How to apply
Requirements, Application and Admission
Applicants to the PhD program must hold a Master or Diploma degree in physics, chemical physics, mathematics or informatics. Prior to admission, degrees of fellows from foreign countries have to be certified by the Admissions and Registration Office of the respective university. This is because part of the admission requirements for postgraduate and doctoral studies are largely at the discretion of the individual university departments. Candidates are required to document their proficiency in English.
Bachelors may also apply. They will have to attend a Master's Programme prior/concomitant to their PhD studies. Bachelors must be prepared to apply for separate funding until they have reached their Master's. Bachelors have to register and apply early (see below).
Registration
Prior to preparing the application, all applicants should register by
sending an email to register@qccc.de (subject: "Register for QCCC") in
the following way: please copy the ASCII file directly into your email
and fill in your personal data. Registration is the first step in the
application process. When it has been successfully completed, please
send print copies of all required documents (see below) by air mail to
the coordination office.
Application Form and Documents
After successful registration all necessary data are stored in a data
base. Please mail the following documents to the coordination office to
be received within the deadline:
- completed and signed cover sheet
- a curriculum vitae in short form (CV template)
- official transcripts/ record of study / high school degree
- diplomas, e.g. Master's degree, Diploma, and in single cases Bachelor's degree
- two letters of recommendation by your referees sent directly and cofidentially to the coordination office
- a certificate of proficiency in English (candidates must be fluent in both written and spoken English)
All submitted documents must be in English or in German. Certified copies of documents are not mandatory at the time of submission. However, upon acceptance to the program certified copies of all relevant documents (e.g. diploma, transcripts) must be presented. This can be done, for example, by the dean's or registrar's office of your university, a German embassy or consulate, a branch of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a Goethe Institute, or a public notary.
Please feel free to contact potential thesis supervisors from the list of research group leaders if you have questions regarding possible PhD projects. For administrative questions about your application, stipend, etc., please see FAQ . If this does not answer your problem, feel free to contact the coordinator via e-mail.
Applications are independently reviewed by faculty members of the Excellence Programme. Based on their academic qualification, on their aptitude and motivation for the programme and on letters of recommendation, candidates are selected for personal interviews in Munich. Travel expenses will be covered. Complete applications should be mailed to the coordination office.
The following files are available as pdf-files. To open and read these files you need Adobe Acrobat Reader® 5 or higher. If you have no Acrobat Reader yet, click here to get a free copy.
Further information regarding your application and other issues is summarized in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section. Please have a look at this site before contacting the coordination office with a specific question.