Studium und Lehre
an der Medizinischen Fakultät
der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

The Master's Program Population-Based Medicine

The Master’s Program Population Based Medicine offers a challenging program at a competitive international level for which high individual effort and performance are required We strive to prepare students to respond to both challenges and opportunities to improve health within and across populations. Our goal is to train future population health experts with outstanding methodological knowledge and interdisciplinary expertise to address the full range of factors influencing health and disease. Population-Based Medicine works with big datasets and epidemiological and statistical methods to identify patterns in the diseases and health of large populations.

Selection interviews 2025

 The selection interviews for the Masters’ program Population-Based Medicine will take place between 6th May and 13th May 2025 (Monday to Friday).

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Population-Based Medicine includes the designing, implementation and evaluation of intervention programs for health problems (e.g., lifestyle modification strategies and stress management), the development of prevention strategies at the population level (e.g., for diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer), as well as the development of policy recommendations, health education and outreach at community and population level (e.g., digital health technologies).

The Population-Based Medicine program in Tübingen is a 4-semester full-time program completely offered in English. One of the most important features of the program is a mandatory practicum in the third semester which can be completed in Germany or abroad. The master program is accredited and applies the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).

Get more information in our booklet!

Current news

Selection interviews 2025

The selection interviews for the Masters’ program Population-Based Medicine will take place between 6th May and 13th May 2025 (Monday to Friday). They may take place between 08.00 a.m. and 08.00 p.m., CEST. If you reached this stage of the selection process, you will receive an individual invitation with the exact time and date of your interview at least 3 working days (Monday to Friday) before the actual date. You have to confirm the receipt of this email and your participation in the interview by replying to this email, otherwise you cannot be considered anymore in the selection process. Upon confirmation the online meeting link will be sent to you.

For international students
from visa countries

If you are an international student from a visa country, consider booking yourself a visa appointment right now since in some countries it takes exceptionally long to even get an appointment. We therefore recommend you to book a visa appointment for the end of May, since a decision regarding admission is expected to be made around mid-to end-May.

key figures

4
semester full-time study
120
ECTS
20
study places
14
weeks practicum

Contact

Program Director

Prof. Dr. Norbert Schmitz

Head of Department Population-Based Medicine

E-Mail-Adresse: norbert.schmitz@med.uni-tuebingen.de

Contact person

Dr. Tanja Seifried-Dübon

Program Coordinator

E-Mail-Adresse: pbm.studium@med.uni-tuebingen.de

Telefonnummer: 07071 29-87111

Study PBM @Tübingen!

Further information

How to apply and further information

Frequently Asked Questions

A simple approach to bridging population-based medicine and public health: population-based medicine is the basic science of public health, much as biomedical research is the basic science of clinical medicine. Population-based medicine provides the basic understanding of how health is produced, while public health aims to apply that understanding toward building and promoting health in populations. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30207758/

Epidemiology provides essential knowledge to design, implement, and assess approaches to effectively prevent disease and improve health in populations. Epidemiological methods are the cornerstones of population health and population-based medicine, which consider the broader picture by integrating concepts, methods and evidence from behavioral, environmental, biological, social, economic, cultural, and psychological science.

You need a Bachelor’s Degree (or an equivalent degree of at least 6 semesters) in Health Sciences or a comparable subject. Examples for potentially comparable subjects are:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Medicine
  • Dentistry
  • Nursing
  • Midwifery
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacy
  • Health Economics
  • Health Policy
  • Biostatistics
  • Psychology
  • Sports
  • Sociology
  • Cognitive Sciences
  • ...


Make sure to include a Transcript of Records or similar documents which describe the contents of your Bachelor’s Degree in order to allow for assessment of the comparability of the field. A final decision can only be made based on your complete application.

Yes, good knowledge in statistics and research methods is expected and these topics will be discussed during the selection interview.

There are 20 study places in Population-Based Medicine per year.

The program starts in the winter semester (courses start mid-October).

The deadline for your application is 15th April. Applications received after this date cannot be considered in the selection process.

All courses and examinations will be held in English. You need English skills at the B2 level (CEFR). A corresponding certificate must be submitted with the application.

Although you won’t need German in your courses, German skills are useful for managing your everyday life in Tübingen or in case you would like to complete your practicum in a German organization. Consider taking German lessons at the Centre for German as a foreign language.

In the first two semesters, courses will be held according to a fixed schedule.  In the third semester you will complete your mandatory practicum and attend an online practicum seminar. In the fourth semester you will attend a Master’s colloquium and write your thesis. The detailed schedule can be found in the module handbook which is available here.

A good opportunity to spend time abroad during your master studies is the practicum/internship in the third semester. Start looking for potential practicum organizations early and use a practicum/internship abroad for getting to know yet another health system.

With a degree in Population-Based Medicine you can work in a variety of public and private organizations in the health sector (e.g., hospitals, consulting agencies), as well as NGOs. You will also be ready for pursuing PhD studies.