Part 2: Where to study Biomimetics in Europe?

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In last week’s article we already presented you three possibilities to study Biomimetics in Europe. The Bachelor program ‘Bionik’ at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in Bocholt, the Master program ‘Bionik/ Biomimetics in Energy System’ at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Villach and the Bachelor/ Master program in ‘Biology’ at the University of Freiburg with a specialization in ‘Functional Morphology, Biomechanics and Biomimetics’.

In case you missed the first part of this short article series – find it here . A detailed list of numerous institutions where you can study Biomimetics can be found on the BIOKON platform.

Today we would like to introduce a few more Universities/ Universities of Applied Sciences where you can direct your education towards Biomimetics. Again we were lucky to collect helpful information and experiences from former students of those courses.

 

Int. Degree Course in Biomimetics (B.Sc.)

Bremen University of Applied Sciences

The International Degree Course in Biomimetics lasts seven semesters – involving one mandatory semester abroad.  Similar to the program ‘Bionik’ in Bocholt, it combines the topics Biology and Engineering already in a Bachelor program. This gives students the possibility to focus on the field of Biomimetics very early without having to choose between individual subjects. Nevertheless, it is important to consider, that it is not equivalent to a ‘standard’ program in Biology or Engineering but specifically deals with ‘Biomimetics’ as an interdisciplinary field of science. The program involves many practical courses forcing students to handle new challenges and problems by themselves. This is a perfect training for working in an interdisciplinary team later on. The Bremen University of Applied Sciences also offers a Master program in Biomimetics (Biomimetics: Motion Systems)! If you want to know more about the International Degree Course in Biomimetics in Bremen – get more information here. Thanks to Anja – for sharing her experiences . She graduated as a Bachelor student from Bremen several years ago and is currently a PhD student.

 

Biology (focus: Neurobiology and Biomimetics) – Bachelor of Science + Master of Science

RWTH Aachen University

Similar to the Bachelor and Master course of Biology at the University of Freiburg, the RWTH Aachen offers special courses in Biomimetics as part of the program Biology. The research focus ‘Neurobiology and Biomimetics’ is coordinated by the Department of Zoology and involves computational neurosciences as well as neuronal and behavioural systems and applied Biomimetics. Like many Master programs, students have the chance to complement their studies of Biology with focus on Biomimetics via choosing different studying modules. This allows them to acquire know-how in different biological subjects to access and apply this knowledge in their focus on Biomimetics. For more information about this specialization at the RWTH Aachen, follow this link. Thanks to Falk, PhD student of Biology, who studied in Aachen and focused on Biomimetics during his studies.

 

Bio Inspired Innovation – Master of Science

Utrecht University

In September this years, a new Master’s program will start at the Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The program is called ‘Bio Inspired Innovation’ and intends to build upon a Bachelor degree in Life Science. As a main focus, this program is emphasizing bio-inspired design for a transition to a sustainable development of our economy (a hot topic which is also mentioned in several other articles of our blog: ‚Go with the flow‚, Interview with Prof. Speck). As this program did not start yet, we do not have any personal experiences by students, but we are curious how this Master program will develop. Are you maybe planning to apply for this course – or are you already enrolled? We are looking forward to reading about your experiences about this Master course! Want more information? Click here.

 

Bionics/ Biomimetics – Master of Science

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences

As a last program in Biomimetics, we’d like to present the Master course in ‘Bionics/ Biomimetics’ at the University of Applied Sciences at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. In three semesters, students can choose between many different specialties in Biomimetics to find out their main field of interest: Bionics of Locomotion and Control, Bionics of Sensing or Bionics of Behaviour and Sociology (involving Business Biomimetics as well as Systems and Organisation) are only a few examples of possibilities. Unfortunately, I do not have any contacts there and would like to take this opportunity to invite students (or former students) of this program to share your experiences with us via comments on our blog. If you want to know more about this program, follow this link to the website of the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.

 

We hope to have given you a rough idea of the possibilities to study Biomimetics in Europe. What do you think is better: become a ‘Bachelor’ in Biomimetics or rather study Biology or Engineering and complement your education with a Master in Biomimetics?

What do you know about studying Biomimetics in other continents?

 

Use this map to find out where the next possibilities for studying Biomimetics are near to your home. Do you have any to add?

 

Katharina Bunk

My name is Katharina Bunk, I am 26 years old and work as a PhD student in the ‘Plant Biomechanics Group’ in the beautiful city of Freiburg. I studied Biology at the University of Munich followed by the Master program ‘Bionik/ Biomimetics in Energy Systems’ in Villach/ Austria. I am especially interested in Botany and therefore chose Plant Biomechanics as my main field of research.

9 Kommentare

  1. Tulu   •  

    Hello Katharina, I would like to study marine animals to apply the concepts for Biomaterials/Tissue Engineering. Do you know whether any of those universities better suit my research interest?

    • Katharina Bunk   •     Author

      Hi Tulu and thanks for your comment.
      I think it’s great that you wanna go into Biomaterials/ Tissue Engineering! That’s for sure a fascinating topic – especially in the context of marine biology. Do you want to focus on animals specifically?
      Do you already have a Bachelor’s degree or are you just starting with university?

      Best regards,
      Kathi

  2. Sahar Habibi   •  

    Hello

    I am a mechanical engineering (B. Sc) graduate in Iran. I’m very interested in biomimetics. I would like to study biomimetics in M. Sc course, but i have two questions:

       1. Do you think that i need take a bachelor course in biomimetics, at first?

       2. Which universities in europe have tought course in biomimetics M. Sc?

    Thank you

  3. Maren   •  

    Hey,
    In Bocholt, Germany there is a B.Sc. program for Biomimetics. Great program!
    Best,
    Maren

  4. Leah   •  

    Is a degree in zoology sufficient for getting a job in biomimetics?
    Or at least for a biomimetics M.Sc. course?

    • Anja Soklič   •  

      Hello! Your degree in zoology is a good basis for starting a master in biomimetics because you can provide your expertise from the biologists side. As you probably know, biomimetics is a combination of natural sciences with engineering so you can be confident about that.

      To get a job in biomimetics I’m not so sure, especially if you are not yet familiar with the basic principles of biomimetic process/design. Nevertheless, there are rare jobs available that would strictly be offered for biomimetic engineers.

      It depends on you how much you want to invest further to obtain skills needed for engineers in biomimetics.

      With kind regards,
      Anja

  5. Ana Ruiz   •  

    Hello everybody, I know this might be late since it was posted nearly 5 years ago. I just graduated from Bioengineering at the University El Bosque in Bogota, Colombia. I’ve been interested in this subject since I started the career and the majority of my projects develop through the semester were directed to biomimetics. However, I just can seem to find if the requirements of a bachelor’s degree apply to my career. As well as I’m not sure I have sufficient knowledge for taking this path.

    Do you guys recommend any courses or studies to acquire before applying for a Master?
    And finally, do you think it’s possible for abroad students like myself in Colombia to apply to this type of master’s studies?

    • Anja Boisselet   •  

      Hi Ana. Firt let me apologize for a veeeery late answer, but we (authors of the blog) are currently not so active here because of job/family obligations.
      Regarding your question – your bachelor knowledge is sufficient for a study of biomimetics. I can tell you from experience that in our class there were biologists, environmental scientists, mechanical engineers etc. who managed to get through the master without problems. For sure there are subjects completely new to you but with help of your colleagues you can deal with them easily. We even had a student from Colombia in our Master, so this is also not a problem. You just need to inform yourself about visum – with this I cannot really help you.
      Kind regards and lots of success with your studies!
      Anja

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