Entrance Qualifications

 

Professional Qualification

Applicants for the program must show their professional qualification by having acquired

  • Courses in the amount of at least 17 ECTS credits in accordance with the modules "Experimental Physics IV (Atoms , Molecules and Nuclei)", " Experimental Physics Va (Solid State Physics)" and "Experimental Physics Vb (Particles and Astrophysics)" of the Bachelor's program in physics of RWTH Aachen University.
  • Courses in the amount of at least 16 ECTS credits in accordance with the modules "Theoretical Physics III (Quantum Mechanics)" and " Theoretische Physik IV (Statistical Physics)" of the Bachelor's program in physics of RWTH Aachen University.
  • Courses in the amount of at least 9 ECTS credits in accordance with the module "Advanced Laboratory Course" of the Bachelor's program in physics of RWTH Aachen University.

Content and learning outcome of the courses must be comparable to those of the Bachelor's program Physics at RWTH Aachen University .

Usually a Bachelor's degree in Physics is necessary for admission to the Master's program. If contents of the required courses listed above are missing in the Bachelor's degree program or it cannot be proved that their level is equivalent to the level at RWTH Aachen University, you might be admitted under the condition that you pass courses from the Bachelor's program in Physics at RWTH Aachen University by the start of your Master's Thesis:

Typical courses given as obligations are:

  • "Vernetzungen in der Experimentalphysik" (Quantum Physics and Modern Physics)
  • "Theoretische Physik III: Quantenmechanik" (Theoretical Quantum Mechanics)
  • "Theoretische Physik IV: Statistische Physik" (Theoretical Statistical Mechanics)
  • "Fortgeschrittenenpraktikum" (Laboratory in Modern Physics)

In the case of conditional admission you can either

  • apply for the Master's College which offers these courses in English and is subject to special tuition fees.
  • register for the regular courses of the Bachelor's program which are taught in German and free of tuition fees. In this case proficiency of the German language (e.g. proven by TestDaF Niveaustufe 4 or DSH Niveaustufe 2) is required by the time of enrollment.

For your information we present here some sample exams to allow you to assess the level of these Bachelor's courses:

Graduate Records Examination (GRE)

Applicants with a nationality of a country outside the EU/EEA are required to submit the results of a GRE Subject Test in physics. The GRE Subject Test is conducted several times a year. More details can be found here.

Please note: Due to the pandemic alternatively the GRE General Test is also accepted (last time for applications for intake in wintersemester 2023/2024).

Language Qualification

The courses of the Master's program physics are taught in English. Non English native speakers must prove sufficient proficiency in English. The following language certificates are accepted:

  • The Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) "Internet-based" test (iBT) with a score of at least 90 points
  • IELTS test with a result of at least 5.5
  • Cambridge Test – Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
  • First Certificate in English (FCE) with a grade of at least B,
  • A certificate on English proficiency at the level B2 of the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)”
  • Placement-Test of the language center of RWTH Aachen with a level of B2 (MK 7).