Department of Physics

Master of Science Astro and Particle Physics

Important facts

Degree Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Duration of the program 4 semesters
Starting Winter and summer term
Admission restriction no
Requirements

Applicants must have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics (or a comparable undergraduate degree) with a German grade of 2.5 or better (or international equivalent).
Language of instruction English
Minor subject no
Application Admission website Master of the University
Costs

Tuition fees for international students and those seeking a second degree

Short descrpition of the study program

The focus of the master programme Astro and Particle Physics is put on a distinct quantitative approach as usual in physics, along with the acquisition of essential practical skills with respect to problem sets in the field of Astro and Particle Physics.

The Master Astro and Particle Physics is an international research-oriented two year program established by the Kepler-Center. This programme connects science from the fields of particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology and combines different disciplines in experimental and theoretical physics, astronomy and astrophysics. The education will be in English throughout which prepares the students for the increasing internationalization in industry and modern society.

Study program

* Participants select four of the eleven specialisation modules.
** The module APP301 should be taken from neighboring scientic fields. This includes advanced modules from the 4-year Bachelor study of Physics or other advanced modules from Mathematics. Choices from other fields are also possible but require a decision of the Exam Committee on an individual basis.

Career Options

  • Professional Qualifications: This master program is designed to prepare students for a research career in academia or industry by introducing advanced ideas and techniques that are applicable to a wide range of research areas and sectors including academia, industry, and education. Graduates receive a comprehensive education in experimental as well as theoretical physics with a practical section and they are well prepared for the duties in industry and in other research oriented institutions.

  • Further Opportunities: Under certain conditions, there is a possibility to undertake doctoral research in the Department of Physics. The KeplerCenter manages a coordinated PhD-programme with the topic: Particles, Fields and Messengers of the Universe with about 30 PhD students.

Requirements

The study program requires enthusiasm, curiosity, and a solid basic knowledge in physics.
Applicants must have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in physics or a similar degree with a grade 2.5 or better.
We expect broad interest in natural science as well as willingness to familiarize and work with complex scientific details, and to be able to scientifically communicate in English in written and oral form.
English is the language of instruction and examination in the degree program. The language knowledge requirement is level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Application Procedure

Students may join the M.Sc.Astro and Particle Physics program for the twice a year. Deadline for applications from abroad (Non-EU) is July 15 each year for the winter term and January 15 for the summer term. For applicants from within the EU, the deadline is September 30 and March 31 for the winter and summer term, respectively.

 For further information, please visit:

www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/international/study-in-tuebingen/advice-and-counseling-for-international-students.html

Information on admission to studies (requirements, restrictions, necessary documents, application deadlines, etc.) is available via the Student Administration (zsbspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de) or the study coordinator of Astro and Particle Physics.

The application is to be submitted online via the central portal ALMA.

The program is free for EU citizens, please see the following page for information about tuition fees for international students: https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/study/organizing-your-studies/fees/tuition-fees/tuition-fees-for-international-students.html

If you have any questions regarding the Master program, please contact the study or the master coordinator:
Christoph Schäfer (ch.schaeferspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de)
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Kley (wilhelm.kleyspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de)

latest change of this webpage: 2020-02-02

Information for new students

 

Dear new students of the winter term 2021,

Welcome to Tübingen!

First, please see the central webpage for new students of this winter term https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/study/organizing-your-studies/orientation

We will have an orientation meeting on the campus on Tuesday 5 October 2021 at 13ct in N9 on the Morgenstelle.

For the students who cannot be here in Tübingen, we will have an additional online orientation meeting on Wednesday 6 October 2021 at 13ct via zoom. The zoom link will be sent via email to the students until 5 October.

The best starting point at your arrival with important information is https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/international/study-in-tuebingen/getting-started-and-orientation-for-international-students/. 

Information about housing can be found on https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/international/study-in-tuebingen/living-and-staying-in-tuebingen/#c393151. 

If you have any problems, please contact me via email ch.schaeferspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de (Christoph Schaefer).

 

Information concerning Master's Theses

In the 2nd year of the programme, our students work on their Master's theses in the workgroup of the respective supervisor.

Beforehand they have to apply for the admission of the Master's thesis using the following form

Application form "Admission to a Master's Thesis in Astro and Particle Physics"

 

If you intend to start your thesis, please fill out the form and hand it in directly to the Examination Office Mathematics and Physics (Mrs. Sandra Grahl, see https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/faculties/faculty-of-science/departments/mathematics/department/courses-programs/students/examinations/examination-office-mathematics-and-physics/).

 

The thesis has to include a declaration of originality such as

Hereby I confirm, ____________________________________, Matr. Nr. _________________, that this assignment is my own work and that I have only sought and used mentioned tools. I have clearly referenced in the text and the bibliography all sources used in the work (printed sources, internet or any other source), including verbatim citations or paraphrases. I am aware of the fact that plagiarism is an attempt to deceit which, in case of recurrence, can result in a loss of test authorization. Furthermore, I confirm that neither this work nor parts of it have been previously, or concurrently, used as an exam work – neither for other courses nor within other exam processes.

Place and date ______________________ Signature __________________

 

Available Theses

Here, we list some currently open theses. Please note, that this is not a complete list and if you are interested in a special topic, please contact the specific Professor directly.

 

 

 

Testimonials

On this site, some of our former students at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics provide their impression about their studies in Tübingen.

 

Neha Lad, DESY: "I joined University of Tuebingen for my masters studies for two main reasons: one, because it offered a course that was combination of both Astrophysics and Particle Physics and two, because it had a working group in the field of Neutrino Physics. Both of them gave me an opportunity to build a career to enter the field of Neutrino Astronomy, a field with which I fell in love during my first internship back in India. I was thrilled to see all the subjects that were offered, and participate in each one of them that made me like the subject even more but this time with more deeper understanding. Professors and tutors were always helped, encouraged and guided me to plan and finish my degree. I was also fortunate to have found a HiWi position couple of months after I started the course in the group of Prof. Dr. T. Lachenmaier. Working as a HiWi allowed me to contribute a little to the ongoing research of the group along with learning coding and simulation techniques for my own masters thesis work in the same group. Now I am doing PhD at DESY, a research institute in Germany in the Astroparticle group. I am working on one of the most accomplished and the currently the best Neutrino telescopes in the world. I cannot emphasis this enough that how much this course work at Tuebingen have helped me not only to land such a good position but also to justify it by giving my best. I recommend this course and the University to anyone who wish to have a combined knowledge of Astro and Particle physics."
Franziska Schmidt. London University: "The master's degree course at the University of Tübingen provides a great insight into the everyday work of researchers. You will share an office with PhD students as well as Postdocs and be fully integrated into the work process of the entire department. Apart from working on your very own research project, you will also learn about fundamental processes such as writing and publishing papers, taking part in seminars or giving academic presentations. Additionally, you will receive frequent feedback either though official meetings of informal discussions with your supervisor as well as other members of the group. These will not only convey the essentials of theory and methodology in your field that are usually not covered in lectures, but allow you to stake out possible career paths as well. My time as a master's student in Tübingen has given me a great preview of the world of academia and encouraged me to apply for further postgraduate studies. Most importantly however, it has equipped me with knowledge that has proven to be invaluable during my current PhD program."
Sebastian Völkel, University of Tübingen: "My studies at the University of Tübingen prepared and allowed me for a successful continuation of my research interests by offering a PhD position in one of its unique international research groups."
Gela Hämmerling, University of Tübingen: "As I always wanted to learn more about Astrophysics, I benefitted immensely from choosing the University of Tübingen for my Master studies. It offers a great choice of interesting lectures and fascinating research projects in Astro and Particle Physics as for instance in the field of General Relativity where I'm doing my PhD now."
Sven Riecker, Bosch GmbH: "When I graduated in 2014 at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the demand in industry for human resources with such skills was huge, and has been increasing since then. I learned a lot about high performance computing and applied it to simulations of asteroid collisions. Now I use it to build driver assistance systems, based on computer vision and machine learning. The working group in Tübingen prepared me very well for my current position as Software Project Manager at Bosch. Especially valuable were - the international atmosphere, - the daily exchange and collaboration with other experts, who were always willing to share their experience, - the support from supervisors/professors - and the many other skills that you can acquire besides physics/mathematics like source code management, GPU programming,..."

Module Handbook

Module Handbook Master Astro and Particle Physics

 

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question regarding the Master programme, please contact us either by email (Christoph Schaefer) or using the contact form below. We will collect and publish all FAQs here.

 

  1. Which lecture belongs to which module?
    On the last page of our Module Handbook, you will find a lecture-module-dependency table. Additionally, you can see in ALMA the link from the lecture/seminar/labwork to its module.
    Specific issues or prerequisites, not included in the table, can and shall be discussed with teachers. 
     
  2. What is module APP104?
    Module APP104 consists of a lecture with 3 CP and a seminar with 3 CP. You can combine any 3 CP lecture from the lectures belonging to the elective modules with the seminar for this module.
     
  3. Which lectures/seminars can be used in APP401?
    Module APP401 "Scientific Specialisation in Thesis Topic" requires 6 CP. Any lecture from the elective lectures or any group seminar can be used for this module.
     
  4. Why are not all lectures available in this term?
    Most of the lectures from the elective modules are given once per year, not once per term. 
     
  5. Beginning in the summer term, which lecture do I attend: Astronomy & Astrophysics (APP101) or Particle Physics (APP102) or both?
    There are two possibilities: Either you take both lectures A&A and PP in the summer term (for 18 CPs), plus one additional (better ungraded) module from the electives (+6 CP), plus the labwork in the term break (+6 CP), or you start with PP and pass A&A in the winter term. Please note, that PP is only offered in the summer term and that taking both lectures means a lot of work on the one hand, but provides a very good foundation for all elective modules.
     
  6. When should I attend the seminar for APP104?
    In your 2nd term.
     
  7. When does the labwork APP103 take place?
    APP103 is during the term break. See the central webpage for the labwork here.
     
  8. Which courses have to be passed to officially begin with the master thesis?
    APP101, APP102, APP103, APP104, 18 CP out of the mandatory 24 CP from the elective modules.
     
  9. How to submit the master thesis?
    Please see paragraph 17 from the General Provisions (available here): Submit three bound copies to the examination office plus a digital version (pdf preferred) of the thesis via email to the examination office. See also the information on Theses.

 

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