Applicant information for the Master's Program
Thank you very much for your interest in the Master of Science in Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience course at the Faculty of Medicine and Mathematics and Natural Sciences
On this page, you can find information on general admission requirements, the application process as well as the required documents. Please note that students with a foreign Bachelor degree have to apply differently (see below).
Admission Requirements
You will find detailed information on all admission requirements on our website under "Downloads". Scroll down and you will find links to the respective pdf files. Please read the document carefully! The following list is just a general overview!
- a: first professional degree in a neuroscientific programme in which at least 180 credit points (LP) have been earned
- proof of knowledge of the English language at level B2 CEFR (by means of an Abitur certificate or an examination (TOEFL, Cambridge Certificate, IELTS, Telc Certificate, KMK Fremdsprachenzertifikat or equivalent; for exceptions see the Amendment of Admission Regulations on our Download Page)
OR
- b: equivalent degree in a programme of study which is very similar in content. A considerable proximity in terms of content exists in particular if there are 60 credit points (LPs) in the field of neuroscience or its fundamentals (for an orientation see the module overview of our Bachelor programme)
- proof of knowledge of the English language at level B2 CEFR (by means of an Abitur certificate or an examination (TOEFL, Cambridge Certificate, IELTS, Telc Certificate, KMK Fremdsprachenzertifikat or equivalent; for exceptions see the Amendment of Admission Regulations on our Download Page)
Application Deadlines
Also see the information by the International Office.
- Applications with a German degree have to be submitted via KLIPS2.0 until
15th of July for the Winter Term (starting October) and
15th of January for the Summer Term (starting April). - For applicants with a non-German degree, the same deadlines apply. They can request a VPD at any time of the year but should take into account that they need to request the VPD on time.
Applicants that have no citizenship or residence in a member state of the European Union should consider to prepare in time for visa applications. For further information please visit the website of the International Office of the University of Cologne.
Please note: The processing of applications takes up to 4 weeks after the application deadline, as the examination by the international office takes time. No admissions or rejections will be made in advance.
Questions?
Should you have queries about the general application process, please address the advisor of coordination for the Neuroscience programs, Samir Delonge (see contacts). Should your query concern applications with a foreign Bachelor's degree, please contact the International office.
Application procedure
Applicants with a German Bachelor's Degree
Sequence of Application
The application for the MSc in Neurosciences (cl./exp.) course is solely possible via KLIPS 2.0!
You hold a bachelor's degree from the University of Cologne?
- Please register with your usual account in KLIPS2.0. In the category "Study Course", you will find a field "Applications". This will start the online application tool.
You have been awarded your bachelor's degree by another German university?
- Please start by registering for a new applicant account.
Requested Documents for Application
The admission committee requires the certified copies of the following documents in order to be able to verify your application:
- School leaving certificate (or an equivalent degree of qualification for access to German universities)
- Transcript of Records
- Bachelor of Science in a biomedical field, psychology or computer sciences. The degree certificate can be handed in later.
Applicants with a foreign school degree also need to provide a certified translation of this degree unless it exists in German or English.
Additionally, please hand-in the following documents:
- Letter of Motivation
- CV
- Proof of English language skills (B2/C1)
For the online application, all of these documents have to be uploaded as pdf.
Handing in the Degree Certificate later
Handing in the bachelor certificate later is in general possible. The admission is then with qualified acceptance. Please hand the certificate in later as soon as available - otherwise the admission to the master course will be retracted and the right to inscription ceases.
Applicants with a foreign Bachelor's Degree
Sequence of Application
Please note the two-stage application process!
1. Request a preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni-assist
2. Apply via the application portal of the University of Cologne Klips 2.0
In addition to an online application at the University of Cologne (UoC), you must request the preliminary review documentation (VPD)directly from uni-assist.
Uni-assist e.V. is the "work and service center for international students’ applications". It evaluates master applications for the University of Cologne from applicants who have obtained a foreign university degree. The applications collected through uni-assist e.V. are verified for formal accuracy, and finally passed on to the admission committee for the Neurosciences (exp./cl.) Master course for final verification.
When applying for a master’s degree, the VPD indicates whether you meet the formal requirements for a master’s degree at the UoC. After your documents have been checked by uni-assist and you have received the result (VPD), create an online application in the UoC Klips 2.0 application portal.
An application to the UoC is only possible with a valid VPD. The application for preliminary review documentation (VPD) at uni-assist alone does not count as an application for a degree program at the UoC.
Once you have registered through the application portal of the University of Cologne, you will receive an e-mail with a security link.
- Activate your access by clicking on the secured link
- Sign on in the application portal (online application service)
- Enter your personal data (name, address, etc), your desired course in Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences and save.
- Create a PDF document of your application by using the link "Antrag drucken“.
- Send your application electronically to uni-assist using the link "Antrag übermitteln“.
- Transfer the administration fees to the account of uni-assisst (bank account details).
On the home page of uni-assist you will find a general overview of the steps for a successful application. Decisions concerning admission for the Master course are regularly sent out after the meeting of the admission committee, latest three weeks after the application deadline.
Requested Documents for Application
The admission committee requires certified copies of the following documents in order to be able to verify your application:
- Preliminary review documentation (VPD) by uni-assist
- School leaving certificate (or an equivalent degree of qualification for access to German universities)
- Transcript of Records
- Bachelor of Science in a biomedical field, psychology, mathematics or computer sciences. The degree certificate can be handed in later.
Applicants with a foreign school and university degree also need to provide certified translations of these degrees unless they exist in German or English.
Additionally, please hand in the following documents:
- Letter of Motivation
- CV
- Proof of English language skills (B2/C1)
Please note: Due to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 epidemic applicants will only be able to upload documents online and will also be able to submit unauthenticated documents.
The university personnel in charge of the report evaluation will check whether the document has features that suggest a suspicion of falsification, even if it is a simple copy. Certificates and diplomas with digital verification options will continue to be verified individually, especially in cases of suspected forgery and in random samples without reason. For up-to-date information about the Master application process, consult the respective page by the international office, which you can find here.
Important: All documents that are decisive for formal admission must still be submitted on time! It is not possible to omit e.g. required language certificates!
Handing in the Bachelor Degree Later
Handing in the bachelor certificate later is generally possible. The admission is then with qualified acceptance. Please hand in the certificate as soon as available - otherwise the admission to the master course will be retracted and the right to inscription ceases.
Further information
For further information, please contact the registrar's office.