Advanced Materials Justus Liebig University Giessen

Which material properties can extend the service life of an electric car battery? Which coating is suitable for increasing the efficiency of a solar cell? Which materials are suitable for implants so that they are not rejected by the human body? These are the questions addressed by the Master's degree programme in Advanced Materials at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU).

Advanced materials are modern functional materials that have been modified at the molecular level in order to optimise them for specific applications. Today, these specially developed materials are of immense importance in all high-tech areas such as medicine, mobility, communication, energy supply and aerospace. For the development of advanced materials, interdisciplinary knowledge from chemistry and physics is used to understand and change the interplay of material properties as well as creativity and a spirit of discovery in their practical optimisation in the laboratory.

The research-oriented Master's degree programme in Advanced Materials provides you with the theoretical and practical knowledge to tailor materials for future applications and develop them further in a professional environment. The scientific degree programme is firmly integrated into current materials research in Giessen with its focus on high-performance materials and energy materials. This gives you the opportunity to work on current research projects. You can also set a clear focus in your studies by choosing a specialisation.

If you are passionate about science, enjoy working experimentally and are looking for a Master's programme with excellent career opportunities, then this is the place for you!

This degree programme also offers the unique opportunity to obtain a double degree, e.g. with Osaka University (Japan), Kansai University (Japan) and the University of Padua (Italy).

The Master's degree programme in Advanced Materials has a duration of two years and comprises 120 ECTS credit points. It starts with core modules that introduce you to the subject of the programme, namely

• Functional Solid-State Materials,
• Functional Soft Materials,
• Technical Basics of Advanced Materials,
• Renewable Energies.

It allows you to choose a specialisation right from the start so that you can build on your previous knowledge and pursue your own interests. Specialisations are offered in:

• Electrochemical materials research
• High-performance materials
• Materials analysis
• Theoretical materials research
• Sustainable inorganic materials
• Organic materials synthesis

Building on this, you will work theoretically and practically on a research question from this area in a research module.

At the end of the programme, you will demonstrate what you have learned by writing a Master's thesis.

• 1 May – 15 June for students with an international Bachelor’s degree
• 1 June – 1 September for students with a German Bachelor’s degree

Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree in Advanced Materials with at least 180 ECTS-points including a scientific thesis (Bachelor's thesis).

The examination board may also recognise other relevant, professionally qualifying university degrees (e.g. in materials science, materials engineering, biomaterials, energy materials, materials engineering) on a case-by-case basis.

The admission may include additional coursework of up to 18 CP, which must be completed within the first two semesters.

Admission may be dependent on passing an entrance examination. The skills and knowledge required for the Master's degree course are examined based on the aforementioned requirements for the prerequisite university degree. Applicants will be given an examination notice of at least three weeks.

403 EUR (summer semester 2026, varies slightly with each semester)

The current semester contribution can be found here: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/org/admin/departments/b/5/studoffice/sc.

• Partial scholarships for international students at JLU in the closing phase of their degree: Partial scholarships are possible for three to six months and range between 300 to 450 EUR per month. More: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/closingphase

• DAAD scholarships for more equity and opportunity: Possible funding duration of one to six months, ranging from 300 to 450 EUR per month for students who face special challenges during their studies (a disability, a chronic illness, a refugee background, single parenting and those caring for close relatives in Germany). More: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/equalopportunities

Career Service and special opportunities for international students: www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/research-centers/zfbk/career_services/

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany, is a comprehensive university with a longstanding tradition which attracts around 25,000 students. JLU offers the full range of traditional and modern subjects with top-level teaching and research — extending from classical natural sciences, law and economics, social and educational sciences, linguistics and cultural studies to a unique selection of life science subjects such as human and veterinary medicine, agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences and food chemistry. The leading personae who carried out research and taught at JLU include a number of Nobel Prize winners, such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901) and Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize in 2004). Since 2006, research at JLU has received continuous funding from the Excellence Initiative schemes and the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Republic and Federal States.

With around 94,000 inhabitants, Giessen has one of the highest student densities throughout Germany. Four higher education institutions with altogether 40,000 students provide a unique university-town atmosphere. The city offers plenty of leisure options for students, such as canoeing on the Lahn river, walks and picnics in its multiple green areas, cinemas with student concession tickets, the municipal theatre with a programme consisting of plays, opera and ballet as well as swimming pools and sports facilities, and a variety of pubs, restaurants and night life venues. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.