Erasmus Mundus Joint Master
Advanced Methods in Particle Physics
Enhance Your CV with an International Joint Degree

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Read MoreThe International Master of Advanced Methods in Particle Physics (IMAPP) is a joint degree program (120 ECTS) between the TU Dortmund University, the University of Bologna, and Clermont-Auvergne.
The program addresses students interested in Particle Physics and aims to be leading researchers in the academe or private companies. The degree aligns its program with the job market needs: it offers 36 credits in statistics and artificial intelligence, in the development of detectors and electronics and computer science.
Moreover, 36 credits are devoted to experimental techniques, 18 credits are focused on the theoretical foundations, and 30 credits are reserved for the final research thesis. By studying at three universities at the core of Europe, IMAPP offers a unique mobility experience.
IMAPP Programme
In the first three semesters, the students will attend lectures and lab courses (approx. 30 ECTS per semester) while the final semester is dedicated to the preparation of the research thesis and the final exam. The students will study at each of the universities for one semester as highlighted in the programme overview below:- First semester (September – January): Clermont-Auvergne
- Second semester (mid April – mid July): Dortmund
- Third semester (mid September – end of December): Bologna
- Fourth semester (January – degree): internship in preparation of thesis, final examination. The location can be chosen for the internship, see below for a selection of international laboratories and universities
Study at the heart of Europe
Programme Admission
Pre-registration
Have you not got your bachelor’s degree yet? Are you planning to apply for this master’s programme? Are you still undecided? Have you already started the Admission procedure at TU Dortmund University?
Please fill out the pre-registration form at the following link to help us keep track of the admission procedure and help you in case of doubts and problems. The pre-registration is independent by the admission process and it is for informal purposes only. Please read carefully the admission procedure below for the formal application.
Admission
The admission and enrolment process is carried out by the TU Dortmund University. You can find more details about the relevant deadlines below. Please read the instructions carefully and don’t hesitate to contact info@imapp.eu if you need further information.
Admission requirements
Students’ admission and enrolment will comply with the following requirements:
- a first cycle degree qualification according to the European Qualifications Framework or an equivalent degree qualification in the field of Physics. This requires an examination of equivalence by the Admission Board;
- the qualifying degree has to be passed with an average grade higher or equal to B (or a final grading higher or equal to B) according to the ECTS grading system, corresponding to a grade of up to 2.8 in the German, 84/110 in the Italian, and 14 in the French grading scales;
- valid English language certificate (at least level B2) or an equivalent proof (e.g. native speaker). In case of a missing certificate, an interview will be arranged to assess the English level.
Selected students must comply with the visa and/or residence permit requirements according to the country’s national laws where they run their activities.
These requirements are also detailled in the admission regulations.
Admission procedure and deadlines
The procedure for enrolment depends on what country the Bachelor degree was obtained:
- Bachelor degree obtained in Germany:
- Students can enrol directly at the following link.
- Enrolment for the winter semester is possible from 01.07. to 31.12. of each year.
- Interested students who enrol after 01.09. should contact the head of the study program.
- Bachelor degree obtained in a European country other than Germany:
- Students should first apply to the International Office (EU student).
- Application for the winter semester is possible between 02.01. and 31.12. of each year.
- Interested students who apply or enrol after 01.09. should contact the head of the study program.
- Bachelor degree (or equivalent) obtained outside of Europe:
- Students should apply through uni-assist, which can also be reached through the International Office (non-EU students).
- Application for the winter semester is possible from 02.01. and 15.07 of each year.
A list of documents to be submitted can be found on the International Office pages above. We invite all the students to be prepared with the necessary documents in advance. If you need further information, please contact info@imapp.eu.
For admission to the program, interested students enrol and pay the fee (see below) at TU Dortmund University for each semester (named winter and summer semester) and then register at the University of Bologna and the University of Clermont Auvergne.
Tuition fees
The amount of annual all-inclusive tuition fees is approx. 1940 euro, corresponding to about 970 euro per semester.
The all-inclusive tuition fees for the enrolment in the degree programme are paid by students to TU Dortmund University per semester.
Deadlines for the payment of the tuition fee can be found on the TU Dortmund University website under the following link.
Course Overview
The students attend courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS each semester. The list of compulsory courses at each of the universities can be found below. For each lecture, a unique identifier (IMAPP-XX-YY) is provided. This identifier can be used to find more detailed descriptions of the content and learning outcome of the courses in the handbook.
- – If you started the IMAPP programme in September 2021: https://imapp.eu/imapp-home/imapp-2021-2023/
- – If you started the IMAPP programme in September 2022: https://imapp.eu/imapp-home/imapp-2022-2024/
Compulsory courses | Credits |
---|---|
IMAPP-01-01: Introduction to quantum field theory and gauge theories | 6 ECTS |
IMAPP-01-02: Introduction to particle physics and the experimental foundations of the Standard Model | 9 ECTS |
IMAPP-01-03: Programming and Data Analysis | 6 ECTS |
IMAPP-01-06: Statistics and artificial intelligence | 6 ECTS |
Compulsory courses | Credits |
---|---|
IMAPP-02-01: Model building in particle physics | 6 ECTS |
IMAPP-02-02: Practical aspects of particle physics measurements | 6 ECTS |
IMAPP-02-03: Detector systems in particle and medical physics | 9 ECTS |
IMAPP-02-04: Spring/summer school | 3 ECTS |
Elective courses | Credits | University |
---|---|---|
IMAPP-01-04: Guest lectures on various topics | 3 ECTS | UCA |
IMAPP-01-05: UCA seminar on particle physics | 6 ECTS | UCA |
IMAPP-02-05: Electronics lab course | 6 ECTS | TUDO |
IMAPP-02-06: Modern particle physics | 6 ECTS | TUDO |
IMAPP-02-07: Astroparticle physics | 3 ECTS | TUDO |
IMAPP-02-08: Guest lecture on instrumentation | 3 or 6 ECTS | TUDO |
IMAPP-02-05: TUDO seminar on particle physics | 3 ECTS | TUDO |
Compulsory courses | Credits |
---|---|
IMAPP-03-01: Advanced Standard Model | 6 ECTS |
IMAPP-03-02: Flavour Physics in theory and experiement | 6 ECTS |
IMAPP-03-03: Computer Science for High Energy Physics | 12 ECTS |
IMAPP-03-04: Orientation for scientific research | 6 ECTS |
The fourth semester is dedicated to the internship in preparation for the thesis and the final examination
Compulsory courses | Credits |
---|---|
IMAPP-04-01: Final Examination | 12 ECTS |
IMAPP-04-02 / 03 / 04/ 05: Preparation for the final examination | 18 ECTS |
Documents and examination regulations
- Handbook: detailled description of the IMAPP courses
- Admission regulations: are summarized here
UNIBO | TUDO | UCA | |
---|---|---|---|
Length of oral examinations | 30 minutes | 15-45 minutes | 30 minutes |
Length of written examinations | 1 – 2 hours | 1 – 3 hours | 1 – 2 hours |
Registration for an exam (and cancellation): | with the lecturer | with the lecturer | automatic registration |
Notification about illness | to the lecturer | to the lecturer | to the administrative staff |
Number of trials for an examination | two additional trials | two additional trials | one per session |
Internship in leading laboratories Worldwide

CERN

INFN (Italy)

DESY (Germany)

IN2P3 (France)

Purdue University (West Lafayette, USA)

UNAL (Bogotá, Colombia)

Monash University (Melbourne, Australia)

MIT (Boston, USA)

LIP (Portugal)

HEPHY (Wien, Austria)

Max Plank Institute (Germany)

TRIUMF (CANADA)

BNL (Brookhaven, USA)

Point 8 GmbH (Germany)

E4 Computer Engineering (Italy)

Agaetis (France)
Our Team
The program is run by a highly qualified team of professors and mentors from the TU Dortmund University, the University of Bologna and the University of Clermont Auvergne.
- Prof. Dr. Johannes Albrecht (TU Dortmund University)
- Prof. Angelo Carbone (University of Bologna)
- Prof. Olivier Deschamps (University of Clermont Auvergne)
- Prof. Julien Donini (University of Clermont Auvergne)
- Prof. Dr. Gudrun Hiller (TU Dortmund University)
- Prof. Kevin Kröninger (TU Dortmund University)
- Prof. Fabio Maltoni (University of Bologna)
- Prof. Stephane Monteil (University of Clermont Auvergne)
- Prof. Jean Orloff (University of Clermont Auvergne)
- Prof. Dr. Heinrich Päs (TU Dortmund University)
- Prof. Maximiliano Sioli (University of Bologna)
Accommodation
Information can be found under the following link. The site is in German, with a plug-in for translation.
Further possibilities to find an accommodation in Germany as the student dorms are unfortunately overbooked:
https://wunderflats.com/en
https://dortmundflats.com/apartments.php
https://en.wg-suche.de/flatshare/germany-north-rhine-westphalia-dortmund/apartments-studentapartments-furnished
https://dortmund.homecompany.de/en/search (slightly more expensive)
Scholarship Opportunities Intake 2023/2024
Students can apply for the following scholarships opportunities
Erasmus Mundus
The Erasmus Mundus program provides scholarships for excellent students. The scholarships amount to 1.400 Euro per month for a duration of two years. There are about 18 scholarships per intake (7-8 from program countries, 7-8 from partner countries and 3 per NDICI countries) where a maximum of 10% of the scholarships go to students with the same nationality.
Key dates
- Start of the application period, January 1, 2023.
- Closing of the application period, March 15, 2023.
- Comunication of the preliminary decision about scholarship, April 30, 2023.
Selection procedure
The Selection and Examination Board reviews the applicantions. The Board rates every single eligible application based on the following criteria:
- Academic grades (final bachelor’s degree grade or, if the applicant still needs to graduate, the average marks for examinations taken by the date of the application will be considered ) -> 60 points.
- Motivation letter and CV (a two-page letter that describes why you are the perfect candidate for the EMJM scholarship) -> 20 points.
- Two reference letters -> 20 points. The reference letters must be sent to the following email address reference@imapp.eu by the authors, within the 15 March 2023. The letter, in pdf format and English, must include letterheads of author’s Institution and the signature (both handwritten and electronic signature are accepted).
The Board will prepare a ranked list of selected candidates based on the total number of points obtained. The Selection and Examination Board reserves the right to conduct an interview in case of clarification from the candidates is needed. If the candidate is selected for the scholarship, the official assignment happens only if the admission and enrolment process is completed.
How to apply for a scholarship
If you wish to apply for the scholarship, you need to submit the scholarship application form by clicking below by 15 of March 2023
Any other way will be disregarded. Please note that the admission and enrollment procedures are independent of the EMJM scholarship. We strongly encourage you to apply in parallel for the admission, following the procedure described below
In case you are not awarded a EMJM scholarship, you can proceed to enroll as self-financed student or apply to the additional opportunities reported below.
Please note the different applications periods for German, EU and non-EU students.
Graduate School CAP GS (UCA)
A program promoted by the Graduate School CAP GS (UCA) proposes scholarships for Master students having been accepted in IMAPP, as one of the Master track of the UCA Graduate Track of Mathematics and Physics. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of the academic merit; application from all countries in the world are welcome. The nominal amount of the scholarship is 4000 Euros. You can apply at the following link by the 15th of June.
The Franco-German University scholarships
The Franco-German University offers stipends for participation in the IMAPP program. The stipends will come as monthly allowances of up to 300 Euros for up to 10 months. The support comes with the requirement to enrol at the Franco-Germany University (no fees) and to support the idea of a trinational education including e.g. language courses. The stipends are open to all nationalities. Students interested in this funding will need to contact us before the 15th of September using the following form.
External scholarship Opportunities
IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) Invitation
Erasmus+ scholarships (fourth semester only)
The fourth semester is dedicated to the internship in preparation for the Master’s thesis. Students who would like to work on their Master’s thesis at a university or company in a European country (other than Germany) that participates in the Erasmus+ programme can apply for the Erasmus+ scholarship specifically for internships via the TU Dortmund University.
More details concerning the monthly stipend, application deadlines and other important information can be found on the webpage of the international office of the TU Dortmund University. You can also contact Laura Hope at the international office for more details concerning the scholarships.
Please note that IMAPP students are unfortunately not eligible for Erasmus+ scholarships in the first three semesters of the IMAPP programme.
Funding
The IMAPP program is sponsored by

