- English-taught
- Winter semester intake
Optics and Photonics (M.Sc.)
At a glance
- Language
- English-taught
- Duration
- 4 sem 120 ECTS
- Intake
- Winter semester
- Tuition
- €1,500 per semester; see fee notes
- Semester fee
- €201.50
● Closed for this intake Non-EU applicants · Winter semester The window usually repeats next cycle; the full deadline table below shows every route and date.
KIT's signature programme, run by the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics (KSOP) with an explicitly international student body — nothing comparable exists at TU Dortmund, TUM or RWTH. Structure combines compulsory and elective areas with a professional internship and the thesis; KSOP also runs a doctoral programme. A regular KIT programme (NOT part of the fee-based HECTOR School, despite sitting under 'International Schools' in some KIT materials). Based at KIT Campus South (city centre), where most teaching is concentrated.
Admission requirements
- Prior degree
- Bachelor (≥3 years, ≥180 ECTS) in Mechatronics, Computer Science or a substantially equivalent programme; explicitly open to graduates of various disciplines, with adaptation courses to level up differing backgrounds
- Minimum grade
- not confirmed
- English
- IELTS Academic at least 6.5 with no sub-score below 5.5, or TOEFL, CAE, CPE or UNIcert; scores must be sent directly by ETS (institution code B618).
- German
- not required — all courses are held in English
- Also required
- Rolling admission from December to September; non-EU and visa applicants should submit by 15 June. KSOP also hosts the Erasmus Mundus EUROPHOTONICS route, which is one of the confirmed exemption cases from the Baden-Württemberg €1,500 non-EU tuition — check your route before budgeting. EU and non-EU applicants alike apply directly through the KIT Online-Portal of the International Students Office; KIT performs its own foreign-degree equivalence check. No uni-assist, no VPD, no application fee. APS certificate required for applicants from China, Vietnam and India.
Deadlines & timeline
| Who | Intake | Deadline | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-EU applicants | Winter semester | closed for this intake; next cycle usually repeats the same window | Deadline correction: 15 June is the non-EU/visa deadline. Rolling admission runs December to September, but non-EU applicants should submit by 15 June. |
| EU / German-degree applicants | Winter semester | EU and German applicants. The previously published 15 September date applies only to this audience. |
Fees & funding
- Tuition
- €1,500 per semester
- Semester contribution
- €201.50
- Semester ticket
- not included
KIT is a Baden-Württemberg state university. Non-EU/EEA students pay tuition of €1,500/semester IN ADDITION to the semester contribution of €201.50/semester (total €1,701.50/semester for non-EU students). EU/EEA students pay only the semester contribution. The contribution breaks down as €80.00 administrative charge + €109.50 Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe (including student liability insurance) + €12.00 Students Union. The semester ticket is NOT included — only about €17.50 of the Studierendenwerk charge funds a limited off-peak KVV base ticket (weekdays 18:00–06:00, all day at weekends and on public holidays); budget separately for a KVV Studikarte or Deutschlandticket. A second degree costs €650/semester. Source: https://www.sle.kit.edu/english/imstudium/703.php Confirmed exemptions from the Baden-Württemberg €1,500 non-EU tuition: EU/EEA citizens, holders of a German Abitur, Erasmus Mundus / double-degree / EUCOR / cooperation-programme students, doctoral students, Baden-Württemberg-Stiftung scholarship holders, and students grandfathered from before WS 2017/18.
Scholarships are listed per university: see KIT scholarships.
How to apply
- uni-assist
- not required
- Application portal
- bewerbung.studium.kit.edu
- Official page
- www.ksop.kit.edu
EU applicants and holders of German degrees usually apply directly via the university's Campusportal instead of uni-assist; the deadline table above says which route applies to you.
What students say
No credible independent reviews found yet for this programme. We only publish reviews we can source: how we aggregate reviews.
Where graduates go
No alumni outcome data found yet.
External resources
- Official Official programme page (opens in a new tab)
- Official Official programme table — language, NC status, deadlines (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Official Apply via the KIT online portal (no uni-assist) (opens in a new tab)
- Official Official programme page (opens in a new tab)
- Official Application portal (opens in a new tab)
External sites open in a new tab. We link out so you can verify every fact at the source.