Master Evolution, Ecology and Systematics

The Master's program Evolution, Ecology and Systematics is aimed at students with a bachelor's degree in biology who are interested in molecular and organismic issues.

The experimentally oriented study is consecutive, research-oriented and leads to the second vocational qualification. The teaching language is English and German, but studying is only possible in English. The beginning of studies takes place in the winter semester.

In addition to lectures, the course program of the Master's program is characterized by a high proportion of independent work in seminars and practical exercises. Various compulsory and elective modules are offered, which enable a broad education in all subjects of organismic and evolutionary biology, but also a focus on a specific topic. Details can be found on the sub-pages to the course program en or in the study documents en.

In addition to subject-specific scientific skills, our graduates acquire the communicative skills required to present scientific results to the public and can also gain international experience through the possibility of a semester abroad.
In particular, the Master's program qualifies for scientific careers and is the prerequisite for a postgraduate doctoral studies in Zoology, Botany, Systematics, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Microbiology and Functional Biodiversity Research at the FSU Jena as well as in Germany and abroad. The education qualifies for scientific work in all highly topical professional fields of the organismic biology.

Jena, the City of Science 2008, was appropriately described by Goethe as a city “stacked” with knowledge. Nestling in the picturesque Saale valley, the town couldn’t be more convenient in terms of location or size: here, nothing is far.

Jena is a city of diversity: the university offers a wide range of courses and actively promotes contact between students and scientists from different fields. This attention to networking is one of the reasons behind the success of the dynamic and aspiring city over the last 20 years. Business and academia (in the form of the University and the neighbouring Max Planck and Leibnitz Institutes) work hand in hand, and “town and gown” also collaborate successfully to ensure that Jena continues to develop into a student paradise. Free use of public transport, the absence of university fees, attractive recreational facilities, an exemplary social infrastructure - especially for young families, and a cosmopolitan climate attract over 2000 new students to Jena every year.