Application process

Starting in the winter semester 2026/27, FAU will, in addition to MAOT, also offer the Master’s degree programme Photon Science and Technology (MPST) in cooperation with the Universities of Jena and Karlsruhe. The principal distinctions between the two programs are as follows:

  • MPST is a programme with a strong emphasis on physics, while also offering opportunities to study topics in engineering. MAOT, by contrast, is designed as a more interdisciplinary programme bridging physics and engineering, and in many respects has a stronger engineering orientation.
  • MPST provides scholarships to the majority of admitted students; admission requirements are correspondingly more competitive (admission without a scholarship is nevertheless possible).
  • The application period for MPST is from 15 September to 1 December for commencement in the following year. The application period for MAOT is from 15 February to 15 July for commencement in the same year.
  • In MAOT, all courses (including laboratory work and projects) take place at FAU. In MPST, courses are offered both in Erlangen and at the Universities of Karlsruhe and Jena, as well as online in cooperation among the three universities.

Recommendation

  • From an academic perspective, students are advised to select the program whose orientation best corresponds to their interests. From a formal perspective, applications to both programs are possible with a Bachelor’s degree in either physics or an engineering discipline.
  • It is possible to apply to MAOT after being denied admission to MPST. A prior rejection from MPST does not diminish the likelihood of admission to MAOT.
The application period for 2025 is closed. The next application period for starting MAOT in winter term 2026/27 will start mid of February 2026.

Important advance information for applicants from India: The APS certificate is mandatory in order to gain admission to FAU. Due to the long processing times at the APS authorities, it is therefore advised to apply for this as early as possible.

Note: MAOT cannot be commenced in summer term, but only in winter term.

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Pre-requisites

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in

  • physics or
  • a relevant engineering subject.

Below is a provisional list of the required documents :

  • Curriculum vitae
  • Scans of the certificates and transcripts of all academic degrees
  • Scan of the high school diploma or certificate of secondary school education
  • Proof of adequate English language skills. This can be obtained through English courses completed at secondary schoool or during university studies, experience with English speaking programmes, stays abroad or an international qualification such as Toefl or IELTS (Toefl code: 8265). An international certificate is not (!) mandatory. There is no specific threshold for English language skills, but in the recent years the minimum level of the applicants being admitted was generally approximately equivalent to IELTS 5.5 or Toefl IBT 90.

The final list of required documents will be specified during the application process.

Proof of German language skills is not required.

IMPRS scholarship

The Max Planck society runs the „IMPRS Physics of Light“ programme which offers scholarships for master students:.

https://mpl.mpg.de/study-work-or-visit/graduate-programs/physics-of-light/application/application-for-master-studies

Scholarship holders have to study either MAOT or a master in physics at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. However, the application procedures for MAOT and IMPRS are completely independent of each other.

There are two application deadlines for the IMPRS-PL:

  • 15 January – when you apply for this deadline and receive the scholarship you still have to apply for MAOT afterwards. The admission to MAOT is quite likely then but not guaranteed.  On the other hand, a rejection at the IMPRS does not (!) affect your chances to get admitted to MAOT in any way.
  • 31 May – applicants for this date usually already know whether they got admitted to MAOT. If they were admitted for MAOT and don’t receive the IMPRS-PL scholarship this does not affect ther MAOT admission. If they were already rejected for MAOT a possible IMPRS-PL grant will not change that. They can still apply for the master in physics at the FAU, though.

If you consider applying for the IMPRS-MPL we recommend to use the first deadline. However, an application for the second deadline is also possible.