Information from the Dean of Studies

All information on admission to the degree programme can be found here HERE

If natural sciences, biology or biology in combination with other subjects have NOT been successfully completed to the extent of at least four hours per week after the 8th grade at a secondary school, an additional biology examination must be taken for admission.

Further information can be found at HERE and HERE

- Online application only possible after completion of the Bachelor's degree programme, i.e. the Bachelor's thesis must be completed and
assessed.

- Deadlines for online application approx. 4 weeks before the start of the semester

- If the Bachelor's degree is not completed until afterwards, late registration is still possible until the end of October (winter semester) or the end of March (summer semester).
is possible. To do this, contact the Admission Department directly after completing the Bachelor's programme

Admission to a Master's degree programme requires the completion of a relevant Bachelor's degree programme or a relevant Bachelor's degree programme at a university of applied sciences or another equivalent degree programme at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution.
In individual cases, admission to a Master's degree programme is subject to conditions. If the completed Bachelor's degree programme does not cover all the required subject areas, supplementary examinations are imposed. This means that individual courses from the Bachelor's degree programme in Biology must be made up for.
The designation of the courses or modules according to Curriculum is stated in the notification.
Entire modules (e.g. PM7 = compulsory module 7) or individual courses (e.g. PM13a, the first lecture from compulsory module 13) may be specified as supplementary examinations.

Additional supplementary examinations in English are offered for the Master's degree programme in Biomedical Life Sciences. These can be taken instead of the respective Bachelor's course. All documents and additional information can be found on OLAT.

You can register for the OLAT course at this link: https://lms.uibk.ac.at/url/RepositoryEntry/5888344068.

IMPORTANT: The supplementary examinations must be passed within the first two semesters of the Master's programme.
Otherwise the Master's programme cannot be continued. This deadline is stipulated in the UG and cannot be extended.
Please note that almost all courses are only offered once a year!

Admission to a master's program requires the completion of a relevant bachelor's degree, a relevant bachelor's degree from a university of applied sciences, or another equivalent degree from a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution.

In individual cases, admission to a master's programme may be granted with conditions. If the completed bachelor's degree does not cover all required subject areas, supplementary examinations will be imposed. This means that certain courses from the Bachelor's programme in Biology must be completed. These courses are in German.

For the Master's programme Biomedical Life Sciences equivalent supplementary exams are offered in English. You can choose whether you want to register for the lectures and attend their exams or study with the material provided on the learning platform OLAT. You can also find addtional informations there.

Use this link to register for the OLAT course

https://lms.uibk.ac.at/url/RepositoryEntry/5888344068.

The official notification will specify the titles of the courses or modules according to the Curriculum. Entire modules (e.g., PM7 = Compulsory Module 7) or individual courses (e.g., PM13a, the first lecture from Compulsory Module 13) may be designated as supplementary examinations as well as the equivalent english supplementary exams.

IMPORTANT: The supplementary examinations/lectures must be successfully completed within the first two semesters of the Master's programme. Otherwise, the Master's programme cannot be continued. This deadline is stipulated in the Universities Act (UG) and cannot be extended.

Please note that most lectures are only offered once per year!

Please agree the topic of your dissertation with your supervisor before enrolling on the programme.

Details on the PhD programme can also be found below.

The course SL Introduction to Biology Studies will take place on 30 September (9:30-17:00, HS B, followed by drinks and snacks) and 1 October 2025 (10:15-11:45, HSB) for all those starting the Bachelor's degree programme in Biology. This course is part of the STEOP. Together with the student representatives, we will provide information about the start of the programme, introduce the Faculty of Biology and the campus and are available to answer questions. Please register for the course to get access to the accompanying documents.

The Student Council offers an introductory meeting for all students starting one of our "biological" Master's Programmes on 30 September 2025 (date and time are to follow)

The Student Council offers an introductory meeting for all students starting one of our "biological" Master's Programmes on September 30, 2025 (date and time are to follow)

In the Master's degree programmes, places for modules with participant restrictions are usually allocated at the beginning of the semester. Please register for the courses in good time in September and then attend the module allocation in person (or be represented)

Available places in modules with limited space are distributed at the beginning of the semester for most Master's programmes. Register for the courses before the deadline in September and be present for the allocation meeting (or send a representative)

Biomedical Life Sciences: 01.10.2025, 16:00, HS B

Botany: to be announced

Microbiology: 01.10.2025, 15:30, HS F

Ecology and Biodiversity (including EMMA): 01.10.2025 , 14:45, HS A

Zoology: 01.10.2025 , 17:30, Seminar room Biology

The following documents must be submitted to the Examinations Office for the recognition of prior achievements, examinations from other universities, achievements from other degree programmes, etc:

- Application form
- supplementary sheet
- Proof of achievement (e.g. certificate)
- Study sheet
- For coursework completed outside the UIBK, additional official description of the course or link to it

The application can be submitted by e-mail.

Forms:

Bachelor Biology: Application form and Supplement
Master Botany: Application form and Supplement
Master Environmental Management of Mountain Areas (EMMA): Application form and Supplement
Master Microbiology: Application form and Supplement
Master Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology (MolZEB): Application form and Supplement
Master Ecology and Biodiversity: Application form and Supplement
Master Zoology: Application form and Supplement

Internships and similar activities can be recognised as interdisciplinary skills if they are suitable for the subject.
The following documents must be submitted to the Examination Office:

- Application form
- supplementary sheet
- study sheet
- Confirmation from the employer/institution about the internship. This must include a brief description of the activity (2-3 sentences),
the exact period and the extent of employment (e.g. 40 hours per week).
This is the basis for the calculation of ECTS credits
- Internship report. Approx. 10 pages of detailed report on the activity ideally in the style of an internship report from a course.
from a course. Introduction, methods, results, etc. Of course, this depends a little on the type of activity.

The submission can be done via e-mail.

Bachelor Biology: Application form and Supplement
Master Botany: Application form and Supplement
Master Environmental Management of Mountain Areas (EMMA): Application form and Supplement
Master Microbiology: Application form and Supplement
Master Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology (MolZEB): Application form and Supplement
Master Ecology and Biodiversity: Application form and Supplement
Master Zoology: Application form and Supplement

We would like to ensure that it is actually possible for an activity to be recognised for the WM 33 Ecological Practice after completion of the thesis.

Please send an enquiry (institution, duration, brief description of content) to the Dean of Studies in advance: Birgit.Weinberger@uibk.ac.at

After completing the activity, submit the following documents to the Examination Office:

- Application form
- Supplement
- study sheet
- Confirmation from the employer/institution about the activity This must include a brief description of the activity (2-3 sentences),
the exact period and the extent of the employment (e.g. 40 hours per week). This is the basis for the
calculation of the ECTS
- Activity report. Approx. 10 pages of detailed report on the activity ideally in the style of an internship report from a course.
from a course. Introduction, methods, results, etc. Of course, this depends a little on the type of activity.

There are a number of opportunities for both Bachelor's and Master's students to spend a semester abroad. The procedure depends on whether you organise your stay via an "official" programme (e.g. ERASMUS+ etc.) or as a "free mover".

For all administrative matters, please contact the relevant offices:

ERASMUS+

AURORA

Office for International Relations:

The Dean of Studies is exclusively responsible for processing the recognition of examinations. Arrangements for recognition must be made before the start of the semester abroad!

Many programmes require a Learning Agreement or similar, which must be drawn up and signed in advance. If such an agreement is not provided, please contact the Dean of Studies anyway and draw up a similar agreement informally.

birgit.weinberger@uibk.ac.at

After completing your stay abroad, please follow the procedure for recognising credits from other universities (see above) or the procedure for ERASMUS+, which follows the Learning Agreement.

The Bachelor's thesis must be completed as part of a course that is immanent to the examination (all course types except lectures) with a lecturer from this course.
Courses from the following modules are eligible for this: compulsory modules 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and elective modules 1-33
The course instructor confirms the completion of the Bachelor's thesis with this .

Microbiology (2008, amended 2019) Microbiology (2025)

Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology (2008, amended 2019) Biomedical Life Sciences (2025)

Details can be found here: Biomedical Life Sciences and Microbiology

Two new curricula for Master's degree programmes will come into force in the winter semester 2025/2026. From winter semester 2025/2026, these programmes can only be started according to the new curricula.

There are two options for students who started their studies under the old curricula at an earlier date:

• Complete in the old curriculum
  This is still possible until the end of the 2028 summer semester. The changeover to the new curricula will then take place automatically
• Switch to the new curriculum
  To do this, the change must be reported to the Admission Department.
  This is done via LFU:online. Information can be found at HERE
  Courses or modules that were completed in the old curriculum will be transferred to the new curriculum according to the equivalence lists. This is done automatically. An application for credit transfer is not necessary.
  The number of semesters will continue to be counted. For example, if you have already studied 2 semesters of MolZEB, you will be in the 3rd semester of Biomedical Life Sciences after the change.

Link to the Biomedical Life Sciences equivalence list follows

Link to the equivalence list Mikrobio follows

ATTENTION: The course catalogue now lists courses from both curricula (old and new). Please make sure that you register for the correct courses so that the grade can be assigned correctly!

ATTENTION: It is NOT possible to complete examinations from the Master's degree programmes before enrolment (i.e. if the Bachelor's degree has not yet been completed)! This also applies to courses that are not part of examinations.

Later crediting of courses that were completed as a Bachelor's programme is not possible under study law. There is no room for manoeuvre.

What is possible, for example, is participation in lectures. However, the examination can only be taken if you can register with the Master's programme code!

- Before starting the thesis

- Completely filled out form (Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology or Biomedical Life Sciences) and approx. 1-page exposé to the Dean of Studies (Birgit.Weinberger@uibk.ac.at)
and Administration IBA (Miriam.Czerner@uibk.ac.at)

- Registration for the course "Research-related project study" and entry for main supervisor is done automatically by the FSS

- Report/protocol in consultation with the supervisor

- Poster or presentation at the project studies symposium. Always on the 1st day of the semester (October and March). All those who
project study in the previous semester will be contacted approx. 4 weeks in advance.

- The grade is then entered by the supervisor

- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) at the UIBK

- Post-docs at the UIBK in the field of their dissertation

- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) outside the UIBK who are actively involved in the Master's programme MolZEB or Biomedical Life Sciences
actively involved as course leaders (in case of doubt, ask the Dean of Studies)

The two project studies cannot be carried out in the same working group

- Yes, this is possible.
- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) outside the UIBK who are actively involved in the Master's programme MolZEB or Biomedical Life Sciences
can be the main supervisor (see above)
- Project studies with other supervisors outside the UIBK require a main supervisor at the UIBK;
the external person is then the second supervisor
- Project studies outside Innsbruck should comprise 12 weeks (instead of 8 weeks) of laboratory work.

- Before starting the work

- Submit the completed Form and approx. 1-page exposé to the examination office

- Registration for the course "Anleitung zum wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten" and entry for main supervisor is done
automatically by the FSS

- Main supervisor enters assessment for "Guide to academic work" (usually after approx. 2 months)

Main supervisor:

- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) at the UIBK
- Post-docs at the UIBK in the subject area of their dissertation (confirmation of suitability by a habilitated person
from the department, please indicate informally with the exposé)
- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) outside the UIBK who are actively involved in the respective Master's programme
programme (please contact the Dean of Studies)

Second supervisor:

- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) at the UIBK or outside
- Post-docs at the UIBK or outside in the subject area of their dissertation

Involved for participation

- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) at the UIBK or outside
- Post-docs at the UIBK or outside in the subject area of their dissertation
- Other research assistants at the UIBK

- Yes, this is possible.
- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) outside the UIBK who are actively involved in the respective Master's programme
programme can be the main supervisor (see above)
- Master's theses with other supervisors outside the UIBK require a main supervisor at the UIBK;
the external person is then the second supervisor

Please follow this procedure:
https://www.uibk.ac.at/fakultaeten-servicestelle/pruefungsreferate/einreichung_da_ma_01.11.2023_aktuelles.html.de

Defensio:

- Examination Office sends form for "Registration for the defence of the Master's thesis" to students
(after assessment of the thesis by the supervisor)
- Completely filled out form with signatures of the examiners (or e-mail confirmation of the date)
send to the examination office
- ATTENTION: AT LEAST 4 WEEKS BEFORE THE DEADLINE. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SHORTEN THE DEADLINE!!!

- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) at the UIBK
- Post-docs at the UIBK in the subject area of their dissertation
- Habilitated persons (or equivalent qualification) outside the UIBK

As a rule, the main supervisor is the 1st examiner. At least one member of the examination senate must be habilitated.
The chairperson should be habilitated.

- The defence course usually takes place in presence. Please arrange the room booking with the supervisor!
In exceptional cases, the defence can also take place online
- The defence is open to the public and will be announced accordingly by the supervisor (e.g. homepage of the institute, notice board...)
- Presentation of the Master's thesis for approx. 30 minutes, followed by discussion and questions from the examiners

If the Master's thesis for the Ecology degree programme is carried out at another UIBK institute, it is essential to contact the head of the Department of Ecology before registering to ensure that PM 1 runs smoothly.

- The Master's thesis can be completed either at the UIBK or at the University of Bozen-Bolzano.

- Registration must take place at both institutions

- The main supervisor must be chosen from the institution where the thesis is to be completed.

- The second supervisor must be chosen from the other institution

- Supervisors from both institutions or from outside can be involved in the work

- Additional information on the EMMA Master's thesis: Administrative procedure and Form for Master's thesis at the University of Bozen-Bolzano

- The following applies to all students who hold their defence in Innsbruck: The degree programme is completed on the date of the defence. This means that for completion of the degree programme in the winter semester, the defensio must take place by 31 March at the latest, for completion in the summer semester by 30 October at the latest. If the defensio takes place later, enrolment for the following semester is necessary.

There are several steps to register you as a PhD student and your planned project as a PhD thesis topic. They do not happen automatically; you have to take care of all parts!

• Find a main supervisor and topic for your thesis. PhD-positions at the Faculty of Biology are usually associated with a paid position with the research group of your main supervisor, therefore this process usually includes applying for such a position.

• Enroll as a student in the PhD Biology Curriculum. This process is handled by the Admission Department. Please check their webpage and address your questions to studienabteilung@uibk.ac.at

• Register your thesis topic and supervising committee at the Prüfungsreferat. LINK

• You need to include a summary of the planned project including a preliminary schedule (approx. 3 pages). Prepare this together with your main supervisor.
  Who can be part of the supervising committee?

• Your supervising committee needs to comprise at least two persons. They should not come from the same research group.

• The main and the second supervisor of your thesis need to have a "Habilitation" (venia docendi), or an equivalent qualification. An equivalent qualification is e.g. a professor position at a foreign university or an equivalent position at a research institution.

• You can include a third "additional" supervisor (Mitwirkende/r), who does not have to fulfil this requirement.
• Fill the online thesis agreement

After registration of your thesis, the online thesis agreement is automatically created in the LFU online.

The online thesis agreement is a tool to help you and your supervisors keeping track of your research progress and the intended and completed courses. Also, it provides a way to document and formalise research goals and intermediate steps (very important in case of disputes). The tool will remind you and all your supervisors of any deadlines you have arranged together.

Please don't forget to list the courses / lectures you plan to do during your studies and update accordingly!

You can find more information here.

In addition, it might be possible for you to be part of a doctoral programme. These are content-based programs offering events and support in addition to and beyond your enrollment in a PhD study programme. They are a possibility to get in touch with several thematically close (but not too close) students and researchers in addition to your supervisors. There are several doctoral programmes within Biology and you can participate if your supervisor is part of the programme. Discuss this with your supervisor!

The curriculum of your PhD study programme comprises 180 ECTS points. 150 ECTS points are awarded for the written thesis. The remaining 30 ECTS points are collected via courses, lectures and other activities as indicated in the curriculum.

Compulsory Module 1: Concept of the Dissertation (5 ECTS)

The completion of this module has to be confirmed by your supervisor. It includes writing the concept of your thesis (e.g. the summary you prepared for the registration of your topic, see above) and a presentation of your project, e.g. in the context of a seminar at your institute. This should be done at the early stages of your thesis, as it is a requirement for the other courses.

Please send the completed form to the examination office (pruefungsreferat@uibk.ac.at)

Compulsory Module 2: Participation in scientific conferences (5 ECTS)

You need to present your work within the framework of conferences, congresses, workshops or Summer/Winter Schools.

Please fill the specific form for Module 2 and send it to the examination office (pruefungsreferat@uibk.ac.at). Include proof of your posters and presentations (e.g. relevant page of abstract book, schedule etc.)

• Poster = 1 ECTS
• Talk national or local = 2 ECTS
• Talk international = 3 ECTS

Note that "flash talks" (e.g. 3min) count like a poster

Please be aware that it is not sufficient to just participate in local Summer/Winter Schools of your PhD program or Doctoral program. At least 3 ECTS should be collected at other events.

Compulsory Module 3: Defensio (5 ECTS)

Please see Section Defensio below

In addition, you need to collect 15 ECTS of elective modules. Be aware that a module needs to be complete (5 ECTS) to be counted!

Elective Module 1: Research Training

Make sure that you enroll for enough courses to fill the module and that each course (based on the number e.g. 746933) can only be done once. Some institutes offer theses courses for their own students only, others are open for students from other institutes.

Elective Modules 2+3

No special things to consider, are counted automatically at the Prüfungsreferat

Elective Module 4: Scientific Basics / Core Skills and Elective Module 5: Generic Skills

The lectures and courses you want to use in these modules need to be detailed in your online thesis agreement, which means that they are approved by your supervisor. You can enroll for courses/lectures at UIBK (PhD level) or ask for recognition of courses/lectures of other universities or institutions. Send the two forms required for recognition(Supplement and Application form) and to the examination office (pruefungsreferat@uibk.ac.at) and include certificates

Before handing in your written thesis, make sure that you have collected the required ECTS and hand in the "Test protocol" at the examination office pruefungsreferat@uibk.ac.at

Content of the Thesis

Recommendation of the Faculty of Biology:

There are two types of theses

1) Cumulative dissertation (paper thesis)

Three (in exeptional cases 2) papers or parts equivalent to papers. At least one of the papers should be accepted for publication, the others need to be suitable for publication. First authorship on at least one of the parts is required.

In addition to the papers a general introduction and discussion linking the parts and an extended Methods section is required.

The contribution of the PhD student to the different parts has to be described (for parts with multiple authors)

2) Monographs

This is a "classical" thesis consisting of Introduction, Material & Methods, Results, Discussion and needs to adhere to internation standards in the field.

Please follow the detailed instructions found HERE.

Who can review the written thesis?

The written thesis needs to be evaluated and graded by two reviewers. The reviewers cannot be part of our supervising committee. They should both be from outside of Innsbruck University. You should discuss the selection of your reviewers with your supervisor(s). The reviewers need to be named when you hand in your thesis.

The reviewers have up to 3 months to complete their review. Keep that in mind...

Once the reviewers have handed in their grades you can register your Defensio.

You will receive the necessary form from the examination office. Please note that you have to hand in the registration at the Prüfungsreferat 4 weeks (!) before the planned date.

Who can be examiner for the Defensio?

You need three persons for the Defensio. Two examiners and one examiner/chairperson, who can also ask questions.

The main supervisor cannot be examiner or chair of the Defensio.

At least one person needs to be "new", which means, not part of the supervising committee and not reviewer of the written thesis.

All examiners of your Defensio need to have a "Habilitation" (venia docendi), or an equivalent qualification. An equivalent qualification is e.g. a professor position at a foreign university or an equivalent position at a research institution.