Molecular Bioengineering Dresden University of Technology

The Master's programme is taught completely in English.

Let’s move to the nanoscale! It is at this level of spatial resolution that 21st-century technology meets modern biology.

Proteins, the mighty molecules in our cells and all life on Earth, are nanomachines encoded in a genetic language. They function at a much smaller scale and a greater efficiency than is currently possible with the available micro-technologies. Become a molecular bioengineer and learn how to engineer cellular machines.

The Molecular Bioengineering programme brings together a novel combination of biology, biochemistry, biophysics, material science, medical science, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology.

Join us and learn the fundamentals of biology, biomedicine, and bionanotechnology. Combine life science with technology. Explore biology to understand how nature engineers its mighty molecules. Use nanotechnology and computational biology to engineer nanomachines, tiny molecular factories, and biomaterials for medical and industrial applications.

Start in October

Programme duration: two years (four semesters) with winter semester (October to March), summer semester (April to September)

31 May for the following winter semester

The Molecular Bioengineering is a comprehensive Master's programme. Over the course of four semesters, the students receive a well-rounded education and gain sought-after wet lab skills.

The initial three semesters are dedicated to build foundational knowledge in a variety of courses that fall into two categories:

• The biomedical modules comprise genomics and stem cell engineering, proteomics, and chemistry with biomolecules.
• The technological modules include bioinformatics, bionanotechnology and biomaterials, biophysics and cellular machines.

Starting in the second semester, the students have the opportunity to dive deeper in their areas of interest by selecting one out of two elective (optional) modules:

• application in biomedicine (Materials in Biomedicine, Biomedical Tissue Engineering)
• application in technology (Microsystems Technology, Applied Bionanotechnology)

Students also have the opportunity to participate in a workshop on public and economic aspects of bioengineering that discusses ethical and legal issues, patenting, and skills required to found and lead biotechnological companies.

Over the course of the third semester, the students have the ability to gain valuable hands-on experience in one of the laboratories at the CMCB, TU Dresden, or partner institution.

The studies culminate in the fourth semester which is dedicated to the Master's thesis. The students have the flexibility to choose from a variety of research topics and work in one of the research groups at the B CUBE, BIOTEC, CRTD or POL. They can also reach out to groups at other TU Dresden departments or partner institutions.

The programme is offered completely in English. Lectures are held by international lecturers from TU Dresden and research institutes located in Dresden (e.g. Fraunhofer, Max Planck, Leibniz institutes). Students enrolled in the programme come from all over the world.

Lab classes are part of the curriculum of the Master's programme. Usually, they are organised as blocks at the end of each semester. Moreover, students work on a project in a lab in the third semester for half of their time. The fourth and last semester is fully dedicated to the Master's thesis in a lab.

No tuition fees

Currently, students pay approx. 300 EUR per semester (i.e. for six months). This includes a ticket for public transport and regional trains in all of Germany. Additionally, students can use a bike rental service all over the city for free for 30 min. The contribution also assures concessions in the university cafeterias and offers benefits (e.g. price reductions) for many cultural and leisure activities in Dresden.

Dresden offers a high quality of living at very moderate costs. Currently, students should expect to pay around 850 EUR per month including rent, food, insurance, and basic expenses. This figure is relatively low compared to other big German cities.

Applicants are required to have:

1. A Bachelor's degree, Diploma degree, or an equivalent qualification in one of the following fields:

• biology/life sciences
• biotechnology
• chemistry/biochemistry
• computer science
• materials science
• medicine
• physics
• nanotechnology

2. Proven basic knowledge in biochemistry, cell biology, materials science, physics and mathematics

3. A good command of English (see below)

English proficiency:

• diploma of secondary school or university completed in English
• TOEFL: minimum 92 points internet-based
• IELTS: minimum 6.5
• certificates of other tests of equivalent standard will also be considered, e.g. UniCERT, CAE, CPE

31 May for the following winter semester

Deutschlandstipendium – application in the first two weeks of July via the TU Dresden website

Further information on scholarships and funding for students is summarised on a dedicated web page of the TU Dresden.

In order to top up their budget, some students may want to look for temporary work in Dresden. If so, different regulations apply for students from EU member states, countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and students from outside the European Union and the EEA area. In addition, restrictions on the duration of employment may apply. Professors, lecturers, and group leaders involved in the Master's programme may offer students the possibility of working as academic assistants. However, living expenses can be financed only partially through a job as an academic assistant.

It is still relatively easy to find affordable accommodation in Dresden. Accommodation is available either via the "Studentenwerk Dresden" or on the private market. Rent for a single room in a student residence is approx. 250 EUR per month.
Private housing can be found online. We recommend that you move into a hall of residence at the beginning of your stay in Dresden. Subsequently, you can look for a place on the private market or in a shared apartment, which is known as a "Wohngemeinschaft" in German.

TU Dresden offers plenty of counselling and training within its Career Service to help students with finding professional orientation. They offer workshops to equip students with professional skills and aid to optimise their CV. Moreover, they support students who want to connect with potential employers.

Additionally, there are special workshops for international students to get to know the German and Saxon job market and network.

Our institute has its own Student Office, which provides help and support to the students of our Master's programmes:
https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/bildung-und-karriere/masters-courses/student-office.

The International Office of TU Dresden is also a good contact point:
https://tu-dresden.de/studium/im-studium/beratung-und-service/international-office.

The Career Service also offers workshops and counselling:
https://tu-dresden.de/studium/im-studium/beratung-und-service/career-service.

TU Dresden is one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany and is among the top universities in Europe: strong in research, it offers first-rate programmes with an overwhelming diversity, with close ties to culture, industry and society. As a modern comprehensive university with five schools (17 faculties), it offers a wide academic range of programmes. With approximately 29,000 students (20% international) TU Dresden is the largest technical university in Saxony. It enjoys an outstanding national and international reputation for research in natural and engineering sciences.

One of the most prominent characteristics of TU Dresden is its dynamic development –a process that has been going on for years and will continue into the future. As a collaborative university, TU Dresden closely cooperates with external research institutions as well as cultural, industrial, and social organisations. Students also benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration with a focus on practical outcomes. Teaching and research follow the principle of involving both students and graduates into current research early on.

The capital of the Free State of Saxony, Dresden, stands majestically on the river Elbe. The fourth-largest city by area in Germany, Dresden is home not just to riverside palaces, Baroque churches and world-class museums but also to a proud history of science and technology. This finds continuity into the present with the DRESDEN-concept, an alliance of 41 research institutions in and around Dresden of which TUD is a proud and prominent member.

Whether you are interested in theatre, opera, cabaret or cinema, or if you enjoy a stroll through museums or a night out at the pub, Dresden has something to offer for everyone. Students also get an opportunity to be active in the many sports facilities in Dresden, including TU Dresden’s own, or in the surrounding nature of the Elbe landscape, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains (Elbsandsteingebirge) or the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge). The surroundings of the city have plenty to offer and the city is an excellent hub from where to explore Berlin, Prague, Leipzig and Wrocław.