Required degree

Students who apply for the Master of Science program in Chemistry must have

1. A Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree from a German University.
2. An equivalent Bachelor of Science degree from a university outside of Germany. Equivalence will be ascertained by the examination board.
3. In well-founded exemptions an equivalent university degree in another field in natural sciences.

What is the minimum grade to be accepted into the program?

There is no definitive answer to this question as the required grade mainly depends on where you come from. You are thus requested to send us your application documents when you have completed your first degree (e.g. Bachelor) program, when you are about to complete it, i.e. when you are a few credits shy of your degree.
Compared to the German rating system (according to which 1.0 is the best and 4.0 is the lowest grade), you should have an average of at least 2.5. All foreign grades will be evaluated according to this system. In order to give you an idea of what your chances are for admission to the program, the following rules of thumb can be applied:

• in GPA-ratings (maximum grade 4.0, minimum grade to pass 2.0) you need at least an average of 3.0
• in percentage-ratings (100% maximum, minimum grade to pass 40%), you need at least 70%
• if your degree includes ratings like “first division”, “first division with distinction” etc., you should have at least earned one of the two best ratings

How do I know if my university will be recognized?

Again, there is no definitive answer to this question. Usually, degrees/universities will be recognized if

• the university from which you earned your degree is one of the top-ranking universities in your country
  
• there are both three-year and four-year Bachelor programs offered in your home country, your degree results from a four-year Bachelor program.

Language requirements

The language of instruction is English. You must provide proof that you have sound English language skills.
To be accepted to the program, at least one of the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• completion of your first degree program in English (this means that ALL lectures must have been held in English)
• TOEFL: minimum score paper-based 550, computer-based 215, internet-based 79; the TOEFL score must not be older than two years.
• IELTS: minimum score 6.0

Do I need to have German language skills?

All courses are taught in English. Hence, German language skills are not required for admission to the program. However, some pre-knowledge of the German language will be very helpful in everyday life and it will considerably help you to socialize with other RUB students. We thus strongly recommend you to take German classes, ideally before you come to Germany. Ruhr-Universität Bochum offers free German language courses for all levels each semester.