Nutrition and Biomedicine

Healthy, safe, and varied food is of vital importance for individual and public health as well as for the food industry. Students of the English-taught Master’s degree program Nutrition and Biomedicine (M.Sc.) learn to investigate, record, and influence the effect of food on health and its importance for prevention.

The degree program has a strong interdisciplinary focus. It is placed at the interface between nutritional science, human biology, and medicine. It combines aspects of molecular biology, genetics, the biochemistry of nutrition, nutritional physiology, nutritional medicine, immunology, microbiology, and clinical nutrition. Students examine the function of molecules in cell networks, model systemic relationships in organoids, investigate endocrine and neuronal interactions between organs, and analyze the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the organism. In doing so, they focus on the question of what role nutrition plays in the increasing prevalence of non-communicable complex diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, allergies, and cancer.

Graduates of the degree program are experts in nutritional science and nutritional medicine. They are able to develop new foodstuffs, assess their nutritional physiology, and analyze the significance of food and its consumption quantity, composition, production, and preparation on physiology and the development of diet-related diseases. This makes them excellently qualified for research and development departments in the food and pharmaceutical industries as well as for further scientific work in biomedical research.

For a comprehensive description of the program, please refer to the degree program documentation:

• Degree program documentation for the Master’s program in Nutrition and Biomedicine (PDF, German)

• The program begins in the first semester with the intensive module Basics Nutrition and Food. The intensive module is particularly important for students who have not completed a Bachelor’s degree in nutritional science.
• In the first two semesters, compulsory modules provide in-depth insights into the research spectrum of nutritional science and related medically relevant subject areas, as well as methodological expertise for nutritional and biomedical research.
• The third and fourth semesters then comprise a wide range of elective modules as well as the final thesis and at the same time offer students the opportunity to gain further international experience through a semester abroad.

• Overview degree program structure (PDF 86 KB)
• Module Catalog: Description of Program Content

Required language skills for admission:

You need sufficient English language skills if you wish to apply for this program. Evidence of your language proficiency has to be submitted before the end of the application deadline. Learn more about recognized certificates and other ways to prove your English language skills.

For this program, proof of at least 30 credits in English-language examination modules in your undergraduate degree program is also accepted as proof of English language proficiency.

This evidence of your language proficiency confirms that you comply with the minimum language requirements for admission to the program. Depending on the program and your individual background, it may be necessary for you to keep working on your language skills during your studies. Be sure to take a look at the services of our Language Center.  

Language of instruction:

The language of instruction for this program is English.

• Contact BAföG confirmations
  • bafoeg.cospam prevention@ls.tum.de

• Information on exams
• Information on studying abroad

The tuition fees for international students from third countries for this degree program are 4,000 euros per semester.

Many international students can have their fees waived or receive scholarships to finance them. You can find all information on waivers and scholarships here.

Please note: The semester fee as a contribution to the student union must be paid additionally. It varies depending on where you are studying. You can find all information on the semester fee here.

Minimum requirements to apply for a Master’s program at TUM are a recognized undergraduate degree (e.g. a Bachelor’s) and the successful completion of the aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment gives the TUM School to which you are applying the opportunity to evaluate your individual talents and motivation for study.

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents.

Here you will find detailed information on the requirements for the documents you need to upload for application and admission to TUM.

Generally, applicants with a qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. a Bachelor’s) obtained outside of Germany must have their documents reviewed in advance through uni-assist.

In detail:

• Applying for a Master’s program: Application, admission requirements and more 
• Important information about your application from the TUM school

• Degree Certificate and Diploma or Subject and Grade Transcript of Studies to Date
• Transcript of Records
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Curricular Analysis
• Notification of successful participation in an electronical TUM Test Nutrition and Biomedicine with min. Score of 40 points
• Complete and Current Résumé (in English)
• Passport
• Preliminary Documentation (VPD) if the qualification for graduate studies (e.g. a bachelor’s) was obtained outside the EU/EEA (from winter semester 2025/26: outside Germany)

Instead of the Bachelor’s degree certificate and the Bachelor’s diploma, you can also upload proof that you have passed the medical examination in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, or equivalent.

We may require additional documents depending on your educational background, your country of origin, and the type of admission procedure. Complete the online application to receive a comprehensive list of the required documents. 

• Application for Enrollment (signed)
• Degree Certificate and Diploma (certified copy)
• Transcript of Records (certified copy)
• Most Current Photo (as for ID)
• Digital notification of your health insurance status from a German public health insurance provider (requested by applicant)

We may require additional documents depending on the type of educational background you earned and your country of origin. After accepting an offer of admission in TUMonline, you will receive a list of documents you must submit to TUM in hardcopy for enrollment.

Application period for winter semester:

• 01.01. – 31.05. for applicants with an undergraduate degree within the scope of the Lisbon Convention
• 01.01. – 30.04. for applicants with an undergraduate degree outside the scope of the Lisbon Convention

Information about applying for a higher subject semester

During the application period, you must apply through the TUMonline application portal and upload your application documents. Please be aware that we can only process your application if you upload all required documents within the application period.

We will review your application as soon as it is complete. Please check your TUMonline account regularly, to see if we have any queries to your documents or if you have to amend one or more documents.

After receiving admission, you will see in TUMonline which documents you have to submit for enrollment, and in which form.

We recommend that you submit the documents for enrollment as soon as possible after receiving admission. If individual documents are not available by then, you can submit them up to 5 weeks after the start of the lecture period. You will, however, only be enrolled once we have received all documents.

You can check the status of your application at any time in your TUMonline account.

Selection takes place through an aptitude assessment procedure. The aptitude assessment is a two-part procedure after the submission of an official application to a program. In this procedure, the TUM school determines whether you meet the specific requirements for its Master’s degree program.

In stage 1 of the aptitude assessment procedure,  there is a difference between applicants who have obtained their Bachelor's degree in a country within the scope of the “Lisbon Convention” and those who have obtained their Bachelor’s degree outside the scope of the “Lisbon Convention”.

Applicants for the Master's program who have obtained their Bachelor’s degree in a country outside the scope of the “Lisbon Convention” have to provide evidence of a successful participation in the TUM Test for Nutrition and Biomedicine, graded with a point system.

For applicants for the Master’s program who have obtained their Bachelor’s degree in a country within the scope of the “Lisbon Convention”, the grades obtained during the Bachelor’s program and the Transcript of Records will be evaluated using a point system.

Depending on the amount of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted, rejected, or invited to an interview.

For more information, please visit the TUM School of Life Sciences’ course homepage.

• Aptitude Assessment for Master
• Description of the Aptitude Assessment (German) (PDF 238 KB)