Master of Science in Physics

The advanced compulsory courses in the first two semesters comprise a lecture on relativistic quantum theory and a lab course involving selected experiments from modern physics.

Students are also expected to pick additional electives from a wide range of advanced lectures and seminars aligned with the main areas of physics research at the University of Bonn.

Highlights include the Intensive Weeks, where students spend a few days tackling a research-related topic highly intensively in small groups, experiencing a mixture of lectures and practical assignments.

These are complemented by research-based internships of around four weeks, which give students the opportunity to gain an insight into the activities of the individual working groups even before the actual research phase has begun.

The research phase of the master’s degree covers groundwork such as finding a topic for your master’s thesis as well as literature studies and lab work in the third semester and writing your master’s thesis independently in the fourth semester.

During this final year of study, you will form an integral part of one of the many working groups at the University of Bonn or a research institute affiliated with it, allowing you to make your own creative contribution to current research.

The colloquium on your master’s thesis is an opportunity to present your findings from the research phase in summary form and marks the end of the master’s degree program.

You are likely to be able to continue the work that you began during the research phase as part of a doctorate.

Students will need a Bachelor’s degree in Physics or a related subject in order to be admitted to the Master’s degree program in Physics. Specifically, they will need to have obtained 15 ECTS in experimental physics (atomic, solid-state, nuclear and particle physics), 15 ECTS in theoretical physics (quantum mechanics, statistical physics) and 15 ECTS in lab courses.

They will also need evidence of English skills at B1 level. While students who obtain their bachelor’s degree at the University of Bonn will be admitted automatically to the master’s degree program when they receive their bachelor’s certificate, external students will need to apply via the Bonn office of the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy (BCGS).