Application

Applications are accepted from

May 1 - June 15 for the winter term (starting October 1st) and December 1 - January 15 for the summer term (starting April 1st) each year.

Applications have to be submitted online via STiNE (the central student server of the university).

Application Documents

To help the selection committee make its decision, your application should include the following documents: 

• A letter of motivation (about one page, in English).
• Your Curriculum Vitae (in English).
• A photocopy of the degree certificate of your Bachelor degree in physics or mathematics, including a transcript of your grades. (Concerning exceptions and further comments see below!) It must contain your CGPA and the means to convert them into German grading system, minimum passing grade and maximum grade possible. If it is not possible to convert your CGPA, it will be set as minimum passing grade. 
• self-written list of your modules in “Mathematics for students of Physics” or equal and their credit points
• self-written list of your completed modules in Advanced Mathematics and their credit point
• self-written list of your completed modules in Theoretical Physics (in particular in Quantum Mechanics) and their credit points
• Proof of proficiency in English (for more information see below)
• You may provide further evidence of work experience or other relevant qualifications.

The copies of your documents need not to be certified. Copies in English or German are accepted. If your certificates are written neither in English nor in German, please enclose a certified translation.

Proficiency in English

Your proficiency in English will be considered as proven if at least one of the following applies to you:

• You have passed a test within CEFR/TELC at level B2
• You have passed the IELTS test with a score of at least 5.0
• You have passed the TOEFL test with 72 credits in the internet-based test (TOEFL iBT)
• You have passed Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE), of Proficiency in English (CPE), Higher Business English Certificate (BEC), First Certificate in English (FCE)
• You have a degree from a Bachelor degree program taught in English language
• You have a high school diploma accepted at English language universities
• You have spent at least 6 months in an English speaking country
• You have participated in English classes at a German-speaking school for at least seven years.
  
  We recommend that you be able to follow courses and seminars in English as well as in German.

Scientific Prerequisites

For successful participation in the Master programme, you should have a good background knowledge in both mathematics and physics. Specifically, you should be familiar with the following topics from physics and mathematics.

Prerequisites in Physics:
A good background in quantum mechanics. This includes the following topics, which are part of the course content of a class in quantum mechanics according to our official handbook:

• Hamilton-formalism, Poisson bracket
• Schrödinger equation
• Observables and operators
• Eigenvalue problems for operators
• Probability interpretation and uncertainty relations
• One-dimensional problems
• Angular momentum
• Perturbation theory, Fermi's golden rule
• Multiparticle systems, Fermi and Bose commutation rules
• To students with a mathematics background, we recommend part 1 of the book Leon A. Takhtajan: Quantum mechanics for mathematicians, Graduate Studies in Mathematics Volume 95, American Mathematical Society.

It should be noted that without this background knowledge successful participation in a quantum field theory course would be extremely difficult. Additional background knowledge in theoretical electrodynamics and advanced quantum mechanics would be helpful. Most of our local students have taken an advanced class on quantum mechanics as well as a course on theoretical electrodynamics.

Prerequisites in Mathematics:
The content of our four-term class "mathematics for physicists" described below. Additionally, basic knowledge of elementary differential geometry, e.g. some familitarity with the notion of a manifold, and notions of Lie theory would be helpful.

1st Term (8 CP)	2nd Term (8 CP)	3rd Term (8 CP)	4th Term (8 CP advanced mathematics)
Natural, rational, real and complex numbers Vector spaces Convergent sequences and series Systems of linear equations Continuity and differentiability of functions in one variable Integration of functions in one variable	Sequences of functions Hilbert spaces Fourier series Ordinary differential equations Calculus in several variables	Integration in several variables The classical theorems on integration (e.g. Gauss, Stokes) Partial differential equations	Theory of complex functions Linear operators on Hilbert spaces

It should be noted that our course "mathematics for physicists" is not limited to the applications of these topics in physics. It focusses on the mathematical concepts, abstract reasoning and proofs. Familiarity with mathematical reasoning as well as the ability to understand and conduct mathematical proofs are required for successful participation in the mathematics courses of our programme.

Advice regarding visa application

For our international applicants it is strongly recommended to apply for a visa (if needed) very shortly after submitting your application. There is a specific “prospective student visa” which you can apply for when you have not received an admission yet. In general, this will be a faster option than waiting for an admission letter and starting only then with applying for a “student visa”.

Further information can be found on the website of Campus Center and International Office.

Further comments:

• For applicants from outside the EU: if you anticipate problems in obtaining a visa or need our assistance to obtain one, please contact us well in advance. We will assist you, but the necessary procedures can take a lot of time.
• If you have not yet received your bachelor certificate when you apply, please provide an up-to-date transcript of records with grade point average. In that case, please submit your bachelor certificate as soon as possible during the first semester at the latest by March 31 (for admission to a winter semester) or September 30 (for admission to a summer semester).
• If your bachelor degree is neither in physics nor in mathematics, please contact us so that we can consider your case on an individual basis.
• A letter of recommendation from a professor of your home institution can be included in your application. The letter can also be sent from the professor's university email account to studium.math (at) uni-hamburg.de(studium.math"AT"uni-hamburg.de)
• There are semester fees, see the university's information on semester fees.
• Funding: International students are encouraged to apply for grants to the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). The DAAD also runs an extensive database with information on funding opportunities from other organisations. The Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe has scholarships for Master's Students for Scientific Qualification within the Cluster of Excellence Application for Scholarship - Cluster of Excellence Quantum Universe. Participants of the Master programme with a good knowledge of German are encouraged to apply for student jobs, either in computer maintenance (with interaction with users speaking only German, IT-Gruppe Mathematik - only in German) or for teaching undergraduate and service classes (knowledge of German at the level of being able to explain mathematics in German required, contact us).

If you are interested in applying, please feel free to contact us at any time.
Technical support concerning the program's content can be found here.