The Department of Physics as an institution for scientific research and education relies heavily on youth development. Therefore, High School students and/or prospective University students have the possibility to enroll in programms that are set up to foster talents. For example, particularly talented Highs School students have the possibility to enroll in certain lectures during the last years of their high school education.

For particularly talented and motivated students, the Department of Physics offers an “Honors Track” for Bachelor students.

The goal of the "Honors Track" for Bachelor students is to bring excellent students into contact with cutting-edge research early in their careers. The Honors Track is characterized by participation in one of the physics department's research groups, completion of a research internship, and individual mentoring by a professor. Successful participation in the Honors Track is rewarded with an annual cash award equal to the annual tuition. Successful completion is documented at the end of the bachelor's degree by a special certificate from the Department of Physics.

Students may apply for admission to the Honors Track after the first year of study in the bachelor's degree program in physics. The prerequisite is that students have completed all required courses of the first bachelor's degree year with very good grades. In exceptional cases, first-year students may be admitted directly to the Honors Track: e.g., graduates of a high school course with particularly high grades, winners of high school competitions in physics, etc.

To apply for the Honors Track, an application including a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page), proof of study, high school diploma, and curriculum vitae (maximum 1 page) is required. Applicants should have completed their 2nd semester (exceptional cases warranting early admission should contact the coordinator in advance). Materials should be sent to the program coordinator at any time, but before September 1, in order to be admitted for that fall semester. To ensure that the track is reserved exclusively for excellent students, a grade point average of 5.5 or better in the first year is desirable.

A central component of the Honors Track is a mandatory research internship in one of the physics department's research groups, usually in the 5th or 6th semester. The research internship is worth 8 CP, which are earned in the form of a Learning Contract. In addition, Honors Track students complete all required courses of the Bachelor of Physics, but in a different sequence if necessary.

A central component of the Honors Track is a mandatory research internship in one of the research groups of the Department of Physics, which is usually carried out in the 5th or 6th semester. The research internship is worth 8 CP, which are earned in the form of a Learning Contract. In addition, Honors Track students complete all required courses of the Bachelor of Physics, but in a different sequence if necessary:

• Honors Track students with a special interest in experimental physics complete the required courses in the same order as specified in the standard curriculum. They then complete the research internship in one of the experimental research groups during the 5th and 6th semesters.
• Honors-track students with a special interest in theoretical physics take the compulsory theory lecture "Quantum Mechanics" including the associated exercise already in the 3rd semester and the elective lecture with exercises "Higher Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory" in the 4th semester. Early completion of these theory lectures then prepares these students to do a research internship in one of the theory research groups in the 5th and 6th semesters.

The focus on experimental or theoretical physics in the bachelor's program does not limit the freedom of choice in the subsequent master's program.

Selection Procedure

The application deadline is September 1 of the current year. The applications received are then reviewed by a committee consisting of the Head of the Physics Department, the Chair of the Teaching Committee, and the Program Coordinator, and selected on the basis of grades and other special achievements. Applicants will be informed of the selection process prior to the start of each fall semester. Only a limited number of students can be accepted into the Honours Track program at any one time.

Honors Track Students 2023

Honors Track Students 2022

Honors Track Students 2021

Honors Track Students 2020

Honors Track Students 2019

Honors Track Students 2018