BIOME - International Students
Introducing Essen and the Ruhr Metropolis
Situated advantageously at the heart of Western Europe in Germany's largest metropolitan area, the quirky and idiosyncratic Ruhr Metropolis (2010’s European Cultural Capital and 2017's European Green Capital) is a very exciting, happening place to be, and its theatres, operas, museums, art galleries as well as its café- and nightlife have a lot to offer to the inquiring mind. In addition, Duisburg and Essen are internationally reputed high-tech, energy and service sector hubs which have built up strong economic, academic and cultural partnerships within the European Union and throughout the world.
However, being a regional patchwork of neighbouring towns and cities separated by lush green belts, forests and lakes, each centre of this urban conglomerate has retained its own distinct character and flair, and thus its inhabitants are never under the impression that they are living in an area of such high population density.
Essen's successful transformation story of a coal and steel city to becoming the greenest city in North Rhine-Westphalia is a role model for many cities in Europe that are undergoing structural change.
Young patients' charming depiction of the landmarks of the City of Essen (© Universitätsklinikum Essen, 2020)
More about the University of Duisburg-Essen
Ideally, a university is an institution of higher learning which extends beyond the national, political, social and ideological context within it is based, open to the cross-cultural, international academic exchange of knowledge, experience, principles and values. A major advantage of the University of Duisburg-Essen is its relative youth which marks us as a dynamic and flexible establishment readily able to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world with a fair-minded and modern approach. It also ranks amongst the top ten of Germany's largest universities.
A wide range of nationalities is represented amongst the graduates of Biomedical Science and this is one of the main reasons why the working language of the graduate school is English. About one fifth of our doctoral candidates are international, a clear reflection of the global nature of scientific research today.
A vast amount of useful information about living and studying in Duisburg-Essen, bureaucratic procedures and general guidelines for international candidates has been complied by our university’s International Office and can be found on their web site:
Guidelines for International Students
In particular, we recommend candidates interested in applying to our graduate school to refer to the very helpful brochures prepared by the International Office:
Brochure about the International Office
Admissions Information for International Students
Non-EU candidates need to bear in mind that they need an official letter of acceptance from their supervisor in order to be able to apply for a visa for Germany.
Should you have any further queries about BIOME’s doctoral programme or your application to our university, please get in touch with the graduate school’s general coordinator.