This Master's programme provides a broad, practice-oriented education for professionals who want to work in parts of the economy that rely on biological resources and biotechnological processes to create bio-based products and services. The curriculum examines whole value chains, from raw-material production in agricultural ecosystems across different climate regions to the biotechnological and industrial processes that transform those resources into new goods. It also covers the properties and supply logistics of biological inputs, and the marketing and patterns of consumption for bio-based products.
The programme explicitly integrates environmental, social and economic perspectives, addressing both micro- and macro-level questions. Students learn to consider innovation, institutional settings and policy frameworks when analysing bioeconomy issues. Delivered jointly by three faculties—Agricultural Sciences; Natural Sciences; and Business, Economics and Social Sciences—the course is interdisciplinary by design, enabling a systematic appraisal of complex bio-based value chains.
Graduates acquire skills that prepare them for a variety of roles across the bioeconomy. They learn to evaluate resource production and supply systems, assess conversion processes and product development, and appraise market demand, acceptance and regulatory environments. The programme is particularly strong in training students to view bio-based value chains from multiple stakeholder perspectives, including innovative firms, established producers, market analysts and organisations that support development through research or advisory services.
Key facts and outcomes
In the first year you build a shared foundation in the bioeconomy: its core concepts, the structure of bio-based value chains, and the interoperable skills needed to work across those chains. To accommodate students from different academic backgrounds, three introductory modules in the first semester introduce basic ideas from agricultural, natural and economic sciences. Compulsory modules then teach methods for systematic analysis of bio-based economies — from the natural- and agricultural-science properties of biomass to economic analysis and optimisation of production and processing along the entire value chain.
The second year is flexible and student-directed. You can remain a generalist or specialise by choosing from elective modules grouped into distinct profiles, allowing you to tailor your studies to policy, production, processing, sustainability, entrepreneurship, food systems, or data-driven approaches. A hands-on module, "Projects in Bioeconomic Research," lets you apply learned methods to a real product chain: students collaboratively trace a product from its origin to market launch in partnership with industry and organisations.
The programme finishes with a research-intensive Master’s thesis in the fourth semester. Graduates will be able to carry out interdisciplinary, systematic analyses of bio-based value chains, propose and evaluate optimisation strategies, and translate research into applied projects in collaboration with external stakeholders.
This interdisciplinary master’s program welcomes applicants from a wide range of academic backgrounds. To qualify, you generally need a completed Bachelor's-level university degree that corresponds to at least 180 ECTS (typically a three-year undergraduate program) or an equivalent academic qualification in one of the accepted subject areas. Because the program draws on multiple disciplines, degrees in natural sciences, engineering, agricultural or forestry sciences, and social or economic sciences are all appropriate entry routes.
You must also demonstrate sufficient English language ability — the program page lists the acceptable tests and minimum scores. Importantly, anyone who meets the stated entry criteria is guaranteed a place in the program. For full application instructions and the detailed language requirements, consult the program’s official page.
Requirements (summary)
More information and application details: https://www.uni-hohenheim.de/en/biecon-apply.
Winter Semester (International)
15 June 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 June 2026
Graduates are prepared for careers across the bioeconomy where expertise in biological resources, bioprocesses and value-chain analysis is required. Typical employers include companies developing new bio-based resources, producers integrating renewable inputs and technologies, and firms bringing biobased products to market.
Other career pathways include roles in market analysis and consumer-acceptance studies, policy and regulatory organisations, research institutions, advisory services and NGOs that support bio-based value chain development. The programme’s combination of technical, economic and policy training also supports positions in innovation management, sustainability assessment and data-driven decision-making within the bioeconomy.
Trier University of Applied Sciences — Birkenfeld
Technische Universität Braunschweig — Braunschweig
Furtwangen University — Villingen-Schwenningen
University of Siegen — Siegen