Program

The official regulations for the master's program in Biomedical Engineering can be found on the pages of the University's Faculty of Medicine (available only in German).

The program's minimum duration is 4 semesters; it can be extended to 6 semesters without any specific reason. If there is an important reason, further extension is possible on request to the study coordination office.

Part-time studies

It is possible to complete the studies parallel to a professional occupation. However, it is not advisable to take the master course while working full-time. We recommend that the part-time occupation does not exceed 40-50% if the master course should be completed within 4-6 semesters.

Compulsory courses take place (with rare exceptions) on only 3 days per week (course locations: Bern and Biel). Students who take the master's program while working part-time can apply for an extension of the maximum duration.

Timetables are subject to alterations. Students are informed about changes on short notice.

Every course is graded and concluded with an assessment which typically consists of a written or oral exam, assignments, presentations, written reports or a combination of these. The assessment type for each course is described in the course pages.

Completion of the master's program

The program is completed successfully when all required mandatory and elective courses (adding up to at least 90 ECTS credits) have been concluded and the master's thesis (30 ECTS credits) has been finished.

Once students have completed their studies, have paid all the fees, returned all keys abd badges and handed in all required documents, they can request graduation by submitting the signed graduation form to the study coordination. In due course, they will receive their Diploma and Diploma Supplement by post. Moreover, they will be officially invited to the solemn graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Medicine. The ceremony takes place every year in March. The next date can be found in our Academic calendar.

Official deregistration from studies ("Exmatrikulation")

Students are permitted to cancel their enrollment if they fulfill all requirements for graduation before week 8 (for the upcoming spring semester) or week 38 (fall semester). This includes the master's thesis which must be completed, i.e., the thesis defense must take place before week 8 or 38, respectively. Check the official page for more information on deregistration.

Please note: The fall semester officially ends on January 31, the spring semester on July 31. When you finish your master's thesis after these dates but before week 8 or 38, you are working on your master's thesis without being officially enrolled. During this period, the subsidiary accident insurance provided by the University of Bern will not be in force.

RMS Master Award

We are very pleased to announce that the RMS Foundation has established the RMS Master Award for students graduating from the Master in Biomedical Engineering program at the University of Bern. The annual award is bestowed in recognition of excellent academic achievements. It is presented to the student with the highest grade point average. The laureate will receive a record and an amount of 1000 CHF. It will be handed over each year in March at the graduation ceremony of the medical faculty of the University of Bern.