Education and Training

The first half of the week is devoted to theoretical instruction in the main subjects of zoology, botany, geology/paleontology, and social studies. The minor subjects are taught alternately. The subject of practical studies, which focuses primarily on scientific collections and research priorities at Senckenberg, as well as a basic course in chemistry await you in the first year of training. A special English course in the second year prepares you for communicating with foreign colleagues and visitors.

In addition to theory, practical experience also plays an important role at the Senckenberg School. In the second half of the week, you will therefore work in the departments of the Senckenberg Research Institute or take courses in which we show you how to prepare insects and other animals, make casts of fossils, work with rocks, take photographs, operate an electron microscope, or maintain collection databases.
During various day trips to geological/paleontological sites, an excavation internship at the Messel Pit, and multi-day excursions on the topics of limnology (freshwater science), terrestrial ecology, and oceanography, you will learn numerous sampling techniques and get to know the diversity of flora, fauna, and rocks in a whole new way.
Important: The Senckenberg School does not train students to become zoological or geological preparators. This training course is currently not offered at our institute.
 
Alternative to academic studies?

We often get asked this question by high school graduates. While our training program is no substitute for a university degree, if the Senckenberg School has whetted your appetite for more, nothing stands in the way of studying, with the security of a completed training program behind you. Many universities even recognize parts of our training program for bachelor’s degrees.

Admission requirements

You can apply to Senckenberg School if you are at least 16 years old and can provide proof of a 10th grade diploma (Mittlere Reife) or an equivalent or higher qualification.

Costs

Attending Senckenberg School is currently free of charge. However, there are small costs for participating in field trips (approx. EUR 300), textbooks and work materials (approx. EUR 200), as well as the examination fee charged by the state education authority, which is currently EUR 160.

The Senckenberg School is recognized for educational assistance under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG). Unfortunately, we do not have a school dormitory available.

Are you interested in natural history and would like to work with scientific collections? Ideally, you have a keen sense of touch and a flair for organization? Then we look forward to receiving your application!

Training begins in September of odd-numbered years. The next intake, for which applications can be submitted, starts in September 2027. The application deadline is January 31, 2027.

Why are you interested in this particular profession, and why might you be particularly well suited for training at the SENCKENBERG School? We would like to hear about this in your application letter. Your application should include at least the following documents:

• Cover letter
• Current resume
• Copy of your diploma or most recent report card
• For applicants who are minors, written consent for the application from all legal guardians

Since we regularly receive more applications than we have training positions available, we also conduct an aptitude test as a second step.

The Senckenberg School is a private supplementary school run by the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research.

The final examinations are supervised by the state education authority of the city of Frankfurt am Main. The examination consists of a practical, a written, and an oral part. The practical examination is usually taken in a department of the institute chosen by the student. The written examinations cover the four main subjects. In addition, oral examinations must be taken in at least two main subjects or practical studies.

After passing the final examination, graduates can be employed as technical assistants for natural history museums and research institutes (in Hesse, usually in accordance with entry group TV-H E6/E7) at natural history museums and research and university institutes. Some of our trainees usually find employment at the various Senckenberg institutes. However, the Senckenberg School cannot guarantee this.

Do you enjoy being an all-rounder at your desk? Then the administration department at the Senckenberg Nature Research Society is just right for you. During your training, you will use your organizational skills to help us keep track of everything: when invoices are due, upcoming deadlines, and when new employees need to sign their contracts.

What you can expect during your training:

Your working environment in administration will be in various commercial areas. With your organizational skills, you will take on various tasks in the secretarial office, in administration, and in clerical work. Together with the specialist teams, you will keep track of appointments, process mail, draft texts, and book invoices.

During your training, you will learn about the following areas:

• HR/Human Resources Management
• Finance and Controlling
• Purchasing and IT
• Public relations and event management

In addition to comprehensive training, we offer:

• An attractive, varied, and challenging role within the human resources department with highly motivated trainers
• An attractive workplace in the immediate vicinity of the city center with excellent public transport connections
• Flexible working hours within the usual office hours
• An employee ID card that grants free admission to many municipal museums
• A special annual payment in accordance with the collective agreement
• A 40-hour week and 30 days of annual leave

What you bring to the table:

• Excellent organizational skills and a sense of order in your head and on your desk
• At least a secondary school diploma
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Good basic math skills
• Knowledge of Word and Excel would be an advantage

To get to know you better, we need you to provide:

• A letter of motivation explaining why you are interested in training as an office management assistant
• A tabular resume and your last two school reports
• Confirmation of any internships
• Your email address, where you can be reached throughout the application process

Together with the Technical University of Dresden/IHI Zittau, Senckenberg offers the international, English-language master’s programs “Biodiversity and Collection Management” and “Ecosystem Services.”

The research-oriented master’s program “Biodiversity and Collection Management” is unique worldwide in its combination of biodiversity and collection management. The program combines the teaching of knowledge about global biological diversity, organismic taxonomy and systematics, ecosystem science, management, and project organization. The collections as an important research resource, their targeted acquisition in various regions of the world, their scientific use, and their preservation are a particular focus.

The master’s program “Ecosystem Services” deals with the interdisciplinary investigation of problems and the development of socially relevant solutions in the fields of biodiversity, ecosystem services, economics, and society. In addition to the fundamentals of the ecosystem services concept, students learn about important aspects of the social valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as ecological economics. In addition, the modules Applied Ecology, Taxonomy, Intercultural Communication, and Methods of Empirical Social Research are taken in the first two semesters.

Beyond these offerings, Senckenberg scientists are involved in undergraduate and graduate teaching at numerous other German and international universities. Some of these close collaborations are institutionalized through joint professorships.

Achieving scientific independence throughout the qualification phase is one of the central aspects of Senckenberg’s teaching and training philosophy. We aim to offer our doctoral students enrolled at various universities an interesting and supportive environment through a range of measures:

• Competitive research topics and working conditions with state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure form one of the foundations for success.
• We consider close cooperation and communication between supervisors and doctoral students to be essential for an effective and scientifically successful doctoral thesis. For this reason, formal meetings are held at regular intervals, at least once a year. The results are recorded in writing. Regular supervision meetings are mandatory.
• Senckenberg recommends concluding supervision agreements with defined objectives, e.g., with regard to the work program, budget planning, further training, participation in conferences and teaching, and the dissemination of scientific results. These target agreements are regularly evaluated and adjusted if necessary.
• Doctoral students are encouraged and supported to publish their research results in internationally renowned, peer-reviewed journals. Publication-based doctoral theses are the norm.
• Doctoral students (as well as all Senckenberg scientists) complete an annual web-based training course on the rules and regulations of good scientific practice.
• All doctoral candidates are encouraged and eligible to participate in structured doctoral programs, such as the GRADUATE Academy at TU Dresden or the Goethe Research Academy for Young Scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt (GRADE). Both offer their members a comprehensive training program focused on research, career, and personal development.
• Senckenberg doctoral students are represented by Young Scientists@Senckenberg. The network offers support during the doctoral phase and during the transition to the postdoctoral phase.

Over 110 scientists at the SGN are involved in teaching students (reporting period summer semester 2016 – winter semester 2016/2017); 62 are committed to basic studies (Bachelor’s programs), and 92 to advanced education (Master’s programs) (double entries are possible). They offer classes at 20 national and 3 international colleges and universities (Fig. 1).

SGN teachers from the different institutes are involved in both basic as well as advanced education, primarily in subjects from the bio- and geo-sciences (Fig. 2).

In the area of advanced education, teachers from the SGN contribute significantly to various study courses. For example, docents of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F) and the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt (SF) offer more than half of the modules in the master’s program “Ecology und Evolution” at Frankfurt’s Goethe University. Scientists from Senckenberg on the Sea (SAM) teach “Marine Biodiversity” to master’s students at the Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg. And students of geosciences at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen receive instructions in biogeology and archeological science from docents of the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoecology (SHEP).

An international master’s program, “Biodiversity and Collection Management”, is being offered since 2014 by Senckenberg teachers at the International University Institute (IHI) in Zittau. This globally unique, research-oriented study course combines knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystems with expertise in collection management.

In 2014, the Leibniz Graduate School ‘Impact Vectors’ was established under the guidance of Senckenberg. The Graduate School aims to educate young scientists for interdisciplinary research in the fields of parasitology, infection biology, and vector biology.

For the first time in the winter semester 2016/2017, the TU Dresden/IHI Zittau offered the master’s program “Ecosystem Services” with a significant involvement of Senckenberg scientists.

In the reporting period, a total of 150 diploma, master’s, and bachelor’s theses as well as about 200 doctoral dissertations were overseen; of these, 91 diploma, BSc, and MSc theses and 35 doctoral dissertations were completed in 2016.

Senckenberg maintains an intensive cooperation with several international universities, which is illustrated, among others, by 26 cooperative professorships (Goethe University in Frankfurt/M., Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg, University of Bremen, TU Dresden, Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, and University of Duisburg-Essen).

In addition, three adjunct professors, four honorary professors, and one junior professor are active at Senckenberg.