Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

FB10 offers 20 degree programmes spanning Bachelor's, Master's, and state teaching-qualification (Lehramt) tracks across its four institutes:

• Biology: B.Sc. Biology, M.Sc. Biology (specialisations in Molecular Cell Biology, Biodiversity & Evolution, Environmental & Agricultural Biology), Lehramt Biology
• Chemistry: B.Sc. Chemistry, M.Sc. Chemistry, Lehramt Chemistry (Gymnasium, Haupt-/Realschule, vocational schools)
• Mathematics: B.Sc. Mathematics, B.Sc. Technomathematik (from autumn 2020), M.Sc. Mathematics, Lehramt Mathematics (primary through Gymnasium)
• Physics: B.Sc. Physics, M.Sc. Physics (specialisations in Lasers, Nanostructures, Semiconductor Applications, Magnetism, Astrophysics), Lehramt Physics
• Nanostructure Sciences: B.Sc./M.Sc. Nanostrukturwissenschaften (interdisciplinary, shared across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)
• Primary School Science Education (Sachunterricht): technical perspective track for L1 teacher training

Programmes are taught primarily in German. In the Master's year, students spend one full year conducting hands-on research within active faculty research groups. Bachelor programmes include a structured "semester abroad window" (typically semester 5) and 6-week professional internships in external organisations.

Seven of ten SFB 1319 ELCH research groups are based at this faculty — giving students rare proximity to a nationally funded frontier research centre from day one. The CHE Ranking consistently recognises FB10's intensive student supervision, a direct result of the Biology Institute's compact structure of 11 professors and ~25 research staff serving over 800 students.

• 20 programmes covering pure science, applied mathematics, teacher education, and the interdisciplinary Nanostructure Sciences track — one of very few such programmes in Germany
• Three in-house scientific centres: CINSaT (nanoscience hub), INA (novel nanostructuring technologies), and KHDM (mathematics higher-education didactics), all available to enrolled students
• Integrated Lehramt modules connecting subject science and pedagogy from semester 1 — an innovative teacher-training model highlighted as a Kassel hallmark
• Collaboration with the Schülerforschungszentrum Nordhessen (SFN) gives students mentoring experience with talented school pupils
• 6-week external professional internships built into Biology Bachelor and Master programmes, plus formal international exchange windows backed by the FB10 International Bureau

Research at FB10 is organised around four strategic pillars: materials science; organismic and molecular biosystems; modelling and simulation in natural and engineering sciences; and empirical teaching and learning research. The faculty hosts and participates in several major funded projects:

• SFB 1319 ELCH (DFG Collaborative Research Centre, since January 2018) — Extreme Light for Analysis and Control of Molecular Chirality — in partnership with Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and DESY Hamburg; 7 of 10 groups based at Kassel
• LOEWE-Schwerpunkt SMolBits — Scalable Molecular Quantum Bits
• LOEWE-Schwerpunkt "Desirable Difficulties in Learning"
• Graduate School "Biological Clocks"
• PhosMORg — Phosphoregulation of Biomolecules (Biology–Chemistry–Physics consortium)
• PRONET — Professionalisation through Networking

Key institutes and centres:
- CINSaT (Center for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology) — nanoscience hub spanning 3D nanostructuring, photonics, and optoelectronics
- INA (Institut für Nanostrukturtechnologie und Analytik) — novel nanostructuring process development
- KHDM (Kompetenzzentrum Hochschuldidaktik Mathematik) — evidence-based mathematics higher-education didactics
- Institute for Physics: 10 research groups + 1 junior professorship in nanostructure sciences, quantum optics, optoelectronics, and laboratory astrophysics
- Institute for Chemistry: focus on mesoscopic systems chemistry, macromolecular chemistry, organometallic chemistry, and molecular materials

Programmes at FB10 are taught primarily in German, so a solid command of German (typically B2–C1) is the essential entry requirement for most Bachelor's and Master's degrees. International students are encouraged to use the semester-abroad window in Bachelor semester 5 to spend time at a partner university while their peers stay in Kassel — or, conversely, to arrive as an incoming exchange student for that semester.

The faculty operates a dedicated FB10 International Bureau, which coordinates university partnerships, Erasmus+ agreements, and advises on study-abroad options within Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and related programmes. Biology students, for instance, can arrange partial studies abroad through established university partnerships; the Master's in Biology explicitly accommodates international mobility.

Prospective international applicants should check language-of-instruction requirements per programme and contact the FB10 International Bureau directly for faculty-level exchange and partnership queries.

FB10 is located on Universität Kassel's Heinrich-Plett-Straße campus in the north-east of Kassel, a mid-sized city in central Germany (Hesse). Kassel is well connected by ICE high-speed rail, with direct trains to Frankfurt am Main (approx. 1 hour) and its international airport.

The faculty's laboratory infrastructure includes a Tierhaus (animal facility), greenhouse, cell-culture labs, isotope laboratory, atomic force microscopy, confocal laser microscopy, electron microscopy, and biochemical interaction analysis suites — all shared across departments. The INA nanostructuring facility and the CINSaT centre for nanoscience are co-located on campus. Teacher-training students benefit from dedicated Holz-, Keramik-, Metall- und Lernwerkstatt (wood, ceramics, metal, and learning workshops). A faculty Medienwerkstatt supports thesis printing, digital media production, and presentations.

Graduates from FB10 enter careers across the full STEM spectrum, shaped by the faculty's emphasis on photonics, nanostructure technologies, molecular biosciences, and computational modelling:

• Photonics and laser technology: R&D roles in industrial and academic laser labs, optics companies, and semiconductor manufacturers — directly building on SFB 1319 ELCH research expertise
• Nanostructure sciences and materials: positions in nanotechnology firms, surface-engineering companies, and applied materials research institutes
• Pharmaceutical and biotech industry: molecular biology graduates pursue roles in drug development, diagnostics, and agricultural biotechnology
• Data science and engineering mathematics: Technomathematik graduates move into simulation, numerical modelling, and software engineering for automotive, aerospace, and energy sectors
• Education sector: the extensive Lehramt tracks prepare graduates for careers as science and mathematics teachers across all German school types (primary through Gymnasium and vocational schools)
• Research and academia: the PhD pathway (Promotionsgeschäftsstelle on-site) feeds into postdoctoral positions at partner institutions including DESY, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, and Philipps-Universität Marburg