Frequently Asked Questions
Application Procedure
There is no minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement.
Candidates with a German Bachelor’s degree apply directly to the Freie Universität Berlin via the online portal.
Candidates with a non-German degree apply via uni-assist portal. For documents and formal details please see Application with non-German Degree.
The application for the winter semester runs from April 15 to August 15.
The application period for the summer semester runs from December 2 of the preceding year to February 15.
Candidates with a non-German Degree are recommended to prepare their documents well in advance and to apply as soon as the application period opens.
No. All courses in the Master's program of Physics are in English.
This means that you must have completed bachelor modules that provided you with thorough fundamentals in theoretical and experimental physics. Your knowledge must include the following foundational topics:
- Electrodynamics and Optics
- Fundamentals of measurement and laboratory techniques
- Structure of Matter (Solid State Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics)
- Analytical Mechanics
- Quantum Mechanics
- Theoretical Electrodynamics
- Linear Algebra
- Analysis
Additionally, you must have laboratory experience and be able to set up experimental equipment. You also must know how to measure, interpret, document and report experimental data.
The admissions committee evaluates the equivalency of your curriculum in terms of course content and credit hours. To see the compulsory and elective modules we teach in the bachelor's program at the Freie Universität please see the bachelor's website or better consult the Study Regulations.
In case you are not sure if your degree is equivalent to ours please feel free to contact the program's coordinator who is responsible for the recognition issues.
For instance, with a degree in engineering or chemistry?
No. You require a Bachelor's degree in Physics that is equivalent to the Bachelor degree in Physics from Freie Universität Berlin. You can check Study Regulations for bachelor students to see what modules are compulsory (in German: Pflicht) for physicsts at our university.
- your Bachelor degree with overall grade
- a certified transcript of your Bachelor studies
- proof of English language proficiency
Please upload these documents, as well as certified English or German translations if in another language, as color pdf files to Uni-Assist. More details
Yes, you can apply if you have certifications for at least 2/3 of the credit points necessary for your Bachelor’s degree. In that case the current transcript of courses can be used for the application.
Note that all modules necessary to complete the Bachelor’s degree have to be finished before the start of the Master course, and certificates have to be submitted before the end of the first semester of the Master course.
There are no admission limits.
Study - Modules, Courses, Credits
All details of the Master's program are fixed in the Study and Exam Regulations.
No. WWe do not provide a fixed schedule, but we recommend a specific schedule for your studies.
You are free to design your schedule according to your interests and professional goals. For example, if you want to specialize in biophysics you may choose more electives in biophysical topics. The description of all modules can be found in the study regulations.
Any problems with designing an individual study schedule? Please contact our student advisor – he will explain to you how to set up a good study plan.
No. Usually, you will experience mixed students' communities in lectures and seminars.
Since all students have their individual schedules you will often meet new students you are not familiar with. Take the chance to make friends with different physics talents. Because this is exactly how scientific communities work - they benefit from networking and cooperation with different people.
The module is a set of courses on a specific topic. To complete a module and get your module credits you should accomplish different courses belonging to the module.
For lectures types of modules, you typically need both the lecture and the accompanying seminar.
For seminar types of modules, you typically need only one of the listed courses to complete the module.
But take care - there are some exceptions. Please check the module descriptions in the study regulations or ask the advising service for help.
For the required components of the Master program, please see the Program Structure.
You can find the credit points information in the Description of the Modules. Search for abbreviation CP.
You can look up the credit points (CP) in the description of the modules
Some examples
- The compulsory-elective courses give 10 credits each.
- The Advanced Lab gives 10 credits.
- Special Topics and the most smaller seminars give 5 credits each.
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Modern Methods is categorized into A, B, C and is giving 5, 8 and 10 credits respectively.
In the course catalog, you will see the same courses (same course ID) as components of different modules. It is not a technical error. You have to complete different courses in different modules. Thus, we provide you the maximum freedom for a personal choice.
Please note: you might not validate one course for two or three modules.
Click on image to see a full-size graphic.
Same courses in different modules - Click on the graph for higher resolution
Example (explanation to the graphic above)
If you have chosen 20103911 “Current topics in nanophysics” in the module “Selected Topics in Physics 2”, you may not take it again for the module “Selected Topics in Physics 3”. You rather take the 20108111 “Molecular Electronics” or other.
Selected Topics
The compulsory module "Selected Topics 1" is not graded.
Selected Topics 2 to 5 can be taken as part of your electives. They are graded.
Yes, but only with the permission of the examination committee. The following courses are pre-approved: elective modules
Please note that courses in other departments and in the bachelor program will usually be taught in German and that you cannot take more than 15 credits in Bachelor courses in total.
Research Phase
All details of the Master's program are fixed in the Study and Exam Regulations.
Yes. You must register for the research phase. Please fill this form and send it to the exam office to Dmitrij Heinz via dmitrij.heinz@fu-berlin.de.
Note: Before registering for the research phase, you must have completed the module “Advanced Laboratory Course for Master Students” (10 CP), a module of theoretical physics from the compulsory elective area comprising 10 CP and further modules of the Master’s program comprising at least 25 CP.
The registration to the research phase allows you to enter the modules „Scientific Specialization“ and „Methodology and Project Planning“ (no further registration via Campus Management, Blackboard or any other system is needed).
You need to have completed the module “Advanced Laboratory Course for Master Students” (10 CP), a module of theoretical physics from the compulsory elective area comprising 10 CP and further modules of the Master’s programme comprising at least 25 CP.
First semester of the research phase
Typically, this is the 3rd semester of the Master’s program.
You complete two modules: „Scientific Specialization“ (15 CP) and „Methodology and Project Planning“ (15 CP)*.
For both modules, you must demonstrate your ability to work scientifically:
- For „Methodology and Project Planning“, you submit the first 20 pages of your master's thesis to your supervisor. This submission will be marked as "passed".
- For "Scientific Specialization", you give a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute discussion on your master's thesis topic. You will receive a grade for the presentation.
Both components constitute your midterm exam. Passing this exam allows you to proceed with your master's thesis.
* Note: You do not need to register for the "Scientific Specialization" and "Methodology and Project Planning" modules.
Second semester of the research phase
Typically, this is the 4th semester of the Master’s program
During this semester, you complete your Master’s thesis and present it in a final colloquium.
No, you don’t.
The research phase can be started at any date, there is no restriction. The deadline for submission of the Master's thesis is then exactly one year after the start of the research phase.
The first supervisor of the research phase always needs to be a lecturer of the department. If the external supervisor is not an adjunct lecturer of the department, you need to find a lecturer in the department who is willing to supervise the external research phase. Besides the professors of the department, all lecturers listed here can act as supervisors of research phases.
For International Students
At the start, you will need to arrange some formalities. The Welcome Services for international Students will provide you support in explaining the required procedure. Read more
Welcome to the Freie Universität Berlin! We invite you to central orientation events where you will get more information on organisation of your studies and the online-tools we use at the university.
To be able to study in Germany and to enroll in our programs, you will need health insurance.
Some providers are, for instance, AOK, careconcept and educare24. Please feel free to search for any other insurance company that will cover you personal health needs. But please arrange the health insurance issues long in advance! The following explanations might help you:
Freie Universität Berlin - Information on health insurance as a precondition for an enrollment
You will be living in Berlin, an international hub for science and culture. Since everyone is moving to Berlin, you might experience difficulties to find free accommodation for living. Please start searching for a place to live long in advance!
Some accomodation services and portals
Please feel free to contact the lecturer directly via e-mail and work out an individual solution for you. You can search for the contact data here.
French-German Double-Degree Program
First of all, you have to be a student in the Master of Physics course at Freie Universität Berlin (see "Application procedure" above).
Applications to the Double-Degree Program have to be submitted online. In addition, you need to send pdf files by e-mail to doublemaster@physik.fu-berlin.de: informal application letter, letter of motivation, certified copies of the Bachelor degree showing the overall grade and of the transcript of the first semester in the Master course, CV, a recommendation letter by a professor, and documents that show that you possess good German and basic French language knowledge. Application deadline is June 30th (March 10th if also funding by the Erasmus program is applied for).
Good German and basic (CEFR level A2) French language proficiency (or vice versa), enrollment to the Master of Physics of Freie Universität Berlin, good grades.
Language tests are not necessary if you have documents that show your language proficiency otherwise (for example school certificates).
The purpose of the early application to the Double-Degree Program shall help those candidates that are particularly interested in such a Double Degree to decide at which university they should enroll.
If a candidate applies before June 30th to the Double-Degree Program along with the regular application to the Master program in Physics at Freie Universität Berlin (deadline for the latter: August 15th), and is accepted to the Master program, he/she will know about the outcome of the application to the Double-Degree Program before he/she has to enroll to the regular Master program, and thus can decide at which university he/she would like to enroll.
Successful candidates of the early application will get a provisional admission to the Double-Degree Program, which means they are admitted if their average grade in the first semester of Master studies is 2.0 or better. (If the grade is worse, they have to apply again after the first semester of the Master studies.)
It is possible that you are admitted to the (regular) Master in Physics at Freie Universität Berlin, but do not get the provisional admission to the Double-Degree Program. In that case you can start your Master studies, and either try to apply again to the Double-Degree program one year later (after your first semester in the Master course), or just finish your complete Master studies in Berlin. The reverse case will not occur, it is impossible to get the provisional admission to the Double-Degree Program without admission to the Master in Physics at Freie Universität Berlin.
No problem. Just inform the person responsible for the Double-Degree Program (see here). You may continue with your studies in Berlin, and later receive your Master degree form here.
Yes, you can. However, you have to consider that then you will need five semesters to obtain the Master degree. Explanation: The French-German Double-Degree Program is designed to begin in October. The program in France is offered only on a one-year cycle.
The last possibility to apply to the Double-Degree Program is after the first semester of the Master Program, before June 30th
Yes. All students accepted in the German-French Double-Degree Program will receive a monthly mobility allowance of 300 euros/month from the French-German University for ten months during their stay in France. In addition, students can apply for financial support by the Erasmus program. The latter has to be applied for already by the end of January of the year the stay abroad is to commence. In case of an application for Erasmus support, the application for participation in the Double-Degree Program has to be submitted already before March 10th instead of the regular deadline of June 30th. Please note that while the support from the French-German University is guaranteed for every participant in the Double-Degree Program, the granting of the Erasmus support depends on offer and demand. The decision about the Erasmus application is communicated in the beginning of April.
Financial Issues
The Freie Universität Berlin does not charge any tuition fees. An enrollment fee of approximately 300 EUR per semester entitles students to use all public transportation within the Berlin area.
The Freie Universität Berlin does not offer specific fellowships for physicists.
The German Academic Exchange Service DAAD provides currently study scholarships for STEM disciplines.Besides, there is a Deutschlandstipendium (300€ monthly).
A limited number of part-time job opportunities (40 or 60 hours per month) for students are available at the Department of Physics.
