Application

Admission Prerequisites

To be admitted, the following requirements have to be met:

• Bachelor degree at least equivalent to a European undergraduate degree of 240 ECTS (usually at least four years) with above-average grades. The degree needs to be in medicine or the life sciences (e.g. biology, biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical sciences, genetics, molecular biology, biotechnology or closely related fields). Bioscientific and/or medical content must make up at least 60% of the curriculum studied.
• proven record of academic and extra-curricular excellence
• documented research experience
• strong motivation to pursue a career that incorporates translational, biomedical sciences and research
• proven English proficiency in accordance with TMR admission requirement

Necessary application documents

All documents need to be submitted via the online application system of Heidelberg University (heiCO) by the application deadline on March 15^th . The application period is from February 1^st to March 15^th of the respective year.

1. Completely filled out application form (please use a tool such as Adobe Acrobat Fill and Sign for filling and signing the application form; inserted handwritten signatures are accepted, but typed names are not accepted).

2. A certified* copy of the degree upon which your application is based (your bachelor or master degree), or an official letter stating the expected date of graduation

3. A certified* copy of your transcript of records (including: courses, grades, grading system (grading system can also be explained in an additional document if not included in the transcript), average grade/class rank, and a list of modules still to be completed if not yet graduated)

* Certification of documents: Document copies can be certified by certain authorities such as a notary, university or city hall and have to have an official stamp and original signature. See www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/study/management-of-studies/certification-of-documents for further information. If documents are not in English or German, a certified translation needs to be provided. For application, electronic documents are accepted but in case of admission, physical certified copies of the documents are required by postal mail or in-person-delivery during the enrollment procedure.

4. If applicable: APS approval - mandatory for students with education in countries needing APS approval. Prior check of the educational certificates is done by the German academic inspection agency APS (Akademische Prüfstelle). Countries included (at the time of last update) are: China, Vietnam, India. See www.uni-assist.de/en/tools/glossary-of-terms/description/term/akademische-pruefstelle-aps/.

5. One of the following tests to prove your English proficiency

• IELTS – Academic: Minimum overall score of 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each section

• TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test): Minimum overall score of 92,  with a minimum of 21 in each section

• TOEFL CBT (Computer-Based Test): Minimum overall score of 237,  with a minimum of 21 in each section

• TOEFL PBT (Paper-Based Test): Minimum overall score of 580,  with a minimum of 55 in each section

• Cambridge English Certificates: Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) / Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

Please keep in mind:

• IELTS and TOEFL scores must be less than two years old (this rule does not apply to CAE and CPE certificates).

• Only the above-mentioned test modalities will be accepted (IELTS – General Training will NOT be accepted, and neither will be institutional TOEFL tests).

• You may still apply and be considered even if you have not yet taken an English proficiency test, or while your test score is still unknown, insufficient or too old. In this case, final admission will depend on passing one of the above-mentioned tests before the start of the programme. If you are in such a situation, please inform the admissions office of the date on which you plan to take the test.

Submission of test results:

• IELTS: Please provide a copy of your score report, we will verify the score online.

• TOEFL: Please provide a copy of your score report, and submit a request with ETS to allow us to access your test results in the ETS online database (institution code 6446).

• CAE/CPE: Initially, a copy of the score report can be sent. If you are admitted to the programme, we will require a certified copy of the certificate.

Exemptions:

All applicants must provide proof of proficiency in English with their applications (either via uploading a certificate or the filled English test exemption template). Only applicants who meet at least one of the following requirements are exempt from doing so:

• Native English speakers who have completed their secondary education in any of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, USA

• Applicants who have completed their bachelor education in any of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, USA

Applicants from other English-speaking countries are NOT EXEMPT from providing an  English proficiency certificate. A certificate stating that English is the main language of instruction at the University is not sufficient, unless it is from one of the above-mentioned countries.

6. CV in English

7. A motivation letter in English describing why the applicant wishes to study the MSc programme Translational Medical Research, how the MSc will impact on the applicant’s desired career path, and what experience and qualifications the applicant brings to the programme. These topics are covered in sections 5 and 6 of the TMR Application Form, so if the relevant information is provided there, it is not necessary to submit an additional document. However, applicants have the option to upload a more extended version of a motivation letter as a separate document, if necessary.

8. Proof of practical experience in basic bioscientific laboratory methods of at least 1 ECTS credit (~30h), if this is not clear from your transcript of records. (Please note: if all other requirements are fulfilled, missing prior laboratory experience may be waived by participating in a Basic Laboratory Course at the Medical Faculty Mannheim at the beginning of the programme.)

9. A copy of the main pages of your passport (ID pages and cover)

10. Two letters of recommendation from former supervisors or employers, preferably university professors or similar. Recommendation letters should have the following as file name and as title in the document itself: “Letter for <student name> by <referee name>”. Please keep in mind that only two letters of recommendation will be considered. They should be uploaded to the heiCO online application portal by the applicant. Alternatively, if preferred by referee(s), it is possible that your former supervisor/employer sends the recommendation letter directly via email to the TMR administration office (msctmr@remove-this.medma.uni-heidelberg.de). In this case, please provide the contact detail(s) of your referee(s) via upload of a file with their name, affiliation and  contact details to the heiCO online application portal. Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to arrange with their referees that the letters of recommendation are sent to the TMR administration office before the application deadline.