Application, admission, and registration

We welcome applicants with backgrounds in a health-related field with a sufficient grade. A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a relevant discipline such as health science, medicine, pharmacy, psychology, social science, statistics, other scientific disciplines such as biology or chemistry, sports science, physical therapy, economics, business administration, or communications is required.

• Applicants that have not achieved an average grade of at least 2.5 according to the German grading system will be rejected.
• Due to our program’s emphasis on epidemiological and biostatistical methods, good knowledge of mathematics and statistics is required, as evidenced through our entry test or the GRE General Test.

• Applicants that have not passed our entry test or who have not scored in the 75th percentile or higher on the GRE General Test will be rejected.

Our program is taught entirely in English, therefore advanced competency in English is required.

• While we do not require formal proof of your English language ability, your proficiency will be assessed via the entry test or GRE General Test score as well as your performance during your interview if your are selected to participate in the interview process.

1. Register on our online application tool (APTE) You can register and apply between 1 February and 15 May each year. Online Application Tool (APTE)

Please fill in the required information including a short description of your motivation in the space provided on the application tool (not longer than 1000 characters) describing your goals in pursuing graduate studies and completing the master’s programme in Epidemiology at LMU Munich.

2. Entry test at LMU Munich or GRE General Test:

2a. Entry test at LMU Munich
Take the entry test at LMU (more information below).

2b. GRE General Test Score
Submit your GRE Score with your application by 15 May!

3. Interview
If you pass the entry test or if your GRE score is sufficient, you will receive an invitation to a personal virtual interview which is scheduled for June each year.

4. Selection committee
Applicants who have participated in the interview process will be considered for admission by a selection committee. The selection committee will decide upon each applicant’s suitability for admission in accordance with the rules of the admission statutes.

5. Notification of final decision
All applicants are notified of the final decision of their acceptance at the beginning of July.

Important information:

• We do not accept applications after the deadline.
• Documents provided by e-mail, ordinary mail, or handed in personally will not be considered.
• Incomplete applications cannot be processed.
• If your application is rejected, you can apply again the following year.
• You do not need to submit a letter of recommendation.
• You do not need proof of English language ability (such as IELTS). Your English language ability will be assessed via our entry test or the GRE General Test and during your interview.

The following documents should be submitted through our online application system APTE by 15 May:

Proof of your Studies:

• Bachelor’s degree or university diploma or certificate.
• Transcript with records of the courses you have attended.
• Proof of your average grade.
• An explanation of the grading scale, including evidence of the minimum passing grade and maximum possible grade in the subject concerned.
• If your documents are not in German or English, an official translation has to be additionally provided.
• If you have not yet finished your bachelor’s studies at the time of your application, provide an official transcript of all examination results to date, and an overall weighted average grade. In the case of admission to our program, you will receive a conditional acceptance offer as long as your final grade is pending. Please note that at the time of your application you must have completed at least 75 % of the requirements of your bachelor's curriculum (in the case of a 180 ECTS course, this would be 135 ECTS points).

Completed Application Form:

• Fill in the required information including a short description of your motivation in the space provided on the application tool (not longer than 1000 characters) describing your goals in pursuing graduate studies and completing the master’s programme in Epidemiology at LMU Munich.

Curriculum Vitae:

• Upload your up-to-date CV in English.

GRE General Test Score (optional):

• In case you are unable to attend the written test of admission at LMU in Munich, you must provide a GRE General Test score (more information below).

The written examination is a 90-minute test that assesses knowledge and skills in the following subject areas:

• Basic knowledge of mathematics and statistics

• Critical interpretation of scientific literature and media reporting

• Basic scientific understanding

• Basic knowledge of epidemiology and public health

• Current topics related to public health

The oral examination will be a 30-minute admission interview. The following topics will be discussed to assess your abilities:

• Motivation for the degree programme

• Realistic perception of career prospects

• Assessment of the relevance of the knowledge and skills acquired during your first degree to the content of the Epidemiology degree programme

• Problem-solving and decision-making skills

• Ability to critically evaluate scientific results

• Communication skills, specifically with regard to the English language

Recommended literature

Books

• Amal K. Mitra (2023), Epidemiology for Dummies
• Deborah Rumsey (2019), Statistics Essentials for Dummies
• Deborah Rumsey (2016), Statistics for Dummies
• Deborah Rumsey (2019), Statistics Workbook for Dummies

Websites

• David Coggon, David Barker, Geoffrey Rose (2009), Epidemiology for the uninitiated
• Calculus for Beginners
• Functions and Their Graphs
• Fundamentals of Matrix Algebra
• What is Probability?

Preparation for the GRE General Test

• GRE General Test website