of Science in biology or equivalent study degree that fulfills the criteria of the "Fachkanon Biologie", in particular:

1. Required basic skills in biology in the fields of botany, zoology, and microbiology which may have been achieved in the areas of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, systematics, physiology, ecology, neurobiology, behavioral biology, 30 ECTS in total
2. Required advanced skills in biology achieved in any of the following areas: cell biology, developmental biology, behavioral biology, virology, immunology, neurobiology, human genetics, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, pharmaceutical biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, biochemistry, 45 ECTS in total
3. Required skills in chemistry: inorganic, organic, physical, 15 ECTS
4. Required skills in physics, mathematics, biostatistics, 15 ECTS

Scholarships

International students can apply to numerous organizations for a scholarship, for example to the DAAD, to party-related foundations or business-affiliated institutions. You can find information on the various types of scholarships in the DAAD scholarship database, along with suitable offers.