Master's in Astrophysics

The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn or, simply, University of Bonn is an elite public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the Rhein-Universität (English: Rhine University) on 18 October 1818 by Frederick William III, as the linear successor of the Kurkölnische Akademie Bonn (English: Academy of the Prince-elector of Cologne) which was founded in 1777. Since 2019, the University of Bonn is one of only 11 German Universities of Excellence and the only German university with six Clusters of Excellence. With a strong record of disciplinary excellence and a number of Transdisciplinary Research Areas, the University of Bonn supports the achievement of excellence - since 1818.

Students in the Astrophysics master’s degree program learn how to approach astrophysical problems and apply research methods to solve these problems, transcending the existing state of knowledge if necessary. Engaging with interdisciplinary questions, students are furthermore enabled to identify cross-disciplinary interrelations, applying research methods and findings in an independent, responsible and self-critical way. In addition to courses covering the (astro)physical properties of the basic elements forming our universe (stars, interstellar medium, galaxies and cosmology), the degree program includes a lab course with experiments on modern questions of physics. The curriculum is complemented by a large variety of electives that cover the entire range of astrophysical research. The focus of these electives is aligned with the work of University of Bonn and Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy researchers, covering star formation, star development, supernovae, compact objects such as microquasars, neutron stars and pulsars, black holes, interstellar medium, star clusters, galaxies, active galactic cores (such as quasars), galaxy clusters, cosmology, large-scale structure of the universe, gravitational lenses and sky surveys in different frequency ranges (radio/X-ray astronomy and optical astronomy). Through the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School, students can also attend courses at the University of Cologne.