Master

The Master Study Program in Biology at the ETH Zurich is a 1.5-year, Bologna-conform program resulting in a Master in Biology degree.

The ETH Zurich Biology Master Program has a strong focus on experimental research with two thirds (60 ECTS) of the required 90 ETCS to be obtained for practical work in the form of two research projects and a Master thesis. Students enroll into one of ten study directions.

The study direction “Structural Biology and Biophysics” is organized by the Institute for Molecular Biology & Biophysics, including courses on the three-dimensional structure determination of proteins and nucleic acids with X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and electron microscopy. It also organizes a course on biophysical methods that can be applied to unravel the mechanisms of biological macromolecules, including modern techniques in fluorescence and single-molecule spectroscopy and general biophysical methods such as analytical ultracentrifugation and thermodynamics.

The successful completion of the Master program in Structural Biology prepares the student for a professional career in scientific research areas concerned with biological questions on the molecular level. It provides a solid scientific background for further academic studies towards a PhD followed by postdoctoral training, but also provides the Master graduates with a scientific profile desired for competitive positions in biotechnology and the chemical, biomedical and pharmaceutical industry.

Several of the Master specialization profiles are very interrelated and courses organized by the IMB are also part of those specializations. Furthermore, we also host research project and master thesis students from other specialization profiles (for example Biochemistry, Biological Chemistry, Systems Biology, Microbiology etc) in our research groups.

After being accepted into the Master program in Biology in the profile “Structural Biology & Biophysics”, students first meet with the study advisor, Prof. Eilika Weber-Ban. She will discuss the individual study program with each student, since the curriculum offers a lot of choices and allows the student to shape it accordings to his/her interests and needs.

DownloadHere you can find a detailed list of the course program for our profile

General information along with the guidelines describing the Master in Biology Study Program are found on the official website “Academic Studies in Biology” of the Department of Biology.