IFIB – Interfakultäres Institut für Biochemie

Internationality of the Tübingen Master of Biochemistry

The master program in Tübingen is international in several aspects. The degree is taught completely in English, many students and group leaders on campus are from abroad and we will support you in finding lab placement outside Tübingen and/or Germany if desired.

Coming to Tübingen from abroad

Tübingen is a historic university city located centrally in Europe. It is home to a population of ~90'000 including 28'000 students, making for a very lively atmosphere. You would be joining 3000 international students already in Tübingen and receive dedicated support by the university, the faculty and the biochemistry student association (Fachschaft).

The course itself is taught completely in English and all labs at the IFIB and the vast majority of labs on campus communicate in English. The university language center can help you learn German which can become an important plus for your applications following the Master.

You can benefit from the generous public funding of German universities. There are currently no significant fees levied, unlike in the USA and the UK. Registration costs are at just about 160€/semester. You do have to factor in living costs though. Teaching assistantships are a common way to supplement your funding; several merit-based scholarships are also available.

If you are likely to require a visa to study here, we recommend that you apply a semester early, for example in January to start in October. Applying in July for entry in October was too little time for most international applicants in the past because the visas often took several months to arrive and only with the visa in hand can you travel to Tübingen and sign up for the degree. See also the frequently asked questions section.

Going abroad as part of the master program

We encourage you to get some international experience under your belt while with us and will support you in this effort. Doing a single or two back-to-back lab placements abroad will be the typical way to do this. The faculty of the IFIB has considerable contacts abroad which we will use to facilitate your search. In addition, the institute has a formalized exchange program with Capital Normal University in Beijing, China.

Marco's story: Marco studied biochemistry as part of the Diploma degree that preceded the current Master program. He first went to Cambridge, USA as part of a lab placement during his studies in Tübingen. There, he got to know a top structural biology lab and the principal investigator got to know him. So well, in fact, that she encouraged him to apply for the MIT's PhD program. And this is what he is currently up to, enjoying the excellent science and the fun city.

Susanne's story: To follow her interest in melanoma, Susanne went to work in a lab in Uppsala, Sweden. She very much enjoyed the multi-cultural atmosphere and met many people from all over the world. She says, one of the most important tradition in Sweden is Fika, the coffee break with friends. After her time in Sweden, she went on to a 2nd internship in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. She reports that after demonstrating her independence in the lab, she was given the opportunity to devise her own experiments and projects. Her perfect day in Boston is having lunch in Chinatown with delicious dumplings and then go sailing on the Charles River.