Courses offered in the Master's Program in Microbiology

Compulsory module of 6 CP, winter semester

The module MIB1 provides detailed, theoretical knowledge of general and molecular microbiology. Contents include aspects of growth and metabolism of microorganisms including energetics, consideration of prokaryotes from molecular biology to physiology to ecology, interactions between microbes, as well as common methods in microbiology such as culture techniques, protein biochemistry or bioinformatics.

Compulsory module of 6 CP, winter semester

The MIB2 module provides practical knowledge of general and molecular microbiology. This includes the preparation of growth media and the performance of microbial
fermentation experiments, identification of bacterial natural products, generation of a protein expression system, and purification and characterization of heterologously produced proteins.

Compulsory module of 3 CP, summer semester

Day excursion to different companies, e.g. product manufacturing using microorganisms, microbiological quality control, pharmaceutical companies, public institutions, hospitals, water treatment plants, research institutions.

Elective module of 3 LP, all year round

The module MIB36 includes the participation in 10-14 seminars of the working groups of the IfMB, as well as the house colloquium in which national and international guests present their work in addition to the research of the institute. In the seminars, the topics and ongoing results of the respective projects are presented and discussed. In addition, the results of the master thesis are presented during the colloquium.

Elective module of 6 LP, all year round

The module MIB48 includes an internship at a non-university institution and thus serves to gain work-related experience. Finally, a report on the completed internship must be prepared. Possible internship locations are research facilities, government agencies or institutions that deal centrally with microorganisms. (e.g. hygiene, public health, agents against pathogens, quality control, food industry, development of diagnostic procedures, infection control, biotechnological use of microorganisms).

Elective module of 6 LP, all year round

The module MIB56 includes the theoretical elaboration of a microbiological topic by means of literature research and database analysis. The processed topic should then be presented in writing. This module is often used for the theoretical preparation of a master thesis.

Elective module of 3 CP, summer semester

The module MIB65 deals with new findings in general and molecular microbiology. Current topics are presented in the form of lectures and subsequently discussed.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The MIB67 module is a laboratory course that offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question from the main research areas of microbial physiology, such as adaptation to changing environmental conditions, stress adaptation or survival strategies.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The MIB67 module is a laboratory course that offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question from the main research areas of microbial physiology, such as adaptation to changing environmental conditions, stress adaptation or survival strategies.

Elective module of 3 CP, all year round

Module MIB73 involves an in-depth experimental analysis of an immediately preceding laboratory exercise worth six credit points.

Elective module of 6 CP, winter semester

The module MIB76 is an advanced elective module of the RG Endesfelder about the basics of fluorescence and its applications in microbiology. This includes different fluorescence methods, which are used to elucidate cellular processes, such as measurement of molecular organization within cells, protein-protein interactions or protein stoichiometry. In the practical part, fluorescence-labeled bacterial strains are cultured, prepared and examined by spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy and single molecule microscopy.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

Module MIB77 is a laboratory exercise that provides the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project in the research area of quantitative microbial cell biology.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

Module MIB77 is a laboratory exercise that provides the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project in the research area of quantitative microbial cell biology.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

Single molecule microscopy and spectroscopy provide detailed insights into the molecular organization and dynamic processes of biological systems. Module MIB78 offers the opportunity to work on and to learn high-resolution techniques under supervision within a current project of the research group.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

Single molecule microscopy and spectroscopy provide detailed insights into the molecular organization and dynamic processes of biological systems. Module MIB78 offers the opportunity to work on and to learn high-resolution techniques under supervision within a current project of the research group.

Elective module of 6 LP, winter semester

The module MIB15 is an advanced elective module of the Dahl group. It deals with the production of proteins that are not accessible via heterologous production in E. coli and subsequent purification by affinity chromatography. In the theoretical part, different chromatographic methods as well as the diversity of prosthetic groups in bacterial enzymes are intensively discussed. The practical part covers FPLC-based techniques for protein purification from an anoxygenic phototrophic gammaproteobacterium and an aerobic alphaproteobacterium. The latter serves here as an example of a non-model organism.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The module MIB53 is a laboratory exercise, which offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question from the main research areas of microbial sulfur metabolism. The questions worked on here can be in the field of enzymology, biochemistry and genetics of sulfur metabolism in prokaryotes.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The module MIB53 is a laboratory exercise, which offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question from the main research areas of microbial sulfur metabolism. The questions worked on here can be in the field of enzymology, biochemistry and genetics of sulfur metabolism in prokaryotes.

Elective module of 6 CP, winter semester

The module MIB12 is an advanced elective module of the research group Deppenmeier. It deals with how DNA is introduced into bacteria and how it can be induced to function. The practical part includes transformation of E. coli and "blue-white screening", electroporation of DNA into E. coli and other Gram-negative bacteria, conjugation with acetic acid bacteria and detection of gene function, as well as targeted gene deletion in E. coli using "suicide" vectors.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The module MIB17 is a laboratory exercise that offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question from the research focus on the growth and metabolism of methane forming and intestinal bacteria. The processes of methanogenesis are important to the global carbon cycle. Large amounts of methane escape into the atmosphere where it acts as a greenhouse gas. Gut bacteria are of great importance to human health. This module includes the cultivation of methane producers and gut bacteria, and the analysis of the basic metabolic properties of the organisms such as the conversion of substrates to short-chain organic acids and methane, the study of the of membrane-bound electron transport, and other biochemical experiments. The Experiments also include genetic methods such as defined gene deletions, transcriptional regulation studies, and vector design.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The module MIB17 is a laboratory exercise that offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question from the research focus on the growth and metabolism of methane forming and intestinal bacteria. The processes of methanogenesis are important to the global carbon cycle. Large amounts of methane escape into the atmosphere where it acts as a greenhouse gas. Gut bacteria are of great importance to human health. This module includes the cultivation of methane producers and gut bacteria, and the analysis of the basic metabolic properties of the organisms such as the conversion of substrates to short-chain organic acids and methane, the study of the of membrane-bound electron transport, and other biochemical experiments. The Experiments also include genetic methods such as defined gene deletions, transcriptional regulation studies, and vector design.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The module MIB18 is a laboratory course which offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question within the research focus of the biotransformation of acetic acid bacteria. Acetic acid bacteria are already used on a large scale for the production of various substances. The complete genome of the acetic acid bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans was sequenced several years ago. The sequences showed that the organism contains 75 genes encoding previously uncharacterized oxidoreductases. These proteins are suitable candidates for new biotechnological applications. Therefore, the overproduction, purification and characterization of these proteins is the central task in this laboratory practical.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

The module MIB18 is a laboratory course which offers the opportunity to work under supervision on a current experimental project with a scientific question within the research focus of the biotransformation of acetic acid bacteria. Acetic acid bacteria are already used on a large scale for the production of various substances. The complete genome of the acetic acid bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans was sequenced several years ago. The sequences showed that the organism contains 75 genes encoding previously uncharacterized oxidoreductases. These proteins are suitable candidates for new biotechnological applications. Therefore, the overproduction, purification and characterization of these proteins is the central task in this laboratory practical.

Elective module of 6 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

High-resolution modern light microscopy methods provide detailed insights into the molecular organization and dynamic processes of (micro)biological systems. These methods make it possible to visualize and measure highly complex events during viral replication, such as the assembly and transport of new virus particles. Through image processing and analysis, insights into the spatio-temporal coordination of events during viral infection are possible.

Elective module of 9 CP, all year round

Laboratory exercise, usually takes place upon request to the corresponding working group

High-resolution modern light microscopy methods provide detailed insights into the molecular organization and dynamic processes of (micro)biological systems. These methods make it possible to visualize and measure highly complex events during viral replication, such as the assembly and transport of new virus particles. Through image processing and analysis, insights into the spatio-temporal coordination of events during viral infection are possible.