(Last updated: 7th October)

The orientation days in the Winter Semester 2024/2025 will be held both on site and digitally on Monday, 7th October at 10 am and during the week on campus. 

You should receive an invitation e-mail by Friday, 4th October.

Attention! If you have not received an invitation three days before the Orientation, please write this in an e-mail to studbiochem@zedat.fu-berlin.de. Please use your ZEDAT address if you already have an account. Otherwise an email from your private account is sufficient. 

Additionally, we will upload a guideline and presentations containing the essential information for your studies at the FU on this website that is being updated continously. Please make sure to look at this information before the Orientation, so that we can answer any questions during the video conference. 

Important dates for new students of the Biochemistry Master's Program (Winter Semester 2024/2025)

Orientation days
Like the master's program the orientation days will be in English!
Monday, 07.10. (Thielallee 63, Lise-Meitner Lecture hall, 2nd floor and via Webex)	10 am
You can find the schedule below (see downloads; details may change and will be updated there)
Breakfast with fellow new students and student initiative members
Tuesday, 08.10., 11 am - 1 pm, seminar room at Takustr. 6, 14195 Berlin
Campus tour
Tuesday, 08.10., 1-3 pm (after breakfast) - whole campus
Tombola
If you have not received an email with instructions by Wednesday, 2nd October, please email studbiochem@zedat.fu-berlin.de
The Tombola will be held digitally this semester. There will be instructions for participating during the Orientation on Monday.
First-semester Bar night
Monday, 07.10., 7pm at Hannibals at Friedrichshain Come and get to know your new fellow students!
Downloads
Presentation from the faculty (Winter Semester 2022/23) Guideline for your Master studies (Summer Semester 2024) Presentation (Summer Semester 2024) A list of the method modules can be found here.

Dear Master‘s students and interested readers,

The Master of Biochemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin is an excellent choice after your Bachelor’s studies! Our study program has a very flexible organization which allows you to acquire a wide range of knowledge and methods in Biochemistry and related subjects as well as to specialize on your particular field of interest.

To help you find your way through this jungle of elective lectures and practical courses, we want to give you some information and tips.

Who we are

We are the Student union Biochemistry (Fachschaftsinitiative Biochemie, abbr. FSI Biochemie). We are a mixed bunch of Biochemistry Bachelor’s and Master’s students committed to improve our study program and to help us students. We do student counseling, participate in university policy committees and organize all kinds of events, e.g. the orientation days for the Bachelor’s students. You are very welcome to join us! Just drop by to one of our meetings as announced on instagram (@fsibiochemistryfuberlin).

The Master’s program

The Study and Examination Regulations (Studien- und Prüfungsordnung) are found here (in German only unfortunately, but don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions!).

At the beginning of each semester, an introductory session for first semester Master’s students will be held (usually in the last week before teaching activity starts). During this session, the study program is explained to you in all details. You will receive the invitation via e-mail to your official zedat e-mail address.

Tip: All official e-mails from the university are sent to your zedat address. You can install an automatic forwarding to your private e-mail address.

We don’t want to bore you by repeating everything that is said at the introductory session. We’d like to give you some tips from a student’s point of view that will hopefully come in handy.

Tips for the first semester of the Master

It makes sense to take lectures and method moduls in the first semester and to do the graded research projects from the second semester on. Especially the lecture series “Advanced Biochemistry” will provide you with a good overview on which topic you may wish to specialize in the course of your studies. Another advantage of taking lectures and method modules first is that you will get to know the professors or lecturers as well as their research groups, which you may want to join for a research project later on. You can find all lectures and method modules in the course catalogue (Vorlesungsverzeichnis) and in the list of practical courses/method modules. The number of places in the method modules are limited and will be drawn at a tombola on the first day of the teaching period. You should make up your personal priority list for tombola beforehand since you will most likely get the module that you applied for in the first round. (Keep in mind the maximum number of participants and that some modules are less popular than others!)

Going smooth through the studies

During your Bachelor’s studies, you may have been used study along with your fellow students. But since everybody will choose different Master’s courses, you’re going to meet some of your fellow students only rarely. But as you all know, studying together with your fellow students is much easier than alone, e.g. to exchange information which method modules are worthwhile to take. Therefore, socialize right from the beginning! During the semester we, the student representatives, will also host a few small get-togethers that are perfect for socializing. We will announce the dates via our digital notice board. There, we also upload information about interesting Summer Schools and exchange programs as well as internships, Master’s thesis or PhD opportunities. So check it out once in a while!

If you have further questions, just us on any channel!

Your student representatives