Master of Science in Optics & Photonics at the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics (KSOP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Optics and photonics are key technologies of the 21st century. They form the basis for today's optical communications, environmental sensing, biomedical diagnostics in the life sciences, energy-efficient lighting and solar energy harvesting, among other things.

Since the year 2000, more than 10 Nobel Prizes directly linked to optics and photonics have been awarded. With a worldwide overall volume of more than 250 billion EUR annually, the field of optics and photonics is one of the most important branches of the high-tech industry.

The KSOP MSc programme aims at educating excellent national and international students in optics and photonics. The interdisciplinary research structure of the international Graduate School forms the basis for this outstanding Master’s programme. The five KSOP research areas are Photonic Materials & Devices, Quantum Optics & Spectroscopy, Biomedical Photonics, Optical Systems, and Solar Energy. All research areas are strongly interlinked.

The MSc course provides an exceptional education, spanning the bridge between undergraduate optics classes and the required in-depth knowledge that is essential for cutting-edge research. The best students enter the PhD programme and find the ideal ground for world-class research.

Each year, 40 students can be admitted to the Master's programme. The best students are supported by the KSOP scholarship programme. Access to the KSOP Master's programme is granted via an application procedure.

Stage I (Introduction):
This phase comprises adjustment courses which will help to bring the inhomogeneous backgrounds of the students up to a common standard. The assignment of adjustment courses will be individually determined for each student. Together with compulsory courses on fundamental topics and first practical training sessions in lab courses, this will lay the foundations for the courses on core subjects (Stage II) and specialisation courses (Stage III).

Compulsory courses: Fundamentals of Optics and Photonics, Electromagnetics and Numerical Calculation of Fields, Optical Engineering

Adjustment courses: Modern Physics, Measurement and Control Systems
Key Competencies, e.g. Business Innovation in Optics and Photonics, German language courses

Stage II (Core Subjects):
The goal of this phase is to provide a comprehensive education in advanced optics and photonics, and, simultaneously, to review this wide and diverse field. The central part of this phase is a block of compulsory lectures that span the whole range from basic science to engineering. These lectures are complemented by laboratory courses and an industrial internship, for which the connection to corresponding industry partners will be made by the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics.

Compulsory courses: Theoretical Optics, Spectroscopic Methods, Optoelectronic Components, Fabrication and Characterisation of Optoelectronic Devices

Adjustment course: Basic Molecular Cell Biology

Industry Internship: Introduction

Stage III (Specialisation):
Based on the knowledge developed in Stages I & II, this phase features elective courses from the main research areas of the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics. Together with a seminar course and a research project, this will serve as an introduction to independent scientific work, and therefore, it will provide the student with the knowledge and skills required to successfully carry out research within a Master's thesis.

Elective Courses (please check website)

Industry Internship: specialisation and reporting

Stage IV (Master's thesis):
Within this phase, students will join one of the KSOP research groups or a company and utilise the knowledge and skills acquired in stages I-III to work on an advanced research project.

Research Center for Information Technology (FZI), Center for Solar and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Stuttgart

An eight-week internship is integrated into the Master's curriculum. KSOP offers an elaborate internship programme in cooperation with well-known industry partners such as Bosch, ZEISS, and Polytec.

Are you interested in applying for the KSOP Master's programme?

1. Please read through thoroughly the admission requirements on the website: https://www.ksop.kit.edu/application-documents.php.
2. The application procedure for the Master's programme in Optics & Photonics varies depending on your nationality. Please follow the corresponding link: https://www.ksop.kit.edu/application_MSc.php.

For the ERASMUS Mundus Europhonics programme, apply online via: https://www.europhotonics.org/wordpress/who/.

Approx. 200 EUR (administrative contribution)

The estimated general living expenses per month for a single student are as follows:

• public transportation: approx. 34 EUR
• food: approx. 170 EUR
• pocket money: approx. 150 EUR
• compulsory German health insurance: approx. 120 EUR

More details can be found on the website of the international students office: https://www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/.

All KSOP institutes at the university offer interesting assistant jobs for students. In Germany, these are called "Hiwi" and are very common and popular with students. They provide an opportunity to get to know professional life at the university and/or work in your research field of interest.

KSOP scholarship programme: If you can prove excellent study results, meaning that you belong to the top 10% of your class, you can apply for financial support within the scope of the KSOP scholarship programme. The scholarship amounts to up to 400 EUR per month for the maximum duration of two years. Part of the scholarship is individual consulting and career coaching as well as a personal mentor from our partner companies. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work as a research assistant on a research project in one of the KSOP institutes.

Career workshops are offered and recommended, but they are voluntary.

Career workshops: https://www.ksop.kit.edu/careerworkshops.php

KSOP is integrated on the campus of the International Department of KIT with its own campus accommodation, which is available to all students of the International Department upon request.
For further information, see the website of the campus: http://www.idschools.kit.edu/ID_Campus.php.

As "The Research University in the Helmholtz Association", the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) fully utilises its synergy potential resulting from combining tasks of national research with those of a state university.

To fulfil its three core tasks of research, higher education, and innovation, KIT is organised in five divisions: Biology, Chemistry, and Process Engineering; Informatics, Economics, and Society; Mechanical and Electrical Engineering; Natural and Built Environment; Physics and Mathematics.

KIT has been successful in important rankings, for example, those of the journal Times Higher Education (THE). KIT's research profile is determined by the disciplines pursued and by work on topics sharpening this profile, in particular in society's areas of demand for energy, mobility, and information. Recruitment and support of excellent young scientists are of high strategic relevance. Eight KIT Centres pool joint research activities across disciplines: energy, information/systems/technologies, mobility systems, elementary particle and astroparticle physics, climate and environment, materials, mathematics in sciences engineering, and economics as well as humans and technology.

KIT stands for a research-oriented and student-oriented teaching and learning culture. After having completed their studies, students are prepared for assuming responsible positions in a globalised world with densely networked media. Studies at KIT enable students to develop sustainable solutions with the help of scientific methods. Study programmes have an international orientation. KIT offers Bachelor's and Master's programmes in both German and English. Eleven KIT departments organise all higher education activities and academic affairs. These include the following: architecture, civil engineering, geosciences, and environmental sciences, chemistry and biosciences, chemical and process engineering, electrical engineering and information technology, humanities, and social sciences, informatics, mechanical engineering, mathematics, physics, as well as economics and management.

KIT sees the transfer of scientific findings to the application as a basic innovation principle and contribution to its societal mission. KIT's research and innovation activities are in line with the federal government's high-tech strategy and the continued Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation of Germany's federal and state governments and science organisations to enhance networking of good education, excellent fundamental research, and applied research in science and industry.

KIT's campus lies on the Kaiserstrasse, the main street of Karlsruhe, and it borders on the Hardtwald Forest, a perfect place to take a stroll. The campus is almost 60 hectares large. The proximity to Alsace and the mild climate of the Rhine River gives the Baden metropolis an almost Mediterranean flair in the summer. Known worldwide, the city has a fan-like ground plan thanks to the Margrave Karl Wilhelm von Baden-Durlach. Founded in 1715, Karlsruhe is the second-largest city in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.

It is also known as the "Residence of Justice" because the seat of Germany's two supreme courts (the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Supreme Court) is located in Karlsruhe.

Karlsruhe lies in south-western Germany on the western edge of Baden-Württemberg and has over 300,000 residents. Located on the river Rhine, the city area borders on the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate in the north-west and the country of France in the west.

In Karlsruhe, welcoming new citizens has a special significance and tradition. This is reflected by the fact that the "Bürgerstiftung Karlsruhe" rewrote the original "Privilegienbrief" (Charter of Rights), with which the city's founder attracted new inhabitants. It was rewritten as the "Karlsruher Bürgerbrief" in 2015.

Karlsruhe enjoys many diverse leisure, culture, and sports options, which offer something for everyone. The city boasts a wide variety of cultural attractions, including the Baden State Theatre, numerous private theatres, cinemas, museums, and art galleries. "Das Fest", one of Germany's largest open-air festivals, takes place in Karlsruhe once a year.

The local economy is based on a well-developed structure of medium-sized businesses, particularly in forward-reaching technologies such as computer science, multimedia, control systems, energy technology, and environmental science as well as nanotechnology. Several major companies, among them Bosch, Siemens, Daimler AG, and Michelin, have production facilities in the region. Major research and development institutions (e.g. Fraunhofer Institute, Intel research campus) are part of the reason why the innovative potential of this city and region is well known worldwide.