Frequently asked questions
Please find below information concerning questions on application requirements, the online application portals, as well as more general questions.
We are happy to answer questions not yet addressed in this section!
Deadlines for EU applicants and non-EU applicants are different.
All applicants for the Scholarship Program (EU and non-EU applicants):
1st of December (for the winter semester in the following year)
Non-EU applicants:
1st of May (for the upcoming winter semester)
EU applicants (EU natives and students with an EU degree):
1 July (for the upcoming winter semester)
Important: The application portal will only open 3-4 weeks prior to the respective deadline stated above.
Please note: All courses start in winter semesters. Summer semester starts are not offered!
A B. Sc. degree (or equivalent) in Physics (or related fields) is required. In particular, we require applicants to have successfully completed the following coursework by the time the first M. Sc. semester in Physics or Astrophysics starts:
- Experimental physics:
Courses in atomic, molecular, solid-state, nuclear, and/or particle physics, corresponding to at least 15 credit points in total. - Theoretical physics:
Courses in quantum mechanics and statistical physics, corresponding to at least 15 credit points in total. - Lab courses:
Lab courses corresponding to at least 15 credit points in total.
For the M. Sc. program in Astrophysics it is certainly helpful, but is not mandatory, having taken an introductory course in astronomy and/or astrophysics.
Please note:
- In case it is not evident from the transcript that these criteria are fulfilled (e. g. due to additional coursework), the applicant should address this in the application.
- The applicant has to prove that she or he has taken at least two lab courses performing experiments individually or in small groups and worked out written analyses of these experiments. Just watching someone else doing the experiment is not sufficient. For more details, see the FAQ question: 'What are the required lab documents?'
General remarks:
Our Master courses in Physics and Astrophysics are designed as "consecutive Master" courses, i. e. a solid foundation in physics is required. Applicants should have prior knowledge not only of classical mechanics (including Lagrange and Hamiltonian formulations) and electrodynamics (Maxwell equations and their solutions), but should also have taken introductory classes in atomic, molecular, solid state and nuclear/particle physics.
Furthermore, the Master courses require prior knowledge of non-relativistic quantum mechanics (including the axioms of quantum mechanics, the Schrödinger equation and its time-independent solution for the harmonic oscillator and the hydrogen atom, the angular momentum algebra and time-independent perturbation theory) and of thermodynamics and statistical physics (energy conservation, the principle of entropy, the canonical ensembles and introductory quantum statistics).
The module catalogue is the complete, official curriculum for the BSc course (all years). It is provided by your university and contains detailed descriptions of every course. This is an official document, extracts or parts of the document will not be accepted. Please upload the full catalogue in English or German (official university version only) during the application process. Any other languages will only be accepted if they are translated to English or German by an official translation office/translator.
In case your university does not provide an official module catalog, please create a separate document detailing the content of the relevant courses and upload that document as pdf.
During the application we ask for two letters of reccomendation from previous or current referees or professors. You will be asked to provide full names and email-contact addresses. Please double check the email addresses for typos!
After you have submitted your application, emails containing a link will be sent to the referees you have named. These emails are issued in bulk daily, so won't be sent the moment you submit your application. Emails sent to the referees contain a link where the reccomendation letter can be uploaded. You will receive email copies without link. Once a referee has uploaded the letter, you will receive an information email. Please also inform your referees that letters sent directly to us via email won't be accepted.
Should a referee not receive the email (please wait until the day after your application), recheck the email address you have given. If it is correct, ask the referee to check her/his spam folder.
If the email can't be found, please contact us with your application number and the name of the person who hasn't received the email, so we can resend it directly to her/him.
Referees have time until 8th of December, midnight CET (deadline for the Scholarship Program) or 8th of May, midnight CEST (deadline non-EU applicants) or 8th of July, midnight CEST (deadline EU applicants) to upload the letters. After these dates have passed, the link will be no longer valid. Letters sent via email after these deadlines will not be accepted.
English proficiency at the level B2 is mandatory.
This may be proven by a language test such as CAE, CPE, IELTS (min. score 5.0) or TOEFL iBT (min. 72 points).
If your bachelor course is entirely held in English, it is also sufficient to get an official form or certificate from your university stating the language of instruction was English.
For German applicants the high school diploma (Abiturzeugnis) is sufficient, if it proves 6 years of English classes.
No certificate is required for native English speakers. However, the application portal will demand a file upload, so simply use a PDF stating you are a native speaker.
A finished B. Sc. degree is not a requirement during the application. You can finish your online application without uploading your final degree. Please use a PDF and note down all the courses you are planning on or are taking during your final semester. Upload this PDF in the degree slot.
Important: If you are accepted to the program, a finished B. Sc. degree is mandatory for enrollment. If we do not receive your diploma/preliminary diploma/degree certificate before the enrollment deadline, you will not be able to enroll.
Letter of Acceptance (LoA): document issued as proof of being accepted to the program, in general sufficient for Visa applications. NOT the final document and NOT sufficient for enrollment.
Zulassungsbescheid (English: enrollment document): final, official document for enrollment. Without a diploma/preliminary diploma/degree certificate, the Zulassungsbescheid will not be issued and enrollment won't be possible.
For your studies, command of the German language is not necessary, but having a basic grasp of the language and a little bit of vocabulary is very helpful in your day-to-day life.
Applicants from China are kindly requested to upload their APS certificate due to administrative issues. In case the respective document is not available yet, please upload the time schedule for your APS application instead. Please note that you have to hand in your APS certificate as soon as available to be able to join our program.
Scholarship application period: Proof of registration (PDF of summary page after registering succesfully and filling out the form/uploading all required documents on their portal) is sufficient, as scholarship recipients do not need an APS certificate for Visa application. See Applying for a Scholarship for more details.
Reason: Although scholarship holders do not require an APS certificate to obtain a Visa, only a very small number of students will be granted a scholarship. If the scholarship application is not successful, there might not be enough time to apply and receive the APS certificate in time for the semester deadline.
Regular/non-Scholarship application period: A completed official APS certificate is required for applying to the BCGS. Applications without the complete certificate will be flagged and not processed. No exceptions can be made.
An APS certificate is not required if the highest university degree relevant for assessment comes from a country other than India.
We would like to strongly point out that we have had cases where the process of obtaining the certificate took several months, so if you are planning on applying to the BCGS, apply for the certificate early enough.
Very Important:
APS is reviewing the complete educational background (full educational path) of applicants, rather than just their highest qualification. Therefore, due to capacity restraints, additional recertifications in parallel with new applications are suspended. Applicants should submit all their documents with the highest possible educational status.
Visa procedures for Master's programs with final semesters still pending:
As there is a suspension of recertifications, the visa offices allow visa applications for master's degree programs if, in the case of a four-year bachelor's degree program, at least 7 semesters and three-year bachelor's degree program, at least 5 semesters are verified by APS.
During the online application a scan of your original document is sufficient, but in case of admittance, we will require the documents above mentioned as certified*) hardcopies, so we advise you to start the certification process as soon as possible. These copies will be sent via postal service to the enrollment office, so make sure not to send your originals (unless you have several original copies for this purpose), as you will not get them back.
*)"Certified" means that a legal authority (notary, registrar's office of your university, municipality etc.) has confirmed (official stamp and signature) that the copy is of the original. Please submit the copies with a certified English translation if they are in other language than English OR German.
By "school leaving certificate" we mean the certificate/official document you were issued in your country allowing you to go to university to take up academic studies. In some countries this is also called "High School Certificate/Diploma" or "Transfer Certificate".
Several foundations like DAAD (The German Academic Exchange Service) offer scholarships and grants. Funding opportunities can be found on their website. Applying for a scholarship can already be done in your home country. Therefore, please get informed early enough about possible scholarship opportunities, as well as their corresponding application deadlines (some foundations only decide 1-2 times a year who is granted a scholarship).
For general financing and support, please have a look at the Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service, this is not something BCGS office can help with.
Please note: There are different conditions for graduates and non-graduates. Sometimes an application for a scholarship is only possible after being accepted to a university.
At least one document stating the number of experimental lab courses and a detailed description of the content and implementation as well as a description of how the individual experiments have been documented (e. g. written report or presentation) in the Bachelor's program. This may be self created in a PDF, if no official lab documentations are available. If available, please also attach one representative document of an advanced experimental lab experiment documentation (e. g. written report or presentation).
Scholarship Program:
1 December (for the winter term in the following year)
Regular M.Sc. program:
For the winter term: 15 July
For the summer term: 15 January
Important: We ask international students to apply for their preliminary review documentation (VPD) before 1 June (winter term) or 1 December (summer term) to ensure that they receive the VPD in time!
Note that the application portal usually opens 1 June (winter term) or 1 December (summer term).
Please apply for the M.Sc. in Physics cour via KLIPS 2.0, start by registering for a new applicant account.
All applicants need to provide
- School leaving certificate (or an equivalent degree of qualification for access to German universities)
- Transcript of Records
- Bachelor of Science in Physics degree (or an equivalent university degree). This degree certificate can be handed in later.
Applicants who have obtained their university degree (e.g. a bachelor’s degree) in a country other than Germany also need to submit
- officially certified translations of the documents if the original documents were not issued in English or in German
- the preliminary review documentation (VPD) by uni-assist
For information on requesting the VPD see the respective website of the International Office in Cologne.
A BSc degree (or equivalent) in Physics (or related fields) is required. In particular, we require applicants to have successfully completed the following coursework:
- at least 15 credit points in theoretical physics - either a course in quantum mechanics or a course in statistical physics is required.
- at least 15 credit points in mathematics
- at least 15 credit points in advanced experimental physics
- at least 12 credit points in experimental/practical training (e.g. laboratory sessions).
What does that mean?
In theoretical physics, you need prior knowledge of
- either non-relativistic quantum mechanics (including the axioms of quantum mechanics, the Schroedinger equation and its time-independent solution for the harmonic oscillator and the hydrogen atom, the angular momentum algebra, and time-independent perturbation theory)
- or thermodynamics and statistical physics (including thermodynamics and the principle of entropy, the statistical ensembles, equilibrium in systems without interactions, phase transitions)
Applicants are also expected to have studied classical mechanics (comprising the Langrange and Hamilton formalisms) and electrodynamics (Maxwell equations and their solutions).
Advanced experimental physics refers to at least introductory classes in atomic, molecular, solid state, and nuclear/particle physics. Note that basic courses like Newton mechanics or optics are not considered as advanced experimental physics.
Regarding the practical training: applicants need experience in performing experiments individually or in small groups and worked-out written analyses of these experiments.
The admission committee will check the syllabi/contents of the relevant courses students have taken to ensure you have the requisite knowledge.
English proficiency at the level B2 is mandatory.
You can demonstrate this by a TOEFL, IELTS test, or a Cambridge Certificate of B2 or higher.
If your bachelor course was entirely held in English, it is also sufficient to get an official form or certificate from your university stating the language of instruction was English.
No certificate is required for native English speakers. However, the application portal will require that you upload some file; please simply upload a PDF stating you are a native speaker.
For your studies, you do not need to speak German, but having a basic grasp of the language and a little bit of vocabulary is very helpful in your day-to-day life.
Yes!
The APS certificate is one of the required documents for the preliminary review documentation (VPD). For this reason, applicants from China, India or Vietnam, will not receive the VPD without their APS certificate.
You can start the application in KLIPS 2.0 before you receive the VPD. However, the VPD is required to complete the application. Please note that only complete applications that have been uploaded by the deadline will be considered.
It is therefore not possible to submit the VPD after the deadline. However, you are welcome to apply for the following semester.
Please upload the document provided by uni-assist instead of the VPD ("Mitteilung.pdf") for your application in KLIPS 2.0.
A completed BSc degree is mandatory before joining the BCGS. However, you can finish your online application without uploading your degree certificate and submit the certificate later. Please always submit your most recent transcript of records.
Command of the German language is not a prerequisite for our MSc studies, but of course, speaking German makes life easier and you will be able to apply for more part-time jobs, since many of them require German language.
The International Office of Bonn University offers a variety of courses
The BCGS offers a BCGS Honors Certificate for the best students after finishing their MSc in Physics or Astrophysics at the University of Bonn or Cologne. The BCGS Honors Certificate can be earned by any student and is independent of the BCGS Scholarship Program.
For more information, see Honors Certificate
Please find further information on the website of the examination office in Cologne.
During the Master's programme we offer many opportunities to find out which direction you want to go into: specialized courses, intensive weeks, poster sessions, the BCGS weekend seminar are all great ways to find out about the research done here and the people doing it.
If you are joining us for a PhD, please have a look at the following website on the research performed in Cologne and contact one of the professors working in the field you are interested in.
Admission to our MSc or PhD program does not include accomodation and you have to take care of that yourself. Unfortunately, the accomodation situation in Cologne is really tight. The best option is getting a room in one of the student dorms run by the Kölner Studierendenwerk (KStW). Please check out both their information on student housing (including room offers) as well as tips to find suitable rooms.
Please see the website of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, where you will find step-by-step instructions.
Please set up your thesis advisory committee (TAC) within the first 6 months of your PhD.
Select the members of your TAC in such a way that they can be of help with your doctoral project. You you do not need to choose only people with specific knowledge about your research field, TAC members can also provide mentoring and tea and sympathy during difficult times.
One TAC member is your supervisor, the other two members can be postdocs, group leaders, or professors. One of these needs to be outside your supervisor's research group. We also encourage you to pick TAC members from other institutions (PhDs done in ML4Q framework even require this).