Bonn-Cologne Graduate School

Master Programs
PhD Studies
Honors Branch

The Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy runs a 5-year integrated program spanning the two years of MSc studies and three years for the PhD. Students holding already an MSc or equivalent can join directly at the PhD stage.

All BCGS events and opportunities such travel grants are open to all physics graduate students (MSc and PhD) at Bonn and Cologne. The so-called honors branch of the BCGS provides scholarships and additional mentoring on a competitive basis.

In a nutshell, the BCGS training program is characterized by the following principles:

Continued learning
We encourage students to broaden their scientific horizons, not only during the MSc phase but also during PhD studies. To this end, the BCGS organizes advanced lecture courses on a broad range of topics, see Teaching.

Research early on
We aim to expose students to current research at an early stage of their careers. Already our first-year students are integrated into research groups through research internships.

Interaction with fellow students and faculty
Our students are part of a community of young talented researchers and we want them to feel comfortable in that community. Introduction events help new students to settle in, and networking events encourage ties between BCGS students and faculty. An example is the successful series of talks "Science Meets Business".

The Master programs provides a thorough research-oriented scientific education. Aim is to equip students with advanced scientific tools and the experience to apply them with independence, responsibility, and reflection. The two-year Master courses are modularly structured and comprises both lecture courses and thesis work. The language of instruction is English.

To join the BCGS for a Master course (that is with a Bachelor's degree in Physics or equivalent), students enrol at either Bonn or Cologne University. The choice is largely determined by individual research interests. Nevertheless, students may attend courses at either university and are encouraged to do so.

Research

The physics departments in Bonn and Cologne focus on different research areas; between them they span almost the full range of modern physics.

Bonn focusses on particle physics (both experiment and theory), condensed matter and photonics, and astronomy/astrophysics. The department runs its own electron accelerator (ELSA) and a cyclotron.

In Cologne, research is on astrophysics and cosmology, condensed matter and statistical physics, biophysics, and experimental nuclear physics using an in-house tandem accelerator. One of the particular strengths of Cologne physics is theoretical research in condensed matter and statistical physics.

For full information, please see the departmental homepages of Bonn and Cologne.

Both departments are also engaged in ongoing collaborations with international research groups worldwide. There exist research links and collaborations both in nuclear and hadron physics and in condensed matter physics with the Forschungszentrum Jülich and in astronomy/astrophysics with the Max-Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.

Publications

Publications of BCGS students

Teaching

Lecture courses
Intensive weeks
Internships
BCGS lecturers
Example curricula
Information on summer schools

Lecture courses

Every term the two physics departments offer advanced lecture courses. These courses are timed so that they can be attended by students from both Bonn and Cologne. All BCGS events are open to all physics graduate students from Bonn and Cologne.

The complete list of physics lecture courses at Bonn University can be found here.
The complete list of physics/astronomy courses at Cologne University with comments can be found here. A list of courses from past years can be accessed here.

Intensive weeks

During the semester breaks, the BCGS runs topical courses of one week's duration, with lectures, guest speakers and laboratory sessions. These intensive weeks are an excellent opportunity to learn in depth about current research before committing to a topic for a thesis. A list of past topics can be found here.

Internships

Research internships are a key element of our effort to get BCGS students involved in research early on. As research interns, students join a research group to undertake a research project of typically four weeks duration. This also helps to choose an MSc project. Participation in at least one research internship is recommended for all BCGS members.

The internships are coordinated by the BCGS Lecturers. The lecturer responsible for a chosen research area should be contacted prior to the internship. Research internships are available in the following fields:

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Condensed Matter
Mathematical Physics
Nuclear Physics
Particle Physics
Photonics and Quantum Optics
Statistical Physics and Quantitative Biology

BCGS lecturers

Atomic physics & quantum optics Current research focus: thermodynamics of a trapped photon gas, and dark state physics in atomic media
homepage

String theory - Mathematical Physics Current research focus: embedding of the standard model of particle physics into string theory, strings in curved space time and aspects of extra dimensions in cosmology. homepage

Experimental particle physicsCurrent research focus:
High energy particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider and investigation of Higgs
bosons.
homepage

Quantum impurity physicsCurrent research focus:
Numerical investigation of correlated fermions and bosons, and impurity effects in condensed matter.
homepage

Experimental Condensed Matter PhysicsCurrent research focus:
The research uses broadband dielectric spectroscopy (from mHz to THz) to study the dynamics of complex quantum matter.
homepage

Institute of Nuclear PhysicsCurrent research focus: Nuclear structure studies by prompt and delayed particle and gamma spectroscopy for testing and improving nuclear models.
homepage

Example Curricula

To illustrate the benefits of the combined offers of both departments, we have prepared several example curricula.

Information on summer schools

Below is a list of physics summer schools in Germany and beyond. If you know of a summer school not listed here please contact Frank Vewinger (photonics), Eckhard v. Toerne (HEP), Andrey Blazhev (nuclear physics), Joachim Hemberger (condensed matter) or Petra Neubauer-Günther (astrophysics).
list

Student life

This page gives some details regarding financial and practical matters concerning
living in Bonn or Cologne.

Funding and financial support

MSc students

MSc students are usually given a side job as teaching assistants during the second year of their Master's degree. The gross income is about 700 EUR (ca. 600 Euro net), in return students teach a tutorial class or lab class. The BCGS also offers a number of full scholarships (700 EUR per month) for the first year, based on interviews held in spring before the start of the academic year, see the honors branch.

PhD students

During their PhD phase almost all students hold a research assistant position financed by their research group. The salary is according to the German public employee rules, i.e. usually one half of E13 TV-L, corresponding to a net income of about 1100 Euro. Candidates who apply for direct admission as PhD students should contact potential supervisors prior to their application to discuss the possibilities of obtaining a PhD position.

Beyond and on top of these salaries, the BCGS offers a number of scholarships awarded on a competitive basis (see BCGS honors branch). The Deutsche Telekom Stiftung grants annually up to 3 attractive scholarships for the most qualified PhD students nominated by the BCGS.

For MSc and PhD students with children, the amount of the financial support can be increased by an allowance for childcare. In addition, the BCGS finances travel and other costs for all BCGS students upon application.

Housing and other practical issues

Most students in Germany either live in a hall of residence or rent an apartment. A popular option is to share a flat with other students.

Both in Bonn and Cologne, student dorms are run by the local student services organisation (Studentenwerk). Rent is 190 to 350 Euros (Bonn) or 140 to 320 Euros per month (Cologne) for a single-occupancy dormitory.

You can find further information on the web sites of the Bonn Studentenwerk (in German only) and Cologne Studentenwerk (in German only). The Cologne Institute for Theoretical Physics maintains pages concerning practical matters of life in Cologne.

Enrolment fees are due at the beginning of every term. In return students receive free public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia and can participate in their university's sport societies. These fees total to about 500 EUR per year. Health insurance and other social benefits come automatically with employment as teaching assistant (PhD and MSc Students). The costs are deducted from the gross salary. They have been taken into account in the net numbers given above.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Organisation and Management

Coordinator of the BCGS is M. Zirnbauer, his deputy is D. Meschede (Bonn).

The BCGS Steering Committee decides on the use of the schools resources, admissions and is in charge of the academic program. The steering committee currently consists of J. Berg, M. Drees, D. Meschede, P. Schilke, C. Urbach, and M. Zirnbauer, E. Winter (Deutsche Telekom Stiftung), U. Falk, P. Neubauer-Guenther and D. Thrun (managing directors) and P. Rishikesh and R. Kennedy (students).

Every year, the BCGS students elect a student council, whose members organize social events, are available to give advice and take suggestions on all aspects of the BCGS. Rishikesh Pandit, Carsten Robens, Melanie Hampel, Matthias Kruckow (Bonn) and Ricardo Kennedy, Sebastian Schmittner, Peter Bröcker, Maximilian Genske (Cologne) currently form the student council.

The admission committee is in charge of shortlisting and interviewing applicants to the BCGS. Currently the admission committee consists of M. Drees, M. Grüninger, D. Meschede, S. Trebst, C. Urbach, and S. Walch.

BCGS offices

The BCGS offices in Bonn and Cologne ensure the smooth running of the graduate school and lend a sympathetic ear and a helping hand to students. Managing directors are Dr. Doris Thrun and Dr. Ulrike Falk in Bonn and Dr. Petra Neubauer in Cologne.

Bonn and Cologne

Bonn

Bonn is not only a beautiful historic city located on the banks of the river Rhine and the birthplace of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven, but also offers a vibrant and engaging environment in which to live, work, and study. As the former seat of government, it still houses various governmental institutions, about a dozen United Nations agencies, and 170 other international organisations. Furthermore, Bonn is also home to major corporations such as Deutsche Telekom, T-mobile International and Deutsche Post.

The University of Bonn was founded almost 200 years ago and today is considered one of Germany's most important institutions of higher education. Numerous projects that are being funded and have been funded by Germany's central research funding agency (DFG) clearly demonstrate Bonn's excellence in research. Awards and distinctions contribute to the distinguished reputation of the University of Bonn. The most famous examples of such awards were the Nobel Prizes awarded in 1989 and 1994 to Wolfgang Paul and Reinhard Selten respectively. In addition, Bonn can to date boast eight winners of the prestigious Leibniz prize.

You can find detailed information under www.uni-bonn.de

Cologne

Located at the crossing of Roman and medieval trade routes and the river Rhine, Cologne has always been a multicultural city. As one of the cultural centres of Europe, Cologne has innumerable museums, art exhibitions, theatres, cultural events and pubs. Cologne's "Karneval" is famous worldwide.

Open, friendly and internationally-minded, Cologne is a great place to live, work and study. The University of Cologne is one of the largest German universities and also one of the oldest with its 625th birthday celebrated in 2013. An internet survey conducted in 2013 found Cologne to be the German city and university most popular with international students.

The German Excellence Initiative aims to identify and support excellent German universities. In 2012 the University of Cologne was awarded the status of "Exzellenzuniversität", which it holds along with the universities of Heidelberg, Tübingen, Berlin, and Munich among others. The numerous research projects funded by the German Research Foundation and the European Union at the University of Cologne also underline its reputation on an international level. Students who expect challenges in research and teaching will find an optimal setting, especially as the University of Cologne offers a vast range of courses and subjects to choose from. Cologne and its environs are home to three major research institutes (the Nuclear Research Centre in Jülich, the German Aerospace Center in Porz, and the Society for Mathematics and Data Processing in St. Augustin), as well as to four Max Planck Institutes.

You can find detailed information under www.uni-koeln.de

Applying to the BCGS

With a Bachelor degree or equivalent in Physics, you can join the BCGS for a Master course, and subsequently a PhD. Students holding a Master's degree already can join directly for the PhD stage.

In either case you need to make a decision whether to apply for the Master's/PhD at Bonn or at Cologne University, a decision that depends on your research interests, see BCGS research. Lecture courses at both institutions are open to BCGS members, and you can switch institutions between the Master's and the PhD.

Within the honors branch, the BCGS offers full scholarships for about 30 Master's students per year and PhD stipends to about 30 PhD students per year. The PhD stipends come on top of the basic salaries as teaching assistants. For details see the honors branch of the BCGS and the honors branch application details below.