M.Sc. Examination Regulations
As follows you can find the Examniation Regulations for all Master programmes of the Department of Biology.
Click on the respective headings to open the respective Information for your study programme:
Examination Regulations (Master)
Valid for students enrolled from winter term 2024/25 in one of the five M.Sc. programmes. Please not that only the German version is legally binding.
Examination Regulations (imAGEin)
Valid for students enrolled from winter term 2025/26 in the imAGEin programme at the University of Cologne. Please not that only the German version is legally binding.
Previous Examination Regulations
Valid for all five M.Sc. programmes offered at the Dept. of Biology. Please note that only the German version is legally binding.
As of winter term 2023/24
Valid for students enrolled in the expiring M.Sc. program “Biological Sciences”.
As of winter term 2021/22
As of winter term 2015/16
Admission Criteria
Down below you will find an overview of the admission requirements for each M.Sc. programme:
M.Sc. Computational Biology
Applicants must fulfill the following formal criteria:
- Final grade: 2.7 or better (according to the German grading system)
- English proficiency: At least B2 level or better (an overview of accepted proofs can be found here)
- Degree completion: Completed or at least 80% of total credit points obtained at timepoint of application
To ensure sufficient academic background, we require the following ECTS credits obtained during your previous studies:
- At least 12 ECTS credit points in Genetics and/or Molecular Biology
- At least 60 additional ECTS credit points from at least three of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Botany / Plant Sciences, Developmental Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, Physiology, Cell Biology - At least 24 additional ECTS credit points in fundamentals of Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Bioinformatics and/or Biomathematics
of which at least 6 ECTS credit points have to be obtained in Bioinformatics and/or Computational Biology
1 ECTS credit point relates to a workload of 30h.
M.Sc. Ecology, Evolution and Environment
Applicants must fulfill the following formal criteria:
- Final grade: 2.7 or better (according to the German grading system)
- English proficiency: At least B2 level or better (an overview of accepted proofs can be found here)
- Degree completion: Completed or at least 80% of total credit points obtained at timepoint of application
To ensure sufficient academic background, we require the following ECTS credits obtained during your previous studies:
- At least 30 ECTS credit points in the following study areas:
Zoology, Ecology, Molecular Biology, Genetics - At least 45 additional credit points in the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics / Biomathematics, Botany / Plant Sciences, Developmental Biology, Microbiology, Physiology, Cell Biology - At least 12 additional ECTS credit points from the Bachelor's thesis in the following study areas:
Ecology, Zoology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics / Computational Biology, Botany / Plant Sciences, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, Physiology, Cell Biology - At least 5 additioal ECTS credit points in Mathematics, Statistics, Bioinformatics and/or Biophysics
1 ECTS credit point relates to a workload of 30h.
M.Sc. Genetics and Biology of Aging and Regeneration
Applicants must fulfill the following formal criteria:
- Final grade: 2.7 or better (according to the German grading system)
- English proficiency: At least B2 level or better (an overview of accepted proofs can be found here)
- Degree completion: Completed or at least 80% of total credit points obtained at timepoint of application
To ensure sufficient academic background, we require the following ECTS credits obtained during your previous studies:
- At least 75 ECTS credit points in the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics / Biomathematics / Computational Biology, Biophysics, Botany / Plant Sciences, Cell Biology, Developmental / Regenerative Biology, Genetics, Immunobiology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, (Animal) Physiology, Virology, Zoology - From those, min. 40 ECTS credit points have to be achieved in at least three of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Developmental / Regenerative Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Immunobiology, (Animal) Physiology - At least 30 ECTS credit points in experimental / practical training of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Developmental / Regenerative Biology, Genetics, Immunobiology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, (Animal) Physiology, Virology - At least 5 additional ECTS credit points in fundamentals of Mathematics, Statistics and/or Physics
- At least 10 additional ECTS credit points in fundamentals of Inorganic, Organic, Physical and/or Theoretical Chemistry
1 ECTS Credit Point relates to a workload of 30h.
M.Sc. Molecular Plant and Microbial Sciences
Applicants must fulfill the following formal criteria:
- Final grade: 2.7 or better (according to the German grading system)
- English proficiency: At least B2 level or better (an overview of accepted proofs can be found here)
- Degree completion: Completed or at least 80% of total credit points obtained at timepoint of application
To ensure sufficient academic background, we require the following ECTS credits obtained during your previous studies:
- At least 50 ECTS credit points from at least three of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics / Biomathematics, Botany / Plant Sciences, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, Physiology, Cell Biology - of which at least 20 ECTS credit points have to e obtained in experimental / practical training of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics / Biomathematics, Botany / Plant Sciences, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, Physiology, Cell Biology - At least 10 additonal ECTS credit points in Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Inorganic / Organics / Physical Chemistry
1 ECTS credit point relates to a workload of 30h.
M.Sc. Neuroscience
Applicants must fulfill the following formal criteria:
- Final grade: 2.7 or better (according to the German grading system)
- English proficiency: At least B2 level or better (an overview of accepted proofs can be found here)
- Degree completion: Completed or at least 80% of total credit points obtained at timepoint of application
To ensure sufficient academic background, we require the following ECTS credits obtained during your previous studies:
- At least 4 ECTS credit points in Neurobiology / Neuroscience and/or Animal Physiology
- At least 12 additional ECTS credit points from at least two of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biomathematics, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biophysics, Cognitive Sciences, Robotics, Behavioral Biology or Ecology - At least 6 ECTS credit points in experimental / practical traing of the following study areas:
Biochemistry, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Neurobiology / Neuroscience, Psychology, Experimental Physics, Chemistry - At least 10 additional credit points in Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Inorganic / Organic / Physical Chemistry
1 ECTS credit point relates to a workload of 30h.
Please note that only the Information provided in the German version of the Admission Regulations are legally binding:
- Admission Regulations (German) - valid as of winter term 2025/26
- Admission Regulations (English) - valid as of winter term 2025/26