Nutrition and Biomedicine

How does nutrition promote our health and how can it contribute to the prevention of diseases? The international Master's program in Nutrition and Biomedicine deals with these and other questions along the food value chain. Topics such as product safety, quality, diversity and value are on everyone's lips. In order to be able to answer relevant questions in these areas, interdisciplinary expertise is required, especially in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and microbiology. You will also acquire particularly profound knowledge in the fields of nutritional physiology, nutritional medicine, immunology and clinical nutrition. How do the composition, consumption quantity, production and preparation of food affect metabolism, physiology or the development of nutrition-related diseases? Be a part of this research, improve the living conditions of sick people and face the challenges of the future. This English-language Master's degree combines human biology with nutritional science and medicine and opens doors for you into the national and international professional world.

With your degree in Nutrition and Biomedicine, you will be perfectly prepared for jobs in the food industry, healthcare, the pharmaceutical industry, universities and research institutes. Even if your studies have made you a star in research, you can also work in areas such as sales, consulting, quality assurance, public relations, marketing and various management roles. Whether it’s product development in the pharmaceutical industry, research at a clinic or quality assurance in the food industry – with the Master’s in Nutrition and Biomedicine you will find the job that you enjoy. After your Master's degree, you will of course also be ideally suited for a doctorate.

During the first two semesters, you will deepen and broaden your knowledge with various required modules. Especially in the intensive module Basics Nutrition and Food, which introduces your studies in a block course, you will expand your already acquired knowledge of physiology and metabolic pathways. The Computational Biology module introduces bioinformatics methods. In addition, you will learn various methodological skills and experience exciting days in the laboratory. You will analyze the chemical and microbial composition of food and learn to understand their effect on the intestines and metabolism in both healthy and sick bodies. We will show you the most modern chemical and bioanalytical techniques used in model systems and human studies. A further focus of the course is the development, prevention and treatment of diet-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or obesity.

You will have the opportunity to pursue your own interests in the third semester within the framework of 20 credits with various optional modules and thus build up your specific competence profile. Nutritional and/or biomedical connections must be recognizable.

In the third semester you will also complete your Research Internship, in which you will apply the theoretical knowledge and experimental methodological skills you acquired in the first and second semesters. You can complete this 8-week research internship at a TUM chair of your choice, in international research institutions or in industry.

Often, students also use the research internship as an introduction to their Master’s thesis, which you will complete in the fourth semester.

Interest aroused? Just take a look at an exemplary curriculum!

After graduating in Nutrition and Biomedicine, you will have an in-depth nutritional education with a natural science background, complemented by knowledge of biology, medicine and other specialist disciplines. You will have gained practical experience in planning, implementation, documentation and evaluation in your laboratory work, and know how to apply a wide range of methods from biochemistry to molecular genetics, chemical analysis, physiology, immunology, microbiology and bioinformatics. You will be able to analyze and interpret the results and to classify and evaluate them in a professional context. You will have gained a wide range of experience in preclinical and clinical research as well as in epidemiology and have a detailed and critical understanding of central topics of modern nutrition research.

Through the numerous laboratory internships, the research internship and the Master’s thesis, you will be able to work independently and in an experienced scientific manner, and plan and manage your own projects. You will be able to communicate and discuss your findings with your colleagues, having acquired skills in the areas of conversation, teamwork and conflict resolution. For a career in an international environment, your excellent foreign language skills acquired in the international degree program will help you.

Application requirements and eligibility

To apply for the Master`s program Nutrition and Biomedicine, you must prove a qualified bachelor's degree of at least six semesters from a domestic or foreign institution of higher education, or at least an equivalent degree in the fields of Nutritional Science or a comparable Natural Sciences degree with a focus on Biosciences.
You need to prove a minimum amount of 120 Credits completed by the time of your application.

Knowledge of the English language: students whose native language or language of instruction is not English must demonstrate proficiency through an acknowledged language test such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, with a minimum of 88 points), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS, with a minimum of 6.5 points), or the Cambridge Main Suite of English Examinations; if, in the undergraduate program, 30 credits were obtained for examinations administered in English-language examination modules or if the final thesis was written in English, adequate proficiency in the English language is deemed proven.

Preliminary Documentation (VPD): Attention! Applicants with a qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. a bachelor's degree) obtained outside the EU / EEA must apply via uni-assist. First you have to apply for the VPD at uni-assist and then upload the VPD with your application at TUM. Note that processing your VPD by uni-assist can take 6-8 weeks. Be sure to apply for it as early as possible, at the latest before the TUM application deadline. If you apply late in the application period, you have to expect delays in handling your application at TUM. We can only handle your application once all documents are complete, which includes the VPD.
 

All students have to pay a semester fee for the student union (Studierendenwerk).

++ NEW ++  International students from third countries, i.e. countries that do not belong to the European Economic Area, will be charged tuition fees as of winter semester 2024/25. All information on fee levels, waivers and scholarship programs can be found on the website on tuition fees for international students.
 

The application period is from 01 January to 31 May each year for the following winter semester. Start of the degree program is only possible in the winter semester. See here for semester dates. For international students, we strongly recommend to apply as early as possible.
 

Online application

Application is only possible via our online application portal, where you need to set up an applicant account. You find instructions for your online application here. You do not have to submit any hardcopies before your application is reviewed and you receive an offer of admission. Please upload all documents to TUMonline before the end of the application deadline. Documents submitted via email cannot be processed.

Please note: We can only consider your application if you upload all required documents and submit the complete application within the application period.
 

Applicants with higher education entrance qualifications outside the area of applicability of the Lisbon Convention (Countries of the Lisbon Convention) must take an electronic test (TUM-Test) before the application deadline in order to participate in the aptitude assessment for the Master’s Degree Program Nutrition and Biomedicine.

You have to apply online in TUMonline by February 28, 2024 at the latest and submit the application electronically in order to receive your application number (1-00xxxxxx) for participation in the TUM-Test! You can upload your documents (e.g. proof of participation in the TUM-test) later without any problems. Applicants with higher education entrance qualifications within the area of applicability of the Lisbon Convention (Countries of the Lisbon Convention) do not have to take the TUM-Test.

The TUM-Test for the Master's program Nutrition and Biomedicine is conducted once per admissions period before the application deadline. For the application for the winter semester 2024-25 TUM-Test will take place on Thursday, 07 March 2024, at 2.00 p.m. Central European Time (CET)!

At least one week before the date, you will receive an invitation to the TUM-Test via email with detailed information. It is very important that you have a stable internet connection for the test and that your IP address remains the same during the test.

The TUM-Test is an online, written test (in English) comprising approximately 10-15 questions requiring approximately 30 minutes to complete.

The TUM-Test covers the following categories:

       - Mathematics and Statistics
       - Research methods
       - Biochemistry/Metabolism
       - Anatomy/physiology/pathophysiology

If you have achieved at least 40 points in the TUM-Test you will be assessed in the aptitude process. You will receive a confirmation of your participation in the TUM-Test Nutrition and Biomedicine with the achieved score. You must upload this confirmation with your application documents.

The results of the TUM-Test are valid for a maximum of two years.
 

Aptitude assessment procedure

In a subsequent aptitude assessment process, we will check whether you have the appropriate qualifications and skills for the Master`s program.

(1) For applicants with higher education entrance qualifications within the area of applicability of the Lisbon Convention (Countries of the Lisbon Convention), the commission uses a curricular analysis to assess your aptitude and the eligibility of your submitted qualifications (first stage of the aptitude assessment process).

The link and Application number/Antragsnummer (1-00xxxxxx) to register for the curricular analysis can be found in your TUMonline application account.
Especially for modules that cannot be clearly assigned to the subject groups based on their title, it is recommended to upload the corresponding contents (e.g. module handbook, module descriptions).

On the basis of the curricular analysis, the commission evaluates and grades your basic competencies in the following fundamental subject groups:

- Physics
- Inorganic chemistry with practical course
- Organic and physical chemistry with practical course
- Biochemistry
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Microbiology
- Human/animal physiology
- Laboratory practical performance (e.g. in biochemistry, microbiology; human/animal physiology, biology).

The total points of the first stage will be calculated as the sum of the individual evaluations (curricular analysis ).
Applicants who have achieved at least 50 points will receive confirmation that they have passed the aptitude assessment.
Applicants who have achieved less than 40 points fail the aptitude assessment.

The remaining applicants will be invited to an aptitude assessment interview (second stage of the aptitude assessment process). We will invite you to an interview of 20-30 minutes via Zoom. We will announce your interview date at least one week in advance.

(2) For applicants with higher education entrance qualifications outside the area of applicability of the Lisbon Convention (Countries of the Lisbon Convention): on the basis of the results of the TUM-Test Nutrition and Biomedicine it will be assessed, whether an applicant is eligible for the program (first stage of the aptitude assessment process).
Based on the results of the TUM-Test, the total points in the first stage will be calculated.

Applicants with at least 50 points will receive a confirmation letter that they have passed the aptitude assessment.

The remaining applicants will be invited to an aptitude assessment interview (second stage of the aptitude assessment process). We will invite you to an admission interview of 20-30 minutes via Zoom. We will announce your interview date at least one week in advance.

The detailed admission process is described in appendix 2a (without TUM-Test), 2b and 3 (with TUM-Test) within the Academic and Examination Regulations of the program.
 

Enrollment

Once you are admitted to this program, you have to accept your study place in your applicant account. Subsequently you have to submit your certified paper copies for enrollment and pay the semester fees. All relevant information will appear in your TUMonline applicant account. See here for details on the enrolment process and here for the glossary of documents.

Please note that from the time where you receive admission, we will only contact you via your tum.de/mytum.de email address, that you find in your applicant account. Make sure that these emails can be received by you. See here for instructions how to set up your email address at TUM.

• Curriculum
  The degree chart gives you an overview and recommendation, which modules you should take in which semester according to academic and examination regulations (FPSO).
   
• Timetable (TUM ID required for login):
  This timetable is intended to give you an overview of the planned compulsory and elective modules of a semester. It is for orientation purposes only and will not be updated during the semester! 
  
  Via TUMonline you can have a timetable created for each semester according to FSPO.
  
  You can also create your own individual timetable, which can contain not only the dates of the selected courses, but also your personal appointments.
  Find Nutrition and Biomedicine electives in TUMonline (WS 2020/21) 
  
  First steps with TUMonline

• General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
• Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20231 (from start of degree program WS 23/24)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 20181
• Examination dates & registration via TUMonline
  In TUMonline you can register for the module examinations that accompany your studies. 

  Important: You can only take most of the exams if you have actively registered yourself via TUMonline within the registration period. The registration and deregistration period will be displayed at the exam date.

• Further examination matters
  • Academic progress check
  • Examinations
  • Recognitions
  • Theses

• Board of Examination
  The board of examination is a committee consisting of university professors and lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the board of examination of your degree program is Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Martin Klingenspor. Applications to the board of examination are received by the secretary and submitted to the board of examination for decision. You can reach the secretary by sending an email to examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.

Research Internship

A pre-study internship is not required for admission. In the third semester, however, you must complete a 6-week research internship as a compulsory module - either at a TUM chair of your choice, in international or national research institutions or in industry.

Please be sure to follow the instructions in our info sheet and in the module description. Here you will also find important information on how to find a chair for the supervision and registration of your research internship in advance.

In the Internship database of the TUM School of Life Sciences you will find many possibilities where you could do your internship.

More information about

• Internships
• Excursions