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Speaker Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Michael Wegner

CoordinationDr. rer. nat. Simone Reiprich (as from 1.8.2017)

AddressDean’s Office at the Faculty of Medicine Krankenhausstr. 1291054 ErlangenPhone: +49 9131 8524645Fax: +49 9131 8522224molmed-info@fau.de www.med.fau.eu/study/molecular-medicine-b-scwww.med.fau.eu/study/molecular-medicine-m-sc

Aims and Structure

The consecutive bachelor/master degree pro-gram Molecular Medicine combines the sub-jects of experimental medicine with the ap-proaches of molecular biology, biochemistry,and genomics. The advances in biomedical re-search continually change our knowledge andunderstanding of basic biological mechanismsand disease-induced alterations, reflected innew and improved therapies.The degree program Molecular Medicine ad-dresses the need to teach knowledge fromboth, medicine and natural sciences. An inter-disciplinary curriculum optimally prepares thestudents for the changing requirements in bio-medical research. With the master’s degree, thestudents acquire the ability to do research inde-pendently.Graduates of this research-oriented programcan work as biomedical scientists in universities,industry and public administration. During their studies, our students are closely su-pervised. New bachelor students, for example,are welcomed with a symposium introducingthe study program and the different researchactivities at the Faculty of Medicine. In the mentoring program, each student is assigned amentor from among the teaching staff of theprogram. The participation of student represen-tatives in the program committee ensure thatstudents are actively involved in decision-making and further development of the studyprograms.

Bachelor program Molecular MedicineEach winter semester, 37 new students are cho-sen from among 800-1000 applicants. The B.Sc.degree program spans six semesters in which asolid education in all basic disciplines of Molec -

ular Medicine is achieved. The core curriculumin Molecular Medicine is mainly taught by pre-clinical and theoretical institutes. In the first twoyears, there is a focus on basic sciences andhuman biology (e.g. chemistry, physics, cell biology) as well as the preclinical disciplinesanatomy, biochemistry and physiology. Thesecourses are complemented by further modulesin pathogenesis and experimental therapies(e.g. human genetics, pathology, pharma -cology) and practical lab work. The degree pro-gram concludes with a 2-months experimentalthesis.

Participants of the graduation ceremony on 17 October2015. (Photo: FAU)

Participants of the graduation ceremony on 15 October2016. (Photo: FAU)

Master’s program Molecular Medicine The main goal of the consecutive two year mas-ter degree program is to enable students to doindependent scientific research. The master pro-gram is highly research oriented. While the B.Sc.curriculum teaches the basics of single disci -plines, the M.Sc. degree program focuses on in-terdisciplinary courses. These link theoreticalconcepts with extensive lab practice and analy-sis and discussion of current and classical re-search publications. The master degree pro-gram ends with a thesis of six months. A mobil -ity window in the third semester gives studentsan opportunity to gain lab experience abroador in an industry context.The curriculum of the master’s program waschanged significantly as of winter semester2016/2017. The language of teaching (includ -ing examinations) was switched to English, tak -ing into consideration that English is the linguafranca in biomedical science. This change opensthe program for qualified international appli-

cants. Furthermore, the student body’s wish formore freedom of choice was addressed by theintroduction of elective compulsory and electivemodules. Students and alumni were strongly in-volved in the development of the curriculum.

Participants of the graduation ceremony on 17 October2015. (Photo: FAU)

Participants of the graduation ceremony on 15 October2016. (Photo: FAU)

PerspectivesThe master degree Molecular Medicine offersthe opportunity to pursue a high-quality docto-ral program at FAU and other universities. Grad -uates may enroll in a doctoral program (Dr. rer.nat.) offered in collaboration with the Faculty ofSciences. The degree program Molecular Medi-cine enables its students to successfully contrib -ute to scientific and practical work in medicalresearch, laboratory diagnostics, and medicalbiotechnology. A variety of occupational fieldsin industry, private laboratory, and public insti-tutions is available to the graduates of MolecularMedicine. Industrial employment options in-clude research and development as well as pro-duction and quality control, marketing, or ad-ministration. Private laboratories, hospitals, andauthorities seek university graduates experi-enced in molecular diagnostics, DNA and pro-tein diagnostics for medical and biotechnologi-cal applications.Molecular Medicine graduates who have goneon to obtain a doctoral degree currently havepositions in national and international researchinstitutions (e.g. Harvard Medical School, Karo-linska Institute) and in industry (e.g. Novartis orRoche). Graduates of the first generation are al-ready holding professorships.

Molecular Medicine

DEGREE PROGRAMS

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