PHYSICS International Master of Science University of Stuttgart

PHYSICS is a highly competitive two-year international MSc programme with a strong focus on research. The collaboration of the University of Stuttgart’s Department of Physics and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research ensures an excellent education. We offer a vibrant learning environment for young physicists from all over the world who strive to become well-equipped for a career in science.

The Department of Physics at the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research are well known for their outstanding scientific research on solid state physics, quantum technologies, atom and quantum optics, photonics, soft matter and nanophysics, strongly correlated many-body systems, and numerical simulation. PHYSICS students join the institutes for their one-year research projects and become fully integrated in the work of the group.

The curriculum is composed of four semesters and divided into two parts. While the first year (first and second semester) consists of lectures, seminars and the laboratory course, the second year (third and fourth semester) provides freedom to fully concentrate on the one-year research project, including the Master’s thesis.

Compulsory modules include:

• Advanced Experimental Physics
• Advanced Quantum Theory
• Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
• Advanced Physics Laboratory
• Seminar in Physics
• Advanced Seminar in Physics
• One-year Research Project

Semi-compulsory modules include a choice of lectures on the following topics:

• Advanced Atomic Physics
• Advanced Optics
• Advanced Statistical Physics
• Experimental and Theoretical Biophysics
• Quantum Field Theory
• Quantum Information Processing
• Quantum Materials
• Quantum Technologies
• Semiconductor Physics
• Simulation Methods in Physics
• Solid State Spectroscopy
• Solid State Theory
• Theoretical Quantum Optics
• Topological Quantum Many-Body Physics

Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research

BSc in Physics:
An internationally recognised Bachelor's degree in Physics (or equivalent) is required. The Bachelor's degree has to be equivalent to a BSc degree in Physics obtained at a German university with an above-average grade.

OR

BSc in related fields:
Applicants from related fields can only be considered if they passed sufficient courses in physics with excellent results. Mechanics, electrodynamics and quantum mechanics are mandatory requirements. The admission committee will evaluate the equivalence of your transcript.

For more information, please see here.

Please contact us in advance if you are unsure whether you are eligible to apply.

Approx. 200 EUR per semester

Living expenses amount to about 1,050 EUR per month. Non-EU students will have to demonstrate that they have sufficient finances to cover living expenses for 12 months. EU citizens may apply for state-guaranteed loans during the time of enrolment. 

For more information, see the links on our website.

Please be aware that it may be very challenging to finance your whole studies by working. Non-EU citizens are allowed by law to work for a maximum of 120 days per year. Only students who are employed by the university in one of the institutes or departments (Studentische/Wissenschaftliche Hilfskräfte) are exempt from this regulation, but other restrictions apply.

For more detailed information, please consult our website: International Students: Financing Your Studies.

Joint Fellowship Programme

The Department of Physics at the University of Stuttgart and the International Max Planck Research School for Condensed Matter Science offer funding, mentor-ship and the perspective of a PhD to our most promising applicants. Fellowship recipients have the opportunity to be integrated in one of the research groups located in the Physics Department of the University of Stuttgart or at one of the two Max Planck Institutes from the very beginning of their studies.

Undergraduates with excellent results during their BSc studies as well as PHYSICS students with excellent results in the first and second semesters are eligible for the scholarship, which amounts to about 934 EUR per month for one and a half years.

Both the campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen and the campus in the centre of Stuttgart have on-site halls of residence. Dorm rooms (ranging from 320 EUR to 650 EUR per month) are furnished. Some are equipped with a sink, and all have access to a kitchen and sanitary facilities, telephone and Internet. From the campus in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, the city of Stuttgart can be reached by suburban railway within ten minutes.

Intelligent systems to benefit society

The University of Stuttgart is one of the leading technically oriented universities in Germany with global significance. It sees itself as a centre of university-based, non-university, and industrial research. Furthermore, it takes on a role as a guarantor of research-based teaching, focused on quality and holism. The university promotes the transfer of knowledge and technologies to society in all its areas of expertise and competence. The "Stuttgarter Weg" (Stuttgart Way) means an interdisciplinary integration of engineering, natural sciences, humanities, management, economics and social sciences based on the fundamentals of cutting-edge research at a disciplinary level. Our vision is “intelligent systems to benefit society”.

Excellent research and teaching

The University of Stuttgart implements innovative concepts in research and teaching in order to provide knowledge and strategies for a meaningful and sustainable development. It focuses on basic research that is both knowledge-oriented and application-related. To facilitate this research, the university is actively part of regional, national and international research networks.

The university is committed to the principle of unity between research and teaching. Students acquire knowledge, expertise and the power of judgement, in accordance with the guidelines of scientific research and awareness. The university fosters fascination for the sciences, supporting its students and junior researchers at all stages of their careers. It promotes independent thinking and provides an environment for responsible action. In doing so, it educates individuals into becoming exceptional experts who think in an integrative and global manner and act responsibly in the sciences, economics and society.

A powerful region

Founded in 1829, at the beginning of the Industrial Age, the University of Stuttgart continues to prepare the way for innovation within an economically and scientifically powerful region and contributes to the economic success and prosperity of our society. This process combines the requirements of a social and cultural change, which allows for an early and extensive input of social interests in research and design as well as teaching and further education.

Open-mindedness

The University of Stuttgart stands for open-mindedness, individuality and community spirit. It brings together students who are eager to learn, highly motivated employees, outstanding teachers, and excellent researchers, as well as visionary thinkers and inventors. By means of its culture of integration, the university creates and conveys knowledge for shaping the future of our society.

The University of Stuttgart is nestled in one of Europe’s most vibrant industrial regions. This fosters many forms of interdisciplinary collaboration — for instance, in numerous Collaborative Research Centres (also known as CRC or sometimes CRC/TRR) and in application-oriented research assignments. The University of Stuttgart sets up a close relationship and a successful transfer of knowledge and technology between its research institutions and business enterprises in the region and beyond. This very practical orientation benefits research and teaching. At the same time, economic players profit from rapid access to new scientific knowledge and contact to experts in their specialised fields. There are numerous possibilities of collaboration for businesses. Furthermore, the university also maintains a close relationship with non-university research institutions such as the Max Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Society, the German Aerospace Centre, and the German Literature Archive Marbach. Thus, the optimal prerequisites for cutting-edge research at the highest level are all to be found in Stuttgart.