Molecular Biotechnology - Master of Science (MSc)
The Concept of the Program
Both basic and applied biomedical research have an increasing demand for modern interdisciplinary approaches. The Master program in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Heidelberg meets these challenges in an innovative way by combining the fields of Drug Discovery, Biophysical Chemistry and Bioinformatics. The interdisciplinary character of the program allows students to specialize in respect to their interests and prepares them for a scientific career in one of the many branches of Life Sciences.
Lectures and seminars of the broad offering by the University of Heidelberg can be attended. The main focus of this program, however, is on practical experience, which the students gain during several internships, dealing with ongoing scientific projects in research groups all over the world. In contrast to typical university organized lab courses, students thus spend most of their study time as part of a research lab, sometimes even leading to scientific publications. This rich experience is not only valuable during the six months work on the Master thesis as a first step to independent investigations but also a major advantage for the student's future career.
The Scientific and Social Environment
This interdisciplinary Master program is based at the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB), which provides an ideal environment by combining molecular biology, bioinformatics and biophysical chemistry. The unique involvement of biotechnological know-how is an excellent fundament for future work in the field of drug discovery and development and biomedical research.
The IPMB is part of the University of Heidelberg, the oldest university in Germany, today being a leading center for Life Sciences worldwide. Scientific progress is not only driven by the university, but additionally by a number of renowned research centers like the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) or the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research as well as by various biotechnology companies settled in Heidelberg. This international and highly motivating scientific environment is located in the world famous romantic city of Heidelberg, a traditional German town in close proximity to the large cities of Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Mannheim.
The Advantages
The Master program in Molecular Biotechnology allows the students to adapt to their individual interests and provides a much higher flexibility compared to many other programs. The diversity and the multiple options for lectures, seminars and research projects allow exploring different fields of modern research.
The unique structure of the program highly encourages self-organization, responsibility and independence. The students can choose freely from the outstanding scientific community in Heidelberg, other German cities or even foreign countries to accomplish their research. Such internshipsare an ideal way to get in touch with scientists worldwide, broaden the horizont and be prepared for a future career in Life Sciences. Furthermore, the Akkreditierungs-, Certifizierungs- und Qualitätssicherungsinstitute ACQUIN awarded the IPMB with the seal of quality for its Master program.
