The curriculum
The Master’s Program Botany, established 2013, is offered exclusively in English. Admission to this program requires the completion of a Bachelor’s or equivalent degree in a closely related discipline at a college, university or other institution of postsecondary education in Austria or abroad (see here for more details):
- You have a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from the University of Vienna, from other universities in Austria, or from a university in Germany: Please check this site to see whether you can be admitted to the Master's programme Botany without any additional requirements
- You have a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an Austrian or German university, but the university is not listed or your Bachelor study is not listed: Your application has to be checked on an individual basis; details on the admission procedure can be found here
- You have a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from a university outside Austria or Germany: Your application has to be checked on an individual basis; details on the admission procedure can be found here
- In addition to the mandatory Students' Union fee (as of 2024 22.70 €) you may have to pay a tuition fee. All information concerning these fees (e.g., amount of the tuition fee, possibilities for remission or reimbursement) can be found here
The Master‘s Program Botany comprises four semesters. Following an initial consolidating phase covering basic principles of botanical research (in the areas systematics and evolution, structural biology, molecular and system biology), students are trained in a selection of basic and advanced methods and techniques and they learn how to conduct scientific research in the course of small research projects. Additionally, from a pool of advanced lectures, practical and field courses students select those that are relevant for their theses and that convey hard and soft skills that strengthen the students’ profiles and thus increase their chances on the job market.
More details on the structure of the Master's Program Botany can be found here (the full, legally valid, version of the curriculum as published in the University's official bulletin, hence mostly in German, can be found here, starting on p. 50). To browse for offered courses, you may want to check u:find.
What students say
"In Uni Wien's Master Botany program, I've found interesting courses on a wide variety of topics, research to help us understand our captivating world, and supportive professors that challenge and encourage me. I'm loving it!"
Norma Rivera
"The image of a botanist often is one of an old man crawling on the ground observing plants with a magnifying glass. In reality, however, botanists are doing cutting-edge research! During the studies, we become familiar with most modern methods, such as cytogenetic and molecular techniques together with next-generation sequencing, and combine those with traditional methods, such as microscopy, to investigate molecular biology, evolution and ecology of plants. Our teachers encourage us to gain practical experience with these techniques, and thus we get in small groups the best support and guidance from experts in their fields. Despite modern techniques and lab work we never loose nature out of sight, and we still work with magnifying glasses during field work in different regions from coast to summit – this is what I like most about the botany studies."
Lukas Grossfurthner