Faculty of Medicine

State Examination (Staatsexamen) — Medicine

The flagship integrated Reform Curriculum in Medicine (iRM) leads to the German Staatsexamen (state medical licence) and is taught in German. What sets it apart is its emphasis on interdisciplinarity and clinical exposure from the very first semester — students practise clinical skills in dedicated SkillsLabs under realistic conditions long before their clinical rotations begin. Teaching is distributed across university hospitals and academic teaching hospitals from Bochum to Ostwestfalen-Lippe, giving students exposure to a regional healthcare network of exceptional scale.

Master's level

The faculty offers two postgraduate science programmes aimed at researchers and internationally trained graduates. Molecular and Developmental Stem Cell Biology (taught in German/English) bridges classical cell biology, histology, and developmental biology with epigenetics and bioinformatics. The Stem Cell Medicine Master's is explicitly described as one of the first of its kind in Germany and is internationally oriented, combining novel therapies, biomedical research, and drug development in a single curriculum — making it the most distinctive English-accessible entry point for international applicants at this faculty.

PhD / Doctoral studies

The faculty runs a structured doctoral pathway (Promotionsverfahren) supervised by a professor and culminating in a dissertation and the award of a doctorate (Dr. med. or Dr. rer. nat. depending on field). A recently updated doctoral regulations framework (Promotionsordnung 2026) governs the process. The HEALTH+ INKUBATOR transfer project additionally supports doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who want to spin out medical-sector start-ups.

• Reform curriculum (iRM): Unlike traditional lecture-heavy German medical degrees, the iRM integrates clinical reasoning and practical skills — including SkillsLabs simulation — across all years, so graduates enter residency with hands-on confidence.
• Eight affiliated university hospitals: Clinical training spans the Universitätsklinikum sites in Bochum, Herne, and Ostwestfalen-Lippe (including the Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, rated five stars by the Federal Association of Clinical Diabetes Institutions — a mark reached by only 19 of 91 German clinics), giving students access to a broad case mix uncommon at smaller faculties.
• English-taught Master's pathway: The Stem Cell Medicine Master's is one of the first programmes of its type in Germany, making it a concrete entry point for international graduates who do not hold a German-language medical licence.
• Interdisciplinary research infrastructure: Medical Research Services infrastructure (biobanking, clinical trials unit, bioinformatics, sequencing) is available to students and researchers across faculties.
• Start-up and transfer support: The HEALTH+ INKUBATOR supports medically focused entrepreneurship, connecting research with real-world application.

The faculty organises its research around three strategic pillars and a network of clinical competence centres:

Core research themes:
- Neuroscience — investigation of complex brain processes and development of treatments for neurological disorders.
- Protein Sciences — study of protein roles in disease pathways to identify new therapeutic targets.
- Oncology — precision and innovative therapies for cancer, translating basic findings directly into clinical protocols.

Clinical Competence Centres:
- Herz- und Kreislaufzentrum Bochum/Herne (Cardiovascular Centre)
- Traumazentrum (Trauma Centre)
- Onkologisches Zentrum (Oncology Centre)
- Zentrum für seltene Erkrankungen (Rare Diseases Centre)
- Neurovaskuläres Zentrum (Neurovascular Centre)

Supporting infrastructure: The Medical Research Services platform provides centralised biobanking, clinical study coordination, bioinformatics, and sequencing capabilities shared across the faculty and partner departments in Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, and Social Sciences. The Forschungsatlas Universitätsmedizin Bochum maps all active research projects across departments and institutes. Guest researchers can access this infrastructure through an established visiting scientist programme.

International applicants should distinguish clearly between the two programme tracks. The Staatsexamen in Medicine (iRM) is conducted entirely in German — strong German language proficiency (typically TestDaF or DSH) is required, and admission follows the national Hochschulstart system with places allocated each winter semester.

For applicants from non-German-speaking countries, the more accessible entry point is the Stem Cell Medicine Master's, described as internationally oriented and one of the first of its kind in Germany — check the faculty's admissions page for specific language-of-instruction and prerequisite details for this programme. The Molecular and Developmental Stem Cell Biology Master's integrates epigenetics and bioinformatics and may also offer English-language components.

The faculty has a dedicated Internationales Medizin office supporting international study periods (including Erasmus and exchange mobility). Visiting scientists can join ongoing research projects in neuroscience, protein sciences, or oncology through the international research programme, with access to shared Medical Research Services infrastructure.

The Faculty of Medicine is based on the main RUB campus in Bochum, in the heart of the Ruhr metropolitan region (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bochum is well connected: Bochum Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) is reachable by campus shuttle and public transport, and Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) is approximately 40–50 minutes away by train — one of the most accessible international gateways in western Germany.

Clinical teaching extends beyond the main campus to Universitätsklinikum Bergmannsheil (a major trauma centre in Bochum), the Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, and further teaching hospitals across Herne and Ostwestfalen-Lippe. This multi-site structure means students gain exposure to one of the largest university hospital networks in Germany.

On-campus academic facilities include the Zentrum für medizinische Lehre (ZML), the Zentrum für digitales Lehren und Lernen in der Medizin (ZdLLM), SkillsLabs for clinical simulation training, and the University Library with medical collections.

Graduates of the iRM Staatsexamen are licensed to practise medicine in Germany and across the EU, entering residency (Facharztausbildung) in specialities ranging from cardiology and oncology to neurology and emergency medicine — all areas covered by the faculty's own clinical competence centres, creating a natural alumni pathway into the regional hospital network.

For Stem Cell Medicine and Molecular Biology Master's graduates, career trajectories include:
- Biomedical R&D at pharmaceutical and biotech companies (drug development, cell therapy, regenerative medicine)
- Clinical research roles in university hospitals and contract research organisations (CROs)
- Medical start-ups — the HEALTH+ INKUBATOR programme actively supports graduates who want to commercialise research in the medical sector
- Academic research and doctoral study leading to faculty or industry research positions

The faculty's cross-disciplinary ties with Psychology, Chemistry, Biology, and Social Sciences departments at RUB broaden employability into health data analytics, medical technology, and public health policy roles.