In the first two semesters, you will attend lectures in physics and electrical engineering as well as practicals in the lab. Most of the courses in this phase of your studies are compulsory to provide you with a broad background. In the second and third semesters, these courses are complemented by elective courses that can be chosen according to your interests and desired specialisation in the field of optical technologies. All lectures are accompanied by practical classes where problems are solved, discussed, and presented by the students. In addition, you will learn to develop a scientific topic based on existing literature and present it to your fellow students in a seminar. Finally, a few courses of general studies can be chosen freely from the university's lecture catalogue. In particular, this includes the possibility to attend German language classes.
In your second year, you will start joining one of the research groups within the departments and work on a supervised individual lab project that may form the basis for your Master's thesis. After completion of the Master's thesis research project, the written thesis will be submitted towards the end of the fourth semester. Subsequently, the thesis work is defended in a colloquium which consists of a presentation followed by questions.

Degree holders have a deep understanding of the fundamentals of optical technologies and have the qualifications for independent scientific work in research and technology. The special expertise in optical technologies and the acquisition of skills in both physics and engineering represent a key advantage for employment in the optics and electronics industry or in academic institutions. The degree also qualifies graduates to enter PhD programmes in Paderborn or elsewhere.

• International guest lecturers