FAQ

I : Application

Which formal prerequisites are there for the application?

How well do I need to know a certain language and how is it checked?

Are there selection interviews when applying for the master’s?

When is the semester welcome and where do I find the information on that?

Can I apply for an M.Sc. study program after graduating a two-subject bachelor?

Can I apply for multiple M.Sc. study programs?

What happens if my preliminary grade changes after applying?

Is there a way I can be accepted if my bachelor’s grade is below a 2.3?

What happens if my bachelor’s certificate only reaches me after the immatriculation deadline?

During my bachelor’s, I finished more modules than what was asked of me. Is there a way that these courses can be recognized during my master’s?

I already study in one of the three study programs of the biology master, can I still change my subject between these three?

All information can also be found here, as well as the enrollment regulations.

II: During my studies

How does the selection of modules work?

What are lecturer spots? How are the distributed and what do I need to do in order to get them?

Who are mentors and when am I supposed to register for them?

Do I need to take a module in each block? What happens if I do not choose one module in every block?

Can I complete more modules than I am supposed to? If yes, which modules influence my final grade?

What do I need to know about the course “laboratory organization”?

What do I need to know about the courses “project management” and “project supervision”?

Can I have a leave of absence?

How long do I need to be enrolled for?

What happens once I pass the typical time for studies?

III: Stay abroad and external modules

How and when can I stay abroad with ERASMUS during my master’s?

Are there any internal modules that also take place abroad?

What is the “double-graduation” program?

What is an external module and to which internal auditor can I talk to?

What is important when completing an external module? In what order do I need to take care of what things?

How many ECTS-credit points can I get in the M.Sc. Biosciences externally?

When I completed x-many ECTS credit points, am I forced to write my master’s thesis internally at the university of Münster?

IV: Nice-to-know: Master's thesis

When and how do I register for my master’s thesis?

How much time is there to work on my master’s thesis?

When am I supposed to register the modules “current state of research”, “methodological basics of experimental lifesciences” and “organizational basics of experimental lifesciences”?

Are there any formalities that are required?

When should be the disputation of the master’s thesis?

How do I organize my master’s thesis if I want to write it externally?

I: Application

[1] The formal prerequisites can be found within the enrollment regulations. The prerequisitions include:

A finished science-related study program with 180 ECTS-credit points or a similar graduation with a final grade of at least 2.3. It is enough to hand in a preliminary transcript of records that proves possession of 150 ECTS-credit points, as long as the actual certificate is handed in towards the end of the enrollment deadline.

Non-native students, who did not obtain their certificate at a German university, need to have proof about their knowledge of the German and English language. For reference, please look at the section “What language knowledge is necessary”.

[2] For anybody that has not graduated a German high school, a verification of their language knowledge in either German or English is required in order to study a respective study program. These can vary depending on the study program. The verification of German language fluency is provided by the University of Münster: You need to have at least a DSH-2-certificate or something similar like TestDaF level 4 in all aspects, Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusminister-Konferenz level 2 (C1 level in all aspects), Goethe-cetrificate C2, UNIcert certificate level 3 or higher or TELC C1 university. English can be proven with the TOEFL-test (Test of English as a foreign language).

[3] Selection interviews are not typical.

[4] The information regarding the semester welcome for the M.Sc. Biosciences can be extracted from here.

[5] Generally, it is possible to apply for one of the three M.Sc. Biosciences study programs if biology was studied alongside another science related subject. However, a certain grade, as well as the minimal amount of 150 ECTS-credit points needs to be reached by the end of the application deadline. This can be especially difficult if the second subject only gives out grades once a year. 

[6] Yes, even if you apply for multiple of the M.Sc. study programs, the applications will not influence one another. However, due to organizational reasons, all the required information that is handed in during the application process needs to be handed in seperately for every application.

[7] The commission always decides based on the preliminary grade. That means, if your preliminary grade is below a 2.3, but your actual grade is a 2.3 or higher, you can only apply again next semester. As for when your grades get worse, it is not considered by the committee, as long as you pass the bachelor’s, you will enter the selection with your preliminary grade. 

[8] The average grade of 2.3 is the minimum that is required for an application. Exceptions occur for example when an applicant is within the top 40% of the year while not having an average grade of 2.3 or higher. Proof of internships for example may also be included in the decision but only if there are too many applicants for the M.Sc.. For further exceptions, please read the enrollment regulations.

[9] Unfortunately, you can only be enrolled once the certificate is available to you. If necessary, you may need to apply again the following semester. A preliminary form of enrollment unfortunately cannot be conducted.

[10] If you did any other modules at another university that have roughly the same content and extent and the same number of (or more) ECTS-credit points as modules that are doable in the M.Sc., you might be able to get these acknowledged. Generally though, modules that are within the bachelor’s are typically on another level than those in the master’s. In that case, it is good to look closely at the modules description to have a good explanation for the acknowledgement.

[11] You may change your studies within these three programs. Please note that, if you want to enroll in another one of these study programs, a prior classification on the basis of completed modules is done. This will be executed by the coordinator of the study program. The switch from one program to the other in higher semesters is only possible if there is space in the study program that you want to switch to. If you want to apply for a 1st semester enrollment in the new program, please make sure that you are exmatriculated beforehand. Most of the advanced modules (Fortgeschrittenenmodul, FGM) are acknowledgeable between the three study programs. It only becomes a problem when one of the modules you already completed is not available in the study program you want to switch to. Please talk to your coordinator for more information. 

II: During my studies

[12]  Usually, around 50% of the spots within an FGM are given out in an online vote. The other 50% are lecturer spots.  On the contrary, research modules are only distributed via lecturer spots. You may enter your wishes for an AM by scaling them from 1 through 6 in the vote, as well as by choosing them in 3 different time slots. Those priorities will, if possible, be considered during the election process.

[13] A lecturer spot is a spot that is given to you by the lecturer of the module. In order to apply for such a spot, you need to contact the person that is responsible for the module. This person can be found within the module handbook. You may apply for the spot by simply sending a short application, in which you give reasons as to why you want the lecturer spot. Even if you receive the lecturer spot, you still need to participate in the online voting. Only then can the spot be allocated to you. 

[14] Mentors are university teachers that frequently support students in planning their studies. Ideally, mentors should be chosen at the beginning of the M.Sc., though the latest possible moment to choose a mentor is right before the master’s phase. Students that study the M.Sc. Biotechnology and M.Sc. Molecular Biomedicine can talk to any university teacher that is listed within the list of auditors, students that study the M.Sc. Biosciences can only talk to university teachers of the department of Biology. The form that is to be signed by the mentor can be found here. Further information can be extracted from § 8 of the curricular guidelines. 

[15] You do not need to pick a module in every block. The modules simply need to be done, it does not matter from what block you choose them.

[16] If you do more modules than you need to, the modules are added to your resume in order of the exam crediting. That means that the first 6 FGM’s that receive the grading are the ones that end up on your transcript of records. You may not choose which one you have on your transcript based on your grades. You can get a certificate for finishing the extra module by the person responsible for the module.  (curricular guidelines)

[17] Laboratory organization can only be attended during the winter term. Typically, it is completed during the first term, but you may also attend it during your next winter term. The seminar prepares you for an exam; upon passing the exam, you will be granted the so called “Projektleiterschein”(Project Manager License).

Please note: It is important that you sign up for the course via QISPOS. The exam is one part of the module, hence the achieved points during the first try in the exam will be added to your module grade. You can get a total of 60 points in the exam. In order to acquire the “Projektleiterschein”, you will need to score 28 out of 40 possible points in a part of the exam that is necessary for the “Projektleiterschein”. If you do not achieve the required points, you may retake the exam for the purpose of acquiring the “Projektleiterschein”. A retry in order to achieve a better grade however, is not possible. Also, if your wish is to acquire the “Projektleiterschein”, you need to visit at least 90% of the course’s appointments. The attendance does not influence your grade for the module though.

[18] Project supervision can, in principle, be done at any time. However, it is recommended to do this during the ten-month period of time while working on your master’s thesis and not while doing the AM’s or research modules. Project management on the other hand is a one-day long workshop covering the topic of project management, which can be done before or during the project supervision. It is not necessary to have finished the project management module before starting your master’s thesis. Information events for these are held in January and June (for an exact date, please look here).

Afterwards, an election for projects takes place. You may participate in already existing projects such as supervising bachelor’s students in the “key competences” module, but you can also create your own project. You can also take part in the election if the project you want to work on does not exist yet. The project will be carried out within a group of 2-5 students. The size of the group is proportional to the workload of the project. At the start of the project supervision, you will be joining a learnweb course, where tasks are prepared for you that you need to carry out. Afterwards, you will receive consultation on the tasks by your supervising lecturer. During project supervision, you will use what you learned during your project management workshop. The workshop is offered six times a year and will be built after the types of projects. You will only be assigned to a workshop once the topic of your project is set and you have talked to Dr. Pott.

[19] Please follow this link in order to know whether you can have a leave for absence.

[20] You will need to stay enrolled until after finishing your last graded course. Afterwards, you are obligated to exmatriculate yourself. An automatic exmatriculation is not conducted.

[21] The amount of semesters that you studied will be listed on your master’s certificate. There are no negative restrictions if you go over the recommended time of studies, that being 4 semesters. However, if you receive BAFöG, it will only be paid during your recommended time of studies. If your time of studies surpasses the recommended period due to unforeseen reasons that are not in your hands (e.g. when you cannot get a course due to too many other students), you can try to get another semester added to your recommended time. Please talk to the coordinator of your field of studies. Also, if you spent a semester abroad via ERASMUS, you could also get a fifth semester added. For more information, please refer to this website.

III: Stay abroad and external modules

[22] A stay abroad with ERASMUS is, following the individual structure of your studies, possible at any time. For further information on this topic, please look here. Within the scope of ERASMUS, you can earn a total of 30 ECTS-Points without consulting your mentor. If you exceed the 30 ECTS-Points, please talk to your mentor as they need to agree. When choosing modules at a partner university, you need to first talk to your ERASMUS-coordinator whether they are viable. Modules that are completed at other universities are not registered in QISPOS. The acknowledgment of those modules are done by the ERASMUS-coordinator.

[23] If you want to complete a module abroad but do not want to organize an external module, you may spend three months at the university of Hyderabad, India. The stay is organized by Prof. Moerschbacher. Usually, Information events are held in January, while the stay usually starts around August or September. For further information, please look here.

[24] All information regarding the double graduation program can be found here.

[25] Internal modules are all the modules that are listed within the course catalog of the University of Münster. Every other module is considered to be external. All M.Sc. study programs offer the possibility to complete external modules either at other departments, other universities or in the industry. For that though, it is required that a lecturer who is allowed to grade, possibly even your mentor, is ready to grade your external module. This has to be agreed upon before starting the module. External modules cannot be booked in QISPOS. Before starting an external module, a formless application containing a reasoning, a signature from your mentor, as well as where you want to complete the module needs to be handed in to the examination office. Furthermore, 40 of the 120 ECTS-Points that are required to receive your master’s degree need to be granted at the University of Münster.

[26] First, please talk to your mentor. When applying for a research group or at a company, it is important that you have a supervising person at the company, as well as a person that is allowed to grade your module at the university (for example you mentor). For further information, please see above.

If you want to finish an external module that you received via ERASMUS or any other exchange program at another university, you do not need to get permission from your mentor. Please note that you can only acquire 15 ECTS-credit points at other departments and external research institutions and only 10-ECTS credit points in the industry. For more information, please look at the examination regulations. The grading is done by your supervisor on site. He suggests a grade, which needs to be confirmed, signed and sent to the examination office by your supervisor at university. 

[27] For more information, please look at point 26. 

[28] Due to only being able to get either 15 ECTS-credit points or 10 ECTS-credit points, depending on your external study, you can still complete your master’s thesis and the belonging modules, which add up to 60 ECTS-credit points, externally.

IV: Nice-to-know Master's thesis

[29] You can register your master’s thesis once you have a total of 50 ECTS-credit points in your advanced – and research modules. The examination regulations state that the topic for your master’s thesis is given out four weeks after acquiring the 50 ECTS-credit points from the other modules. However, it is not checked by the examination office and can, theoretically, be pushed back, for example when you either take a vacation, a break from your studies or for other reasons.

The registration form can be found here.

Please note that certain lecturers may not be available as a second assessor. A list of assessors can be found here.

[30] The processing time for your master’s thesis is 10 months. It begins the day your topic is handed to you. It needs to have a manageable extent. You may hand your thesis in earlier than 10 months, there is no minimal amount of time you need to spend on the thesis.

[31] These modules are being done while working on you master’s thesis with a working group. You should register it in QISPOS at the same time you register your master’s thesis. These are not graded and will be marked as “passed” after successfully handing in your master’s thesis. 

[32] Following the examination regulations, the university does not have any particular formalities. The only thing that is a necessity is a complete bibliography, as well as a declaration in lieu of an oath that you are an independent author. The thesis has to be handed in analog -, as well as digitally twice. For the declaration in lieu of an oath that you are an independent author, please refer to the website of the examination office.

[33] Students should talk to their first – and second assessor about a possible date for a disputation. The earliest possible date it can happen is two weeks after handing in the thesis. The latest is eight weeks after handing in the thesis. 

[34] Before starting with your master’s thesis, you will need to apply to write it externally at the examination office. The first assessor needs to be an internal assessor from the department of biology at the University of Münster, the second assessor can be from the external institution or another assessor from the department of biology. Please refer to the assessor list to see internal assessors. The list is updated every semester. Only lecturers that are listed can be chosen as assessors for your master’s thesis. There is also an option to choose an external assessor. In order to do this, you need to hand in a formless application to the examination office. The external assessor needs to have habilitated or needs to have an equivalent to a habilitation.

IT-Guide

Studium

MyWWU

MyWWU bildet die zentrale Schnittstelle für die Organisation des Studienalltags. Die Verwaltungsstelle SelfService, die Prüfungsplattform QISPOS, die eLearning-Plattform Learnweb und der Zugang zum Online-Katalog der Universitätsbibliothek bilden einen großen Teil der im Studium benötigten Tools ab. Essentiell sind aber auch häufig benötigte IT-Services, die mit dem IT-Portal, der Hochschul-Cloud sciebo und dem Webmailer perMail zwar vertreten sind, aber wichtige Features auslassen. Hier sollen die Services aus dem MyWWU Portal erklärt, und durch fehlende Inhalte ergänzt werden, um euch einen reibungslosen Start in euer Studium zu ermöglichen.

Studienverwaltung

Über die Studienverwaltung gelangst du zum SelfService, der zentralen Anlaufstelle für Verwaltungsakte. Unter dem Reiter „Anträge“ kannst du:

• deine Adresse ändern

• dich rückmelden

• den Semesterbeitrag zahlen

• deine Studienbescheinigungen herunterladen

• Urlaubssemester beantragen

Etwas unauffällig in der linken, unteren Ecke ist die Funktion „Antrag stellen“, die du in Änderungsfällen benötigst. Das Semesterticket kannst du ebenfalls im SelfService abrufen und herunterladen.  
Nicht im SelfService, dafür in der Studienverwaltung kannst du eine neue Studierendenkarte beantragen, oder das Foto aktualisieren.

Prüfungen

Die An- und Abmeldung aller Prüfungen, sowie die Einsicht über die bisher erbrachten Prüfungsleistungen ist im QISPOS-Portal organisiert. Zu Beginn jedes Semesters müsst ihr die Prüfungsleistungen für das kommende Semester anmelden. Das können Klausuren zu Vorlesungen, Praktika, Seminare oder einzelne Moduleinheiten sein. Die Prüfungsleistungen verbergen sich teilweise hinter etwas kryptischen Bezeichnungen. Es gelten hierfür jedes Semester Fristen, die ihr unbedingt einhalten solltet! Eine rückwirkende Anmeldung ist, nach Ablauf der Frist, nicht mehr möglich. Die Fristen findet ihr hier. Zuerst wählt ihr unter dem Reiter „An- und Abmeldung zu Studienleistungen und prüfungsrelevanten Leistungen“ alle Leistungen für das kommende Semester. Danach kontrolliert ihr unter „Info über angemeldete Studienleistungen und prüfungsrelevanten Leistungen“ ob ihr alle Kurse erwischt habt? Habt ihr? Screenshot!        
Der Reiter „Leistungsübersicht“ verrät euch, wie ihr bisher abgeschnitten habt. Etwas verwirrend: Die Leistungen stehen über dem Namen des Moduls. Noch Fragen? Eine sehr ausführliche, bebilderte Zusammenfassung über das QISPOS-Portal findest du hier.

E-Learning

Das Learnweb ist die zentrale E-Learning-Plattform der Universität Münster. Der Login erfolgt mit eurer zentralen Nutzerkennung. Die Kurse könnt ihr entweder über die Kursnummer oder den Namen (Suchfeld links) oder über euren Fachbereich (Block auf der rechten Seite) suchen. In der Regel erhaltet ihr die Zugangsdaten per Mail oder in der ersten Infoveranstaltung der Lehrveranstaltung.   
Über den Reiter ‚Meine Kurse‘ findet ihr alle Veranstaltungen nach Semestern aufgeschlüsselt. Habt ihr einen Kurs ausgewählt, könnt ihr alle Kursinhalte auf einmal herunterladen (grüner Button rechts). Es können Nachrichten geschrieben/empfangen werden. Außerdem können interaktive Lerninhalte zur Verfügung gestellt werden.

Bibliothek

Der Online-Katalog der Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster bietet Möglichkeiten zur Recherche aller Art von Literatur. Ihr könnt euch bequem mit eurer zentralen Nutzerkennung einloggen und so in eurem Konto Bücher recherchieren, Exemplare zur Abholung bestellen, Ausleihen vormerken, Gebühren zahlen oder Fristen verlängern. Tipp: greift ihr von zu Hause aus auf das Angebot zurück, aktiviert unbedingt eine VPN Verbindung ins Uni-Netz. So könnt ihr eBooks und Fachliteratur kostenlos herunterladen.

IT Services

Die Universität Münster bietet umfassende IT-Services für ihre Studierenden an. Da diese auf unterschiedlichen Seiten zu finden sind, bündeln wir sie in dieser Rubrik für euch. Dieses Video fasst die Leistungen der WWU-IT kurz und knapp zusammen.

WWU IT-Portal

Das IT-Portal ist die zentrale Schaltstelle für deine Passwörter. Hier richtest du deinen zentralen Uni-Login und dein E-Mail Konto ein. Außerdem aktivierst du hier deinen WLAN-Zugang, der an allen internationalen Hochschulen mit Eduroam-Netz (=Education Roaming) funktioniert. Das sind immerhin 106 Länder und allein 2925 Standorte in Deutschland.                 
Die Freischaltung der Druckservices der Universität Münster erfolgt ebenfalls im IT-Portal. Die eigentlichen Druckservices sind weiter unten verlinkt und erklärt. Um auch ohne Studierendenkarte Drucken und Kopieren zu können muss eine sogenannte Kopierer-Pin unter dem Reiter „Passwörter und Pins“ eingerichtet werden. Wird eine Bankverbindung hinterlegt, kannst du außerdem den „Print&Pay“ Service nutzen, um A3 Poster drucken zu lassen.

Microsoft Office 365

Die Microsoft Office-Suite muss zunächst im IT-Portal freigeschaltet werden. Unter dem Reiter „Lizenzen (Software usw.)“ richtest du eine sogenannte Microsoft Azure-ID ein. Über die Microsoft-Office-Seite kann mit den generierten Zugangsdaten dann das komplette Office-Paket heruntergeladen werden.

Software

Für Studierende der Fachbereiche Biologie, Chemie & Pharmazie und Physik stellt das IVV Naturwissenschaften diverse Microsoftprodukte zur Verfügung. Dazu zählt auch Windows 11 Education. Eine Liste der Verfügbaren Software findest du hier. Unter diesem Link kannst du dich mit den, im IT-Portal generierten, Microsoft-Azure-ID Daten einloggen und Windows kostenfrei herunterladen. Außerdem gibt es zahlreiche andere Softwareangebote wie ChemDraw, COMSOL Multiphysics, DNASTAR Lasergene, LabView, Origin und VMware IT Academy Programm (VITA). Zu finden sind diese hier.

VPN Verbindung

Eine VPN-Verbindung ist nötig, um von zu Hause auf das Uni-Netzwerk zugreifen möchtest. Einige Services sind aus rechtlichen Gründen nämlich nur im Universitätsnetz verfügbar. Dazu zählen unter anderem das Abrufen und Speichern von Fachliteratur. Eine VPN-Verbindung ermöglicht dir als kostenlosen Zugang zu e-Books und Papern, die über die Bibliothek der WWU verfügbar sind. Detaillierte Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitungen zum Einrichten einer VPN-Verbindung sind hier hinterlegt.

Drucken

Hast du im IT-Portal eine Kopierer-Pin gesetzt, kannst du einfach Dokumente auf den Druckserver der WWU laden und dann von jedem öffentlichen Multifunktionsdrucker der Uni drucken. Beachte, dass du dich dazu entweder physisch oder per VPN-Verbindung im Uni-Netz befinden musst. Anschließend meldest du dich mit deiner Nutzerkennung und der Kopierer-Pin am Drucker an und kannst die entsprechenden Aufträge drucken. Eine ausführliche Video-Anleitung ist hier verlinkt. Dort ist auch erklärt, wie man Dokumente an den Multifunktionsdruckern scannt und direkt an seine Uni-Mail sendet. Der Preis pro S/W liegt bei 0,04 € und bei 0,05 € pro farbiger Seite.

Posterdruck

Hast du dich im IT-Portal für den Print&Pay Service angemeldet ist es Dir möglich Poster zur Abholung im Din A3 Format drucken zu lassen. Eine ausführliche Anleitung ist hier hinterlegt. Dort wird auch beschrieben wie du die nötige Verbindung zum Remote Desktop herstellst. Der Preis beträgt bei der matten Ausführung 5 € pro Druck, für die Hochglanzvariante zahlst du 15 €.

E-Mail Weiterleitung

Möchtest du deine E-Mails nicht mit dem Webmailer perMail abrufen, sondern ein externes Programm nutzen sind hier Anleitungen für diverse Mail-Programme hinterlegt.

Zoom

Die beliebte Videotelefonie-Plattform „Zoom“ ist auch für Studierende der Universität Münster verfügbar. Digitale Meetings mit bis zu 300 Teilnehmer*innen (inkl. Bildschirmfreigaben und Chat) sind dabei möglich. Für die Einrichtung des Desktop-Clienten unter Windows oder MacOSX sind ausführliche Anleitungen auf den Seiten der IT hinterlegt.

Sciebo, die Hochschul-Cloud

Sciebo ist ein nicht-kommerzieller Cloud-Speicher für Forschung, Studium und Lehre. Alle Server stehen in Deutschland und gewährleisten daher ein Höchstmaß an Datensicherheit. Jede/r Studierende verfügt über 30 GB Cloudspeicher und kann Inhalte mit anderen Personen teilen oder zum Download bereitstellen. Über Anwendungen für Android, iOS, Windows und Mac können Dateien problemlos zwischen verschiedenen Endgeräten ausgetauscht werden. Anleitungen zum Einrichten der Clienten sind hier hinterlegt.

Corporate-Design-Vorlagen

Du brauchst Titelseiten für Abschluss- oder Seminararbeiten, ein Basis-Layout für Plakate oder PowerPoint-Vorlagen? Hier findest du Corporate-Design-Vorlagen der Universität Münster.