Life Sciences Biology

Biology remains at the center of the life sciences, which are considered the leading sciences of the 21st century. Biology is the study of living systems and integrates physical and chemical processes into a highly complex dynamic system that incorporates everything from the biochemistry of living cells to organs and organisms through to ecosystems.  

The degree program provides broad and fundamental orientation in the life sciences without becoming prematurely limited to specific aspects of their application. Building on the mathematical, biostatistic, physical and chemical fundamentals learned thus far, it provides an introduction to all relevant biological disciplines, as well as the methodological approaches and technological accomplishments in this field. In subsequent semesters an integrative approach is encouraged and, at the same time, students are able to develop their personal strengths in elective courses. You acquire the ability to analyze and abstract complex biological systems and relationships, as well as develop questions and approaches to finding solutions.

The degree program is intended to counteract premature specialization, so as to generate the all-rounder graduates of the future: They will be qualified to work on the widest range of research projects and, in the process, always incorporate the perspective of system analysis.  

The degree program in Biology, the core science concerning the molecular and systemic understanding of biological processes, trains specialists from both a research-oriented and applied perspective in the life sciences, where the discipline is the central driver of progress. With its wide-ranging approach to the observation of biological systems, the discipline constitutes the generative center of all essentially bioscientific lines of research, out of which new specialist fields and areas of application are continuously developed.
 

Which further expertise and skills will I acquire?

As a graduate of the bachelor's degree program in Life Sciences Biology, you possess more specialized knowledge of the scientific fundamentals of chemistry (inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry), physics, mathematics and statistics. You are able to link this knowledge to bioscientific content and questions and analyze relationships on a broad range of scales. You can formulate concrete discipline-specific questions, assess a given experimental and methodological approach and apply it in the laboratory or outdoors, evaluate matters scientifically, and interpret the results. You think and operate in an interconnected and analytical manner, work with a view to finding solutions and purposefully apply your knowledge of methodologies. Thanks to the broad spectrum of electives, you possess  individual and interdisciplinary specialist knowledge. You will have learned to take a position on social and ethical questions in the life sciences.

Furthermore, the expertise you gain in theoretical modules allows you to solve concrete discipline-specific questions in practice in the laboratory. In this respect, your broad understanding of methodology and your advanced knowledge of cell biology, genetics, biochemistry and bioinformatics provides you with a sound basis. You can draw upon this when it comes to more complex questions concerning e.g. the physiology of plants, humans or animals; or to the systematic approach of ecology.

Which professional opportunities can I take up with this qualification?

Graduates...

• have practical abilities in the field of biochemistry/bioanalytics, zoology, botanics, microbiology, and genetics.
• can apply the full range of scientific methods so as to abstract and analyze biological problems with reference to basic structures.
• are familiar with and understand determinative processes and feedback effects, from the genetic through the molecular and physiological to the organismic level.
• are familiar with the arsenal of practical methods in the biological sciences and can develop appropriate experimental approaches to the investigation of biological phenomena.

Employment in research projects in industry and in public research institutes, qualification resulting from traineeship, administrative role at specialist authorities, science journalism. Generally, however, the aim is to further one’s scientific career in the form of a master’s degree program and, at a later stage, often a doctoral degree at a domestic or foreign university. This then opens up a very broad spectrum and corresponding opportunities in managerial roles.