Admission requirements

To be admitted onto the degree program, candidates must have completed a first recognized vocational university degree acquired in Germany or a qualification from an officially recognized vocational academy in the field of biology or a closely related program of study such as forestry, agricultural ecology, nature conservation and landscape planning, or geoecology.

English language proficiency at a minimum level of B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required. Where the applicant’s native language is not English and the applicant’s school leaving certificate does not indicate their English language proficiency, this can be demonstrated by presenting a language test certificate such as the paper-based TOEFL test, computer-based TOEFL test, Internet-based TOEFL test, or IELTS test.

Notes on the application process

If, at the time of application, proof of the first degree qualifying the applicant for a profession is not yet available, the application will be considered under the precondition that 80% of the credit points attainable for the degree have already been achieved based on completed module examinations or the final thesis and the colloquium (if applicable). A certification from the awarding institute of higher education (examination office) serves as proof of the above-mentioned academic achievements. You can find the appropriate form on the Admissions Office website.

General information about the degree program

Scientific and public interest in the issue of biodiversity and how it has been changing has been growing rapidly for years, resulting from the dramatic drop in both the numbers and populations of species in general. Nevertheless, the increased demand for biodiversity research and scientific monitoring have both been offset by the lack of suitably qualified specialists. This professional dearth concerns areas such as species knowledge as well as the interface between fundamental research in and practical application of nature conservation. Morphological knowledge, which is of critical importance both for evolutionary biology and the functional properties of organisms and ecosystems, often receives scant or even no attention in education. In molecular research, in many cases, methods are only now becoming available that urgently need to be broadly applied.

This master’s degree program shall provide detailed and specialized knowledge on biodiversity, interconnecting organismic, morphological, and molecular approaches. The aim shall be to train specialists who will be capable of developing novel solutions for the conservation and protection of biodiversity.

Study contents

Within the three specialized fields of Species Diversity and Natural History Collections, Evolution of Functional Biodiversity, and Molecular Biodiversity, students shall acquire advanced knowledge of species as well as their documentation in collections, the evolution of their diversity of forms, and molecular biological approaches. The students shall be able to use modern organismic and molecular methods to familiarize themselves with the current problem of biodiversity research. They shall acquire extensive knowledge on the systematics, diversity, and evolution of animals, plants, and fungi. Program graduates shall possess taxonomic expertise for selected groups of organisms (animals, plants, fungi), know the essential concepts of applied ecology, and be familiar with the genetic methods used in biodiversity research. They shall become proficient with important statistical evaluation and analytical methods and apply them to their own projects.

Depending on the specializations chosen, knowledge in the basics shall then be deepened further:
a) In the area of Species Diversity and Natural History Collections, students shall acquire in-depth knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of selected groups of species and master the relevant methodologies. They shall also gain an understanding of biocoenoses, becoming able to assess them from an ecological and conservation perspective, e.g., in the form of expert appraisals. Students shall also learn about collection management, including specimen acquisition, preparation, recording, maintaining, documenting, and scientific evaluation.

b) In the specialization of Evolution of Functional Biodiversity, students shall familiarize themselves with the theory and methodology of morphological and anatomical investigations and shall become able to assess any corresponding properties within an evolutionary and functional framework.

c) In the specialization of Molecular Biodiversity, students shall acquire theoretical and practical knowledge of state-of-the-art genetic methods, including bioinformatics analyses. They shall be equipped to observe the genetic basis of evolutionary processes as well as the various levels from the gene through the chromosome to the entire genome.

The knowledge acquired can then be broadly applied from biotechnology to nature conservation.

Occupational fields

Due of the combination of general and specialist knowledge, graduates are recognized in a wide range of topics within biodiversity research. The combination of organismic and molecular methods represents a particularly unique aspect. The inclusion of collection-based research as well as applied areas such as nature conservation and biotechnology allows our graduates to master diverse and complex tasks undertaken in natural history museums, research institutions, national and international institutions exercising actual nature conservation, or specialist offices after an appropriate period of working in professional practice. In addition to basic research and applied nature conservation research, possible areas of work can even extend to advising political decision-makers.

Study documents

The official announcements of TU Dresden include all published regulations . Please use the search bar to find the document you need: Official proclamation

The regulations are also available on each institution’s website.

Contacts

Admissions Office

IHI - International Institute Zittau

International Office

Additional information