Overview
This research-oriented MSc program is built around the Faculty of Biology and brings together leading life-sciences expertise from across the university — including research groups in medicine, psychology, chemistry & pharmacy, and physics. It is embedded in the Graduate School of Life Sciences, which includes more than 280 research groups, and is structured as a fast-track master that accelerates early transition into a doctoral project.
Who this program is for
The course is intended for students who aim to pursue a research career in academia or industry and who want to begin a PhD project as soon as possible. It is highly intensive and not a classroom-focused master: successful students are expected to work independently, manage a substantial workload, and thrive in a very interdisciplinary and international setting. All teaching is in English, and strong written and spoken English skills are essential.
Important note on practical experience
Substantial hands-on experimental research experience is a core requirement for admission (at minimum an experimental Bachelor’s thesis). Routine practical courses or short methodological internships are not considered adequate substitutes. The program is specifically geared toward applicants with a solid natural-science background who are prepared for immediate immersion in research.
Admission requirements (concise)
Not suitable if
This programme offers an accelerated route into doctoral research for strong performers while also remaining a standard two‑year Master’s option. In the first semester you must complete three compulsory modules — a lecture series on core topics, a methods course, and a research internship — each worth 10 ECTS. These lectures are delivered by principal investigators who belong to the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS), and the research internship takes place in one of the GSLS laboratories. During this semester you will also choose which of the GSLS’s five thematic sections you wish to specialise in.
From the second semester onward the main research component is the Master’s thesis project (25 ECTS), carried out in one of the programme’s more than 280 participating research groups. A successful thesis defence (5 ECTS) and the remaining credits required for the Master’s degree can be earned while you continue into a doctoral project: if you achieve at least a B+ in all three first‑semester modules and then obtain a grade of A‑ or better on the Master’s thesis, you become eligible to start a doctoral project as early as year two. The additional Master’s credit points are accrued in parallel with doctoral activities such as advanced GSLS courses, special lectures, conferences, group seminars, journal clubs and summer schools.
Key learning outcomes include a solid grasp of contemporary life‑science concepts, advanced experimental and analytical methods, practical hands‑on research experience, the ability to plan and execute an independent research project, and professional communication of results (oral defence and scientific presentations). The fast‑track option currently has a success rate of about 70%, but students should plan financially for the full two‑year Master’s period because even fast‑track candidates may need more than one year to secure funded doctoral positions.
Requirements and key facts
This programme requires a completed, research-oriented bachelor's degree in the life sciences and clear proof of both academic breadth and practical laboratory experience. You must meet the credit and subject prerequisites by the time of admission (not merely by application), and your application will be checked for equivalence if your degree was obtained outside the European system. Admission decisions follow a three-step selection process: document screening, an exam, and an interview.
If your bachelor’s degree is still in progress when you apply, you can still be considered provided you can document that you have already finished the majority of your programme. For non-EU degrees, the federal evaluation authority (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen, ZAB) is the decisive body for determining equivalence: http://www.kmk.org/zab. Note that programmes that are predominantly technical, applied, or medical in nature are generally not accepted as equivalent preparation for this MSc.
Admission requirements (bullet points)
Degree and credits:
Subject background:
Programme exclusions and cautions:
Selection procedure:
Winter Semester (International)
15 March 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 March 2026
This programme is explicitly intended as a gateway to research careers: it prepares students for doctoral research in academia and for advanced research roles in industry (biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, life‑science R&D). Students who meet the fast‑track criteria can transition quickly into funded PhD projects, while other graduates will leave with a research‑oriented MSc that strengthens their competitiveness for research positions and further postgraduate training.
Graduates gain highly transferable skills — experimental design, project management, scientific writing and presentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration — that are valued in research institutions, industry R&D teams, and innovation‑driven companies. Because progression to a funded doctoral position depends on thesis performance and available positions, applicants should plan for the possibility of up to two years of self‑funding while seeking a PhD placement.