Optics and Photonics (M.Sc)

The basic intention of the “Optics & Photonics” course within the framework of the KIT mission statement of study and teaching is intensive scientific and research-oriented training and the acquisition of interdisciplinary skills. The aim of the course is to train students in the international environment of the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics (KSOP) for a career in scientific institutions or in the industry in the expanding field of optics & photonics. The curriculum therefore includes

• the broad-based acquisition of knowledge by the students in a large spectrum of optics and photonics from basic sciences to technological applications through introductory events in the 1st semester and through the so-called "core subjects" in the 2nd semester,
• the research-oriented acquisition of skills during the specialization phase in one of the interdisciplinary research areas of the KSOP (3rd semester) and in the master's thesis (4th semester),
• imparting practical skills in scientifically oriented laboratory internships and an eight-week internship in industry or a research institute,
• the acquisition of interdisciplinary skills, whereby the integrative and additive training in key skills is naturally supplemented by the overall intercultural context of the KSOP.

This carefully compiled curriculum with a wide range of basic principles, diverse options, and intensive profile formation enables students to independently identify current and future problems in the scientific and industrial environment at the end of their studies, work on complex issues, and develop sustainable solutions with the help of scientific methods.

The prerequisite for admission is a bachelor's degree with above-average success or at least an equivalent degree from an engineering or natural science degree, whereby the degree must have been completed with at least 180 ECTS points within a standard period of at least three years. The following courses are accepted as admission requirements:

• Optics and Photonics
• physics
• chemistry
• Electrical engineering
• mechanical engineering
• Biology, if mathematics was chosen as a minor
• Mathematics provided that physics was chosen as a minor
• Computer science provided that physics was chosen as a minor

You need to complete 120 credit hours to successfully obtain this degree. Please check detail of study units at https://www.sle.kit.edu/vorstudium/master-optics-photonics.php

The course is taught in English. The coursework and examinations are to be provided in English.

The course is divided into:

• Introductory phase (1st semester)
• Consolidation phase (2nd semester)
• Specialization phase (3rd semester) 
  Within the specialization phase, a focus can be chosen from “Photonic Materials & Devices”, “Quantum Optics & Spectroscopy”, “Biomedical Photonics”, “Optical Systems”, or “Solar Energy”.

The course ends with the master’s thesis in the 4th semester, which takes six months to complete.

You can join one of the following careers:

• Meteorologist
• Teacher
• Data Science Consultant
• Researcher