Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience - Master

Application procedure

For the program, 15 places are available per year and they will be awarded according to qualification and experience of the applicant.

To apply for one of the places, you will have to use the University of Tübingen ‘Online Application Portal’. Applications for the next terms, respectively, will be possible from February 01 until March 31 (for the courses that start in the upcoming winter terms - i.e., September/October).

The selection procedure has three parts:
First, complete applications will be checked for background, academic records and grades, resulting in an initial shortlist of eligible applicants.
Second, shortlisted applicants will be invited to take an online subject test.
Third, based on the results of these tests, shortlisted candidates will be invited for online interviews. Based on the interviews, applicants: (1) will get an offer for a place on a course; (2) will be placed on the waiting list (3) will not be considered further.

Applicants for the masters program must hold a Bachelor´s degree (GPA 2.5 or higher) or an equivalent qualification from a recognized university or accredited academic institution. Students from Asian countries need to obtain the APS certificate.

Target audience: Applicants for the masters program must have a first degree in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, biomedical sciences, medicine or a related field. The program aims at students who have a strong interest in neuroscience and neural disease.

All applicants whose native language is not English must show proof of English proficiency (TOEFL , IELTS or CAE). Exempted from this proof are students who (1) graduated from a college/university where the medium of instruction was English or (2) German students who had English as a foreign language at a German Gymnasium for at least 8 years.

Beyond that, there are no further language requirements in this program. You will not need German in the program itself.

Amongst other topics, the master program brings neurodegenerative diseases, the neurosensory systems and molecular imaging techniques and transgenic mouse technology into focus.

Teaching Program – Curricular Focus

• molecular and cell biology of neurons and glia
• sensory systems neuroscience and their pathology
• neurophysiology, neurochemistry and neurotransmitters
• cellular and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory
• microscopy/cell and molecular imaging techniques
• genetic and molecular basis of neural diseases
• neural plasticity and neuroregeneration
• model organisms in neurobiology
• developmental neurobiology.

Details on the curriculum can be found in the Module Handbook

The Graduate School of Cellular & Molecular Neurosciences has an explicit ‘research orientation’ with the goal of optimally preparing graduate students for demanding doctoral projects. This goal is achieved by two means: first, by recruiting active researchers as instructors who incorporate state-of-the-art neuroscientific questions and methods in their courses and, secondly, by implementing extensive periods of laboratory training where students engage in current research projects. The same is true for the experimental masters thesis of 6 months, which often serves as ‘seed crystal’ for a subsequent doctoral dissertation.

In Tübingen, neuroscience research and training is ‘without boundaries’:

• it is interdisciplinary – it bridges gaps between traditionally separated disciplines,
• it is interfaculty – it involves the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine, including the University Clinics, and
• it is interinstitutional – the University of Tübingen, the University Clinics, and several local, extra-university institutions are networked and cooperate in various research centres.

These three ‘inters’ are embodied in Tübingen’s joint platform of neuroscience, the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), which forms ties with many partner institutions within and without the University (find a full overview here: Participating Institutes). The CIN and its partner institutions form the fundament and setting in which the Graduate Training Centre (GTC) is embedded, taking full advantage of the lively neuroscience research community, the large international faculty of renowned scientists, and the state-of-the-art facilities.

Semesters 1 + 2 comprise the theoretical parts of the masters training, including the exams at the end of each semester. Course types include lectures, lectures with exercises, journal clubs, tutorials and seminars. In addition, two one-week block practicals will be offered and a retreat in the summer term.

Semester 3 comprises two 10-week long laboratory rotations where students work on small research projects in laboratories of their choice. Students will acquire practical skills in state-of-the-art methods and, furthermore, will get to know current scientific questions and research projects embarked on in Tübingen. Each lab project will be concluded with a written report and an oral presentation of the project in a final seminar. The lab work, together with the written and oral performance, will be marked and makes up a considerable part of the final grade.

Semester 4 represents a six-months period where students conclude their studies with an experimental masters thesis. After graduation, students may either leave the program with a M.Sc. degree to pursue further studies elsewhere or they may continue with their project and enter the GTC’s doctoral program.

Freiwilliger Auslandsaufenthalt
In jedem Studiengang ist ein freiwilliger Auslandsaufenthalt möglich. Mit der Planung sollte ca. ein bis eineinhalb Jahre vor der Abreise begonnen werden. 
Weitere Informationen und Beratung zum Auslandsstudium finden Sie auf der fachübergreifenden Seite Wege ins Ausland. Zudem bieten einige Fächer auch eigene Informationen zu Auslandsaufenthalten an. 

Module Handbook

Study- and Examination Regulations

The graduate program in Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience offers a unique curriculum and exciting research opportunities for graduate students who wish to pursue careers in neuroscience either in the pharmaceutical industry or in academia. The integrated curriculum offered in this program will give students a broad expertise that is not easily achievable in any individual department.

Beratung und Praktika
Der Career Service der Universität berät bei der Berufsorientierung und beim Berufseinstieg. Praktika und Jobs finden Sie im Praxisportal.

After the master´s program, students have the opportunity to continue directly with their doctoral thesis and enter the doctoral program for Neurosciences.

Hier finden Sie alle Informationen zur Ehemaligen-Vereinigung Alumni Tübingen.