Biology
M.Sc.
Overview
The work of biologists overlaps that of pharmaceutical chemists, biochemists, veterinarians, agronomists and other graduates in subjects closely related to biology, and biological research is conducted in a wide range of fields, such as molecular biology, biochemistry, immunobiology, microbiology, genetics, cell biology, morphology, taxonomy, animal and plant physiology, behavioral biology, ecology, neurobiology or neuronal foundations of behaviour.
Which further expertise and skills will I acquire?
Graduates will have deepened and supplement the fundamental skills relating to the life and natural sciences acquired during the bachelor's program. In accordance with their choice of focus areas, moreover, they have at their disposal specialist knowledge relating to three of the seven focus areas offered. Given the freely combinable focus areas and the individual and freely combinable modules within each focus area, all graduates have a very specific competency profile that reflects personal inclinations, skills and interests. Having diversified into three focus areas as stipulated, graduates are able to understand and analyze complex biological contexts, including when these extend beyond their subject. Competencies acquired in internships enable graduates to independently plan and conduct experiments, as well as process the resulting data and place it in a broader context. They are in a position to plan research projects of greater complexity with precision and develop original solutions to existing and new biological problems. Furthermore, graduates will have further developed and refined their professional and methodological, as well as personal and social competencies.
Which professional opportunities can I take up with this qualification?
The occupational profile for biologists is extensive. In accordance with their chosen specialist areas of study, graduates find positions in, for example, pure research at a university, applied and industrial research and development, the food industry, quality assurance or product marketing, as well as in government offices and authorities, and public institutions. For certain positions, a doctorate is recommended.
Structure
Around 200 modules in the life sciences and 65 professors enable students to tailor their studies to their own interests. As regards content, the modules offered correlate to one of seven focus areas: biochemistry/cell biology, genetics/biostatistics, medical biology, microbiology, ecology/environmental management, plant sciences, animal sciences. Lectures, seminars, exercise modules, internships and excursions for students in advanced semesters build upon the qualifications obtained in previous studies (in a primarily life sciences-oriented degree program).These courses are largely research-oriented. Emphasis is placed on hands-on experience in small and very small groups, particularly as regards research internships within groups of scientists, where there is 1:1 supervision and the opportunity to make use of tools currently utilized in research. The program offers modules in animal sciences, such as introduction to mammalian cell culture; modules in plant sciences, such as plant physiology, developmental genetics, stress resistance, molecular plant breeding and biodiversity; aquatic and terrestrial ecology; microbiology modules concerning, for example, extremophile microorganisms, food biotechnology, or ecological microbiology; medical biology modules concerning inter alia virology, immunology, oncology or, in the area of biochemistry and cell biology, modules, such as protein design, molecular biotechnology and cell culture technology. The program concludes after 4 semesters (standard duration of study) with a research-oriented thesis completed over a six month period.
Costs
Tuition
HK$64,898.24
(international)
HK$689.54
(home)
Funding
Admissions
Qualifications
Selection takes place through an aptitude assessment procedure. Aptitude assessment is a two-part procedure after the submission of an official application to a program. In this procedure, the TUM school determines whether you meet the specific requirements for its Master’s degree program.
In stage 1 of the aptitude assessment procedure, there is a difference between applicants who have obtained their Bachelor's degree in a country within the scope of the “Lisbon Convention” and those who have obtained their Bachelor’s degree outside the scope of the “Lisbon Convention”.
Applicants for the Master's program in Biology who have obtained their Bachelor's degree in a country outside the scope of the “Lisbon Convention” have to provide evidence of a successful participation in a TUM Test Biology, graded with a point system.
For applicants for the Master's program in Biology who have obtained their Bachelor's degree in a country within the scope of the “Lisbon Convention”, the grades obtained during the Bachelor's program and the Transcript of Records will be evaluated using a point system.
Depending on the amount of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted, rejected, or invited to an interview.
Language requirements
DSH
2
TOEFL
88