Why studying at KSOP?

The interdisciplinary research structure of KSOP forms the basis for the Master and Ph.D. program. Currently, KSOP encompasses professors from 17 institutes and the four different faculties Physics, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Chemistry and Biosciences, as well as Mechanical Engineering. The research and educational concept have been established to optimally reflect the spirit of multidisciplinary research among scientists and engineers. Therefore, all research areas are strongly interlinked and most institutes feature research projects in more than one of the five research areas.

The excellence university, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is one of the leading technical universities in Germany and Europe. Outstanding rankings and evaluations vouch for the standard of research and education at KIT. The student satisfaction in Karlsruhe is among the top in Germany due to a systematic, balanced curriculum and excellent teaching staff.

Take a look at the rankings here

In 2018 KSOP Coordinator Prof. Dr. Ulrich Lemmer received the honor of the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal for "developing a vision for an international education program in Optics that appreciates its importance as an enabling technology. For successfully establishing the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics."

Award Selection Committee Chair, Andrea Blanco Redondo, University of Sydney, Australia.

Watch KSOP MSc alumna and current PhD student Isabel Allegro speak about Prof. Dr. Ulrichi Lemmer’s achievement here.

Many graduates are keen to enter the German labor market. To facilitate this, the studies include an elaborated industry internship program with partners from the Optics & Photonics industry. Company visits and career events are offered regularly to all students. Furthermore, the industry lecture „Business Innovation in Optics & Photonics“ offers students the opportunity to work in groups to create a new business idea and present it in front of the lecturers, R&D and innovation managers of Carl Zeiss AG.

KSOP is diverse, open-minded and very internationally oriented. Students from all over the world convey an international studying atmosphere to the Master’s program. We have over 900 Master, Ph.D. Students & Alumni from over 70 different countries. KSOP students also have the opportunity to join the worldwide Optica (Formerly OSA) and SPIE network through the OSKar student chapter at KIT. 

OSKar on Facebook

For outstanding students who are among the best 10% students of their class, scholarships are offered. Besides financial support, each scholarship holder receives personal mentoring from an expert of KSOP’s industry partners. The scholarships are sponsored by KSOP’s premium partner companies ZEISS, Bosch and Polytec.

More information on scholarships here

KSOP provides students with support regarding everyday questions with individualized study guidance as well as with a personalized career service. This includes workshops how to apply to German industry, German Business Knigge and interview trainings as well as intercultural trainings and teambuilding. German courses are offered on top to ease your career start in Germany.

Offered German language courses

KSOP offers all in one: Campus accommodations and academics as well as leisure facilities (i.e., a music room) can all be found under one roof.

More information on our campus housing

Karlsruhe, Germany is located in the heart of Europe and offers easy access to mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, castles, skiing and other outdoors sports. A lot of places within Europe, like Paris (2.5 hours), Amsterdam (5.5 hours), London (6 hours) or Prague (7 hours), are comfortable and fast to reach via train.

More information on our location here

For those who would like to continue their careers in research, KSOP established an exclusive Ph.D. Program. KSOP actively promotes the thesis work of its doctoral researchers by dedicated supervision, mentoring, networking as well as scientific and technical training. Concomitantly, KSOP augments the professional skills of its graduates by tailored personal and management training. The MBA Fundamentals Program for KSOP doctoral researchers offers a unique opportunity to gain management expertise while working on the Ph.D.