Master Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences
The Master of Science in Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences is set up as a consecutive and research-oriented degree program. Graduates will have learned the practical and theoretical methods of the research fields of Biological Oceanography (BO) and Fisheries Science (FS) and will be able to apply them in laboratory, field and theoretical studies. Students will possess the ability to develop scientific hypotheses through problem analysis and are able to select approaches to best test these hypotheses. Graduates will be familiar with the current discourse on anthropogenic effects on marine ecosystems and, with their professional knowledge, will be able to contribute to social debates regarding the management and conservation of ocean ecosystems and living marine resources. Consequently, graduates will be in a position to excellence in a future scientific career and/or to contribute to assessment and management of the status of ocean ecosystems.
Application
Application for the master of science program on "Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences"
Application are possible from Februrary 15th until March 31th. You can start your application online via STiNE.
For further infromation please check our Special Conditions of Admission (PDF)
General information regarding the application process are available here: CampusCenter.
Who can apply for this master?
For the Master of Science Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences, the following special conditions for admission must be satisfied:
1. A bachelor’ degree either in
2. Any other bachelor’s degree, provided that at least 81 ECTS credits of foundational coursework in the natural sciences have been proven to have been completed in the following disciplines:
| Mathematics (incl. physics and bioinformatics, if available) | 6 ECTS |
| Chemistry (general; inorganic, organic, physical, and biochemistry) | 6 ECTS |
| Statistics | 9 ECTS |
| Biology (inclusive Biological Oceanography and Fisheries Science | 60 ECTS |
3. All Applicants must have adequate English language skills.
Adequate language proficiency may be demonstrated as follows:
a) CEFR/TELC - B2
b) IELTS - 5.0
c) TOEFL - (IBT 80, PBT 500, CBT 170)
d) Cambridge - FCE, CAE, or CPE
e) Degree from an English language bachelor degree program
f) Higher education entrance qualification for an anglophone Instiution in Higher Education
g) Exchange of miminum 6 month at an anglophone Country
h) English classes at a state school in Germany for seven years is equivalent [wenn im Abi-Zeugnis Englisch als erste Fremdsprache aufgeführt ist, reicht dies als Nachweis aus])
Which documents do I need for a successful application?
You have to submit the following documents to apply for a place in this master program:
1) Application form.
You have to fill in the form online via STiNE. No hard copies are needed. PLease upload all needed docuemts.
- The online-application is open beginning the February 15th until March 31th www.stine.uni-hamburg.de .
Applicants who have finished their graduate degree before March 31th have to send the following documents in addition to their application form:
- Certificates of the bachelor degree.
- In the case that modules, courses and examinations are not listed in the certificate you have to add a „transcript of records“ .
- Language certificate (CEFR/TELC, IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge).
- Certificate of additional qualification relating to the master program.
Applicants who are in the final stage of their bachelor without a certificates of the bachelor degree, have to send the following docoments in addition to their application form:
- An official „transcript of records“ where modules, courses and examinations are listed and a preliminary overall grade has been given.
- Applications can only be considered if you can prove that you are able to complete your bachelor´s degree until the end of the first semester of the master Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences while studying the modules provided for the first semester of the master Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences.
- Language certificate (CEFR/TELC, IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge).
- Certificate of additional qualifications relating to the master program.
If you have any questions
For questions concerning the application please contact Markus Brändel.
For questions concerning the master program please contact Prof. Dr. Christian Möllmann.
Degree course scheme
1. Semester
Compulsory Modules:
i-MARSYS 1
Introduction to Biological Oceanography and Fisheries Science
Lecture, seminar
i-MARSYS 2
Biodiversity of Marine Life
Lecture, seminar, lab course
i-MARSYS 3
Data Handling and Visualization
Lecture, excercise
2. Semester
Compulsory Modules
i-MARSYS 4
Advanced Biological Oceanography and Fisheries Science
Lecture, seminar
i-MARSYS 5
Data Analysis and Modelling 1
Lecture, excercise
Compulory elective (part 1 - one out of two)
i-MARSYS 6a
Marine Ecosystem Dynamics and Management
Lab course
i-MARSYS 6b
Fish Biology and Population Dynamics
Lab course
3. Semester
Compulsory Elective (part 2 - one out of three)
i-MARSYS 7a
Plankton Ecology and Evolution
Lab course
i-MARSYS 7b
Dynamics of Marine Food webs: Zooplankton-Ichthyoplankton Coupling
Lab course
i-MARSYS 7c
Advanced Marine Ecosystem Modelling
Lab course
Compulsory modules:
i-MARSYS 8
Environmental Policy and Management
Lecture, excercise
i-MARSYS 9
Data Analysis and Modelling 2
Lecture, excercise
4. Semester - master thesis
i-MARSYS 10
Master thesis
You can only request your master’s thesis, if you have successfully passed all compulsory elective modules and i-MARSYS 9.
The application form
To register, fill out the form above, send it to the supervisor of your thesis by email and have it signed. When you get the signed form back, you can send it to an exam manager at the Academic Office Biology. You will then receive an email asking you to confirm the delivery date (it is in the email) by email. Only then your work is registered.
There has to be 900 working hours (5 months) between the beginning and the submission of the master’s thesis.
The master's thesis usually consists of
- a (short) theoretical introduction to the topic, including development of a research concept with the supervisor of the thesis
- a 3 to 4-month experimental treatment of the topic in one of the participating study groups, as well as
- the written documentation, evaluation and interpretation of the results according to the rules of good scientific practice in a master's thesis, and
- the oral presentation of the thesis / defence of the thesis in a colloquium with the examiners of the thesis or in an advanced seminar (exam-form).
Specifications Master's Thesis
Examiner of the master thesis:
The master's thesis is examined by the supervisor and a further examiner from the group of authorized examiners. At least one examiner must have provided additional scientific services in accordance with §15 Abs. be proven by a Habilitation.
- At least one examiner of the master’s thesis must belong to the group of professors in the Department of Biology and be significantly involved in teaching within the degree program. As a rule the other examiner for the master’s thesis must belong to the Department of Biology and be significantly involved in teaching within the degree program. In cases of doubt, the examinations board shall decide on the applicable regulations for examination and instructions.
- A further examiner must have a doctoral degree. The doctorate must be at least three years old and he / she must work scientifically, as evidenced by relevant publications. The examination right must be requested by the examiner at the Examination Board, which decides on a case-by-case basis. The application must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, if applicable.
Submission
To submit your thesis on time, please send us an email with your thesis as a PDF file in the attachment. The date of the email counts as the submission date for the final thesis. Even within the submission deadline, you can only submit the paper once! Therefore, make sure that you submit the correct version.
Good Luck!
examination regulations
career perspectives
Graduates will, based on their broad interdisciplinary and integrative university training, qualify for a broad range of career opportunities. They can, for example, pursue a career in research, starting with a PhD, to be subsequently employed in responsible and leading positions at universities, academic and non-academic research institutes and business companies in the field of biological oceanography and fisheries sciences.
Other promising job opportunities can be found in management, consulting, policy and communication in federal ministries, governmental and non-governmental organisations, pisciculture or other marine biology business companies. Positions in research funding organisations, scientific journalism, ocean ecosystems protection, intellectual property rights, pisciculture associations, or international organisations such as the EU represent additional employment possibilities.
Graduates will be able to contribute social debates regarding the management and conservation of ocean ecosystems and living marine resources at various integration levels in the areas of fundamental and applied biological oceanography and fisheries sciences. In addition, due to their profound expertise and broad proficiency, graduates can also strive for employments in all other prominent areas of Life Sciences.
Ceremony to present the final certificate
The Department Biology will hold a certificate ceremony on January 24th, 2025. We would be very pleased to present you your certificate at this event. For a smooth running of the event we depend on a registration in order to be able to plan:
Participation is voluntary. If you need the certificate between the graduation and the awarding of the certificate, we will be able to arrange this.