You can find out more about compensation for disadvantages here.

Procedure:

If you would like to join subject-related modules from other Master's programs, you must have them approved in advance by the Examination Board. Please write an e-mail to the Examination Office by telling us your request, your enrollment number and the desired module as well as a module description in the electronic course catalogue as a pdf file.You will then be informed about the decision about a possible crediting of the Examination Board by e-mail within 2-3 weeks.

As soon as you have completed the subject-related module, please have the grade entered by the respective department or send the performance record to us by e-mail.

Please note, that in addition to the Introduction module and the 15 CP Research Project, you are allowed to take a maximum of 15 undifferentiated credit points in your Master's program (except for Erasmus, direct exchanges, international programs). Therefore, should you wish to take modules in Biochemistry that are graded with "pass" or "fail", this is only possible up to a number of 15 credit points.

For the crediting of CP from an Erasmus stay, please contact the Erasmus Coordinator Mr. Klauck first. The Examination Office will then carry out the crediting in Campus Management.

However, if you have already attended courses in the past, please send us the performance record and a module description (scope, content, etc.) by e-mail. The Examination Board will decide whether the course can be credited and you will then be notified by e-mail.

English transcripts can be issued. If this doesn't provide enough information, you can either consult a sworn translator, who will prepare the translation for you and issue a certified copy, or you can prepare a translation yourself. However, please note the following:

•     This is not an official document of Freie Universität Berlin, therefore all information about the origin as well as the logo  must be removed
•     It must clearly be a translation on your part (TRANSLATION...)
•     Make sure to retain the page numbers
•     Do not indicate a processing office for the signature

As soon as you have completed this, send it from your Zedat account to the Examination Office by e-mail.
ATTENTION: If the information is complete and correct, the examination office will only certify the grades (not the translation as such). It is therefore not an official translation. However, if an official document in the form of a translation is requested, you will need to visit a sworn translator!

Obligatory Research Project (15 credit points):                               

The Research Project with 15 credit points is mandatory and, regardless of whether it is to be completed internally or externally, must be registered by the student in advance with the Examination Office. Before the Research Project can be started, approval must be obtained from the examination board. Supervision must be provided by a professor or private lecturer.

For this purpose, please submit the completed application form as a pdf file to the Examination Office. Please note that it is not possible to confirm receipt of documents. Please also remember to save the application for yourself, as you will have to enter this data in the performance record!
Once the Research Project is approved, we will enroll you in Campus Management. If it is rejected, we will contact you by e-mail.

Please note that the module ‘Introduction to Advanced Biology’ and at least 15 credit points from the respective specialization in the Supplementary Area must be completed for admission to the Research Project.

• Registration Research Project

Please note that the module is graded undifferentiated, i.e. with pass or fail. As soon as you have the completed performance record for this, please send it to the Examination Office by e-mail, so that we can enter it in Campus Management.

Facultative Project (10 credit points):

In addition to the Research Project, you have the option of completing a 10 credit points Project, which you must also register in advance with the Examination Office in the same way as the Research Project. The Project belongs to the Supplementary Area of your studies and may work as a substitute for another 10 credit point module.

Please note that the module ‘Introduction to Advanced Biology’ and at least one module from the Supplementary area must be completed for admission to the Project.

Once the Project is approved, we will register you in Campus Management.

• Registration Facultative Project

The module is graded differentiated, i.e. according to the grading scheme of the Institute of Biology of the FUB (grading scale very good (1,0}; very good- (1,3); good+ (1,7); good (2,0); good- (2,3); satisfactory+ (2,7); satisfactory (3,0}; satisfactory- (3,3); sufficient+ (3,7); sufficient (4,0); fail (5,0)).

As soon as you have the completed performance record, please send it to the Examination Office by e-mail, so that we can enter your performance in Campus Management.

The following examination board decisions have been made regarding your degree program:

1.    The registration and completion of a second Project (10 credit points, graded) is not possible.
2.    In addition to the lntroduction module (15 LP) and the Research Project (15 LP), a maximum of 15 LP undifferentiated graded credit points can be added to your degree program,which are not offered by the Institute of Biology of the FU.
3.    The crediting of external (i.e. not offered by the lnstitute of Biology at the FU) courses is only possible to a maximum of  15 credit points (except Erasmus, direct exchange, international programs)
4.    Only a maximum of 25 credit points may be acquired in addition to the 120 credit points you have to achieve for your Master's degree, from which the best grades can then be included in the degree.
5.    Important: If more than 25 credit points are taken in addition to the 120 credit points, the modules are included in the degree according to chronology (i.e. usually not the best grades).
6.    Important: The processing time for the Master's thesis is six months. In order to guarantee this duration for the protection of the students, Master's theses will be accepted at the Examination Office at the earliest four weeks before the latest submission date communicated to you; a prior submission, acceptance or storage by the examination office is not possible. (Decision of 06.02.2019)
7.    Applications and theses are to be submitted in electronic form as a PDF file by e-mail to the Examination Office. Paper versions no longer have to be submitted. (Decision of 04.08.2021)

8.    BUA (berlin University Alliance) modules with a biological reference can be credited in the Supplementary Area for "general biology" (Decision of 25.09.2024)

In § 10 of the examination regulations for the master's program in Biology, you can find information and guidelines on the master's thesis and the presentation. You can also find further information here: Information on the registration and the procedure of the Master's thesis.

Procedure for external Master's theses:
Upon application, the Master's thesis can also be performed externally at institutes or research institutions.
After you have filled out the application completely, submit it to the examination office by e-mail. Your application will then be examined at the next examination board meeting and you will receive an answer from the Examination Office by e-mail.

•  Application external conduction Master's thesis

If the external application has been approved, please register for the Master's thesis according to the following procedure.

Registration procedure for the Master's thesis (external and internal):

The master's thesis must be registered by the student at the Examination Office at least two weeks before the start of the master's thesis and the start must be approved by the Examination Board.

• Application Master's thesis

If your application has been approved by the Examination Board, you will be informed by the Examination Office by e-mail about the submission date and all additional submission formalities.

Important: When registering the Master's thesis, only persons authorized to conduct examinations are admitted as supervisors/examiners; these are usually professors or private lecturers.
Please keep this in mind when you look for a supervisor, otherwise your application might be rejected by the examination board.

ATTENTION:
If you are working on your Master's thesis across two semesters and the submission falls in the next semester, a re-registration is not necessarily required. Should you still want to spend time in other premises for working on your master's thesis (e.g. a laboratory) or register and complete additional modules in the next semester, please re-register as the student status is important here. If this is not the case, you can also submit your Master's thesis exmatriculated. This decision about re-registration or exmatriculation is up to you.

Digital submission of the Master's thesis:

Certificate:

Please submit the Application for Graduation to the Examination Office as soon as you have successfully completed your last examination. This can be, for example, the date of the presentation of the Master's thesis, a final exam date, the submission of a term paper/protocol/report etc.. The date of the last examination must be noted on the application for graduation and becomes the certificate date.

On December 13, 2022, the Presidential Board decided to specify the administrative practice for the use of self-chosen names of trans*, inter* and non-binary* (TIN*) students of Freie Universität in such a way that the use of these names is now also possible on graduation documents. You can find all the necessary information on the procedure here.

Please note that no certificate can be issued without this application for graduation.

• Application for Graduation

Exmatriculation:

You do not need to wait until you have received your transcript of records to exmatriculate. If you no longer have to carry out any insurance-relevant activities (e.g. work in the laboratory) and have completed all your coursework, you can already exmatriculate.

Exmatriculation is carried out by the Student Administration Office, which is why you will find the necessary forms on the Student Administration homepage (Exmatriculation). It is important that you actively exmatriculate by submitting the form. By exmatriculating, you will receive a corresponding confirmation of exmatriculation with which you can prove your periods of study (e.g. for BAföG, child benefit, pension, doctoral application, etc.).

If you wish to continue with a doctorate after your Master's degree, please clarify with the Student Administration Office whether a "transfer of registration" will take place instead of an "exmatriculation". If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please contact the Student Administration Office or take a look at their homepage.

You can find the study and examination regulations for the Master Biology (2024) here.