Bachelor’s Programme Biology
Are you interested in all core areas of biology and want to learn to understand nature?
The Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Biology offers a broad education in the main branches of biology. The students acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills through extensive laboratory work and field experience. With this basic education the graduates know how to detect, analyse and assess biological systems and their interaction with their environment at the molecular, organism and ecosystem level.
Faculty
Faculty of Biology
Qualification Level
Bachelor (First Cycle)
ISCED-11: Level 6, EQF/NQF: Level 6
ISCED-F
0511 Biology
Study Code
UC 033 630
Supplemental Examination
The supplemental examination in Biology and Environmental Protection is dropped
- if a minimum of four hours in natural sciences, biology or biology in conjunction with other teaching areas per week were successfully attended at a secondary school after the 8th school grade.
- if the knowledge from the fields of natural sciences, biology or biology in conjunction with other teaching areas are already part of the admission procedure prior admission (concerns all admission processes acc. to §65a and §§71b, c, d UA 2002).
FAQ
Graduates are able to elaborate, evaluate, assess and implement scientific developments in the fields of biology and to apply them in interdisciplinary contexts. They possess theoretical and methodological problem-solving skills as well as multidisciplinary skills, such as learning strategies, literature research and information retrieval, and scientific communication.
The Bachelor's Programme Biology, incorporating the fundamentals of the natural sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, physics) and general abilities (multidisciplinary skills, laboratory methods, field methods, experimental design, statistics), offers wide-ranging instruction in the individual branches of biology (botany, zoology, microbiology, ecology and molecular biology).
The modules convey both theoretical knowledge, based on extensive laboratory and field experience, and necessary practical skills. Students are made familiar with scientific writing and research and are able to develop problem-solving skills. Individual specialization may be pursued through the selection of specific elective modules from the branches of biology, allowing students to adapt their programme to meet individual occupational goals.
The Bachelor's Programme Biology specifically prepares students for activities in private and public institutions in the fields of agriculture and forestry, environment and nature conservation, landscape planning and management, pharmaceutics, medicine, public administration, museums and libraries, botanical and zoological gardens, and nature reserves.
Graduates tracking: Shows which occupational fields students enter after graduation
Faculty of Biology Examination Office Information for students with disabilities
Curriculum
From the field

Zentrale Studienberatung
Wir sind die erste Anlaufstelle bei allen Fragen rund ums Studium für Schüler*innen, Studieninteressierte und Studierende sowie Eltern und Lehrer*innen.

Kohlenstoffkreislauf beschleunigt sich
Böden sind die größten natürlichen Kohlenstoffspeicher der Welt. Im hohen Norden ist dieser Speicher besonders groß, er ist dort aber auch besonders stark von der Klimaerwärmung betroffen. Eine kürzlich erschienene Studie eines internationalen Teams um Michael Bahn von der Universität Innsbruck untersuchte, wie die anhaltende Erwärmung die Aufnahme und Freisetzung von Kohlendioxid im Grasland der Subarktis beeinflusst. Als natürliche „Klimakammer“ nutzen die Wissenschaftler:innen ein geothermisch aktives Gebiet in Island.

Vogelparadies zwischen Beton und Asphalt
Die Zoologin Marion Chatelain unternahm mit Biologiestudierenden in diesem Semester eine Exkursion zum Campus Technik und zum Botanischen Garten der Universität, um dort nach Brutplätzen von Vögeln zu suchen. Ihre Ergebnisse fassten die Studierenden in Berichten für die breitere Öffentlichkeit. Exemplarisch berichten hier Friederike Glauch und Katharina Mantl über ihre Spurensuche im Botanischen Garten.

Hochalpine Tierarten brauchen mehr Schutzzonen
Schmelzende Gletscher aufgrund der Erderwärmung durch die Klimakrise haben massive Folgen für die Biodiversität im Alpenraum, wie ein internationales Forscher:innen-Team mit Beteiligung des Innsbrucker Ökologen Leopold Füreder nun erstmals für einen Zeitraum zwischen 2020 bis 2100 zeigt. Demnach droht zahlreichen wirbellosen Arten der Verlust ihrer Lebensräume. Die Forscher:innen plädieren für einen Ausbau von Schutzzonen auch in Gletschervorfeldern. Die Studie wurde in Nature Ecology & Evolution veröffentlicht.
Related studies
Bachelor’s Programme
Biology
The Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Biology offers a broad education in the main branches of biology. The students acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills through extensive laboratory work and field experience. With this basic education the graduates know how to detect, analyse and assess biological systems and their interaction with their environment at the molecular, organism and ecosystem level.
Detailed Information Apply Online
Please note: the language of instruction for this programme is German.
Info
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
Duration/ECTS-Credits
6 semesters/180 ECTS-Credits
Mode of Study
Full-time
Language
German
Requirements
Secondary school completion certificate or equivalent, language certificates
Supplemental Examination
Biology and Environmental Protection
Curriculum
Information on the curriculum
The right degree for me?

Highlights
- obtain basic education in the main branches of biology
- gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills
- study specific topics and functions of biology
- work at the molecular, organism and ecosystem level following high professional standards
- develop innovative solutions

Post graduation
Master's Programmes
- Botany
- Ecology and Biodiversity
- Environmental Management of Mountain Areas (EMMA)
- Microbiology
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Pharmaceutical Sciences - Drug Development and Regulatory Affairs
- Zoology
Continuing Education Programmes
Career Service (in German)

My career
My career opportunities
- work with government agencies and public authorities
- positions in biotechnological companies
- employment in botanical gardens and zoos
- work in agriculture and forestry, landscape ecology
- positions in the food and cosmetics industry
- work in life sciences, medicine, medical technology and pharmaceutical industries
- employment in museums, scientific collections and libraries
- work in quality assurance and management
- jobs in the field of environmental protection and conservation
- employment in environmental and outdoor education
Graduates tracking: provides information on the occupational fields students enter after graduation