Medical Immunosciences and Infection University of Bonn

The Master's programme in "Medical Immunosciences and Infection" at the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn is a two-year, research-oriented, international study programme.

It aims to immerse students in the fields of translational immunology and infectious diseases and to equip them with all of the essential skills for independent scientific work and a successful research career in academia and industry.

The course content focuses on the underlying molecular mechanisms of immune-mediated, inflammatory and infectious diseases and the development of new immunomodulatory approaches for their treatment. Current concepts of immunology and infectious disease research will be discussed in lectures and literature seminars and can be directly applied to individual research projects. These research projects can be performed within the highly competitive and interdisciplinary research groups at the University Hospital Bonn, associated institutes or other national or international research institutions.

The Master's course of study is part of the educational and training concept of the Bonn Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation3, which is a collaborative endeavour between the major centres of immunological research in Bonn: the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Mathematics / Natural Sciences (Department of Life and Medical Sciences) and the DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases). Through their association with the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation3, students will have access to a wide variety of scientific courses, technical platforms and interdisciplinary local and international research groups. In addition, the scientific interactions within the cluster provide an unparalleled atmosphere of scientific exchange in which students will have contact with renowned experts in the field of innate immunity.

Career opportunities: ImmunoSensation3 has developed a PhD student training programme, which has evolved into the Bonn International Graduate School Immunosciences and Infection (BIGS Immunosciences and Infection). This graduate school is closely associated with the Master's programme and offers a unique platform in collaboration with PhD students in the fields of immunology and infectious diseases in Bonn.

The Master's programme is structured into thematically related and self-contained modules. Elective compulsory modules allow students to set their individual research priorities. Modules consist of lectures, workshops, practical courses and individual research projects.

Lectures (first and second semester):
The compulsory lectures in the first two semesters will provide in-depth education on the underlying mechanisms and treatment of diseases. They train in scientific writing and soft skills.

Topics

• Immunology: components of the immune system, immunophysiology, immunogenetics, immune response
• Infection: virology, microbiology, treatment of infectious diseases, microbiome, basics in clinical diagnostic, pathogen to host interaction, clinical infectiology
• Clinical Immunology and Immunopharmacology: basic anatomy, immunopharmacology, immune diagnostics, fundamentals of clinical trials, general principles of inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, transplantation, translational immunology, fundamentals of tumour immunology, rheumatology, anti-infective treatment
• Methods in Life Sciences and Statistics
• Ethical and Regulatory Aspects in Live Science and Scientific Presentation

Elective lectures:
These elective compulsory modules allow students to set their individual research priorities. Students choose at least one.

Topics

• Developmental neurobiology
• Cellular neurobiology of disease
• Immunometabolism
• Immuno-oncology
• Introduction to molecular biology and biochemistry
• Nucleic acid recognition in antiviral innate immunity and autoinflammation
• T cell function
• Extracellular vesicles in innate immunity
• Practical course: Extracellular vesicles in innate immunity and virally-induced G4 structures
• Practical course: Insights into human leukocytes antigen
• Practical course: Single cell sequencing

Research projects (third semester):
Students will conduct two individual supervised research projects (eight weeks) in one of the participating departments in Bonn or abroad.  Each project has to be summarised in a short, written report and oral presentation.

Master's thesis (fourth semester):
The Master's thesis is the final part of the studies. The students work six months in a laboratory environment. Their work should usually contribute to a project leading to a scientific publication.
Students will design and perform their experiments considering all relevant controls and the rules of good scientific practice. They document, analyse, and interpret their data in accordance with current scientific literature. During discussions within the working group, they will critically reflect data and learn how to evaluate less defined scientific problems.

The third semester is reserved for two eight-week research projects. Students can work in two different research groups.

External research projects are possible. Our tutors provide scientific supervision for these external projects to ensure accreditation of the projects in the programme.

We have an exchange programme with the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Applicants should have completed a qualifying degree (e.g. Bachelor's degree) from a European or foreign college or university in the fields of (Molecular) Biomedicine, Biochemistry, Medical Biology, Biology, Human Biology or in a related life sciences field. The degree must have been completed with the German grade 2.3 /good (In the German grading system, 1.0 [very good] is the best, 2.0 [good]  and 4.0 is considered sufficient to pass.) Applicants who have not yet completed their Bachelor's degrees must prove a current grade of 2.0 (German system).

Prerequisite courses include:

- 30 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credit points) in total in Immunology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Anatomy or Physiology (animal or human)

- 30 ECTS in total in subjects like Organic Chemistry, Genetics, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology or Microbiology 

In addition, the final thesis written as part of the first higher education degree must be a text based on a practical wet lab experiment; students in a degree programme whose curriculum does not include a thesis are required to provide proof of practical experience working in a research laboratory worth at least 15 ECTS.

A transcript of records with achieved grades has to be included in the application.

More details about our entry requirements and the selection procedure can be found on our website.

The University of Bonn is a public university, meaning that it does not charge tuition fees. However, all students must pay the semester fee of about 350 EUR per semester, which covers a Deutschlandsemesterticket (student transit pass for public transport) and statutory accident insurance, among other things.

We recommend a budget of 1,200 EUR to 1,400 EUR per month to cover the cost of accommodation, cost of living, health insurance, books and miscellaneous expenses.

Principal investigators involved in the Bonn MSc Medical Immunosciences and Infection programme regularly offer student assistant jobs.

The University of Bonn has a central career service, which provides a range of advice and support about choosing a career and applying for jobs. Moreover, international students can join the "iStart" career programme, which teaches participants tangible knowledge and valuable skills that will enable them to write successful applications for jobs in Germany. The programme is geared toward giving students a successful career path both during and after their studies, thus making it easier for them to enter the job market. The International Office offers courses to learn German.

Students of the University of Bonn can apply for a room in a dormitory of the "Studierendenwerk Bonn" (student union). Further information can be found here: https://www.studierendenwerk-bonn.de/en/accommodation/.

For more information about housing in Bonn, please visit our website: University of Bonn / Living in Bonn.