MSc in Optoelectronics and Photonics

In the Master's degree program in Optoelectronics and Photonics, the students acquire a profound knowledge base and skillset in the field of optoelectronics and photonics. The program is set up as an interdisciplinary course program with about equal parts of advanced level (Master level) courses from physics and electrical engineering and information technology. The graduates acquire a profound analytical skillset and the required skills for disciplinary and interdisciplinary work in research and development, with a particular focus on modern optical technologies and optoelectronic information processing. The program is offered entirely in English, no knowledge of German is required, such that our graduates are well prepared for the international job market. Besides lectures and tutorials, the course program contains a significant proportion of hands-on practical courses, including advanced-level lab work as well as numerical modeling on the computer. This way, with a focus on optical technologies, the students acquire the ability to design experiments, analyze their results, and to utilize these to advance future technological development.

Complementing these subject-related qualifications, social skills, an awareness of the responsibility of science and the readiness to adhere to the rules of good scientific practice are acquired. Furthermore, the ability to debate complex scholarly topics and one's own scientific results in relation to the current state of research and to deliver written as well as oral presentations are developed.

In the first year, the program consists of fundamental courses and core subjects, complemented by advanced lab work and general studies in which additional soft skills can be acquired. In the second year, a number of elective courses will be chosen, and, by means of an extended lab project, the students will begin to specialize in a subfield in which later also the Master thesis may be completed. The master’s examination is intended to determine whether the students have mastered the subject’s content and have acquired the systematic overview and methodological tools required for independent scientific or engineering work in the field of optical technologies.

Paderborn University is the University for the Information Society. Our strong foundation in computer science and its applications, as well as the importance of IT for a growing number of disciplines, are the pillars for this claim. But we want to achieve more: we want to contribute to the scientific and technical development of the information society, simultaneously critically reflecting these developments by taking into account the history, norms, and values of our society. To achieve this, we need the spectrum from “hard” sciences to the arts and humanities to complement and learn from each other.

Our mission includes a strong international and cultural presence since the information society is decidedly global and should not remain a purely intellectual undertaking. Our university orchestra, our drama group, and more than 70 different sports are some of the important university activities that help characterize academic life here in Paderborn.

Our five faculties cover a broad range of courses of study in the arts and humanities, business studies, natural sciences, and engineering. We offer 63-degree programs at the bachelor and master level. Additionally, teacher education programs play an important role in Paderborn.

With over 20,300 students, 255 professors, and a library that is open 350 days a year, our compact campus university provides a friendly, green, connected environment with excellent services for student life.

Research at Paderborn University: interdisciplinary, international, application-oriented and innovative

Paderborn University is a young and thriving university that conducts excellent research within five key research areas. A wide range of research activities in all faculties is performed with a high level of interdisciplinarity and internationality. Paderborn University is embedded in an innovative and dynamic business environment in the region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe, which engenders numerous cross-sector collaborations with benefits for researchers and the regional economy.

We emphasize interdisciplinarity, as complex scientific challenges require the collaboration of complementary disciplines. One example is the close link between computer science and engineering, generating common solutions with exploitation potential and real added value in the mechanical-electrical engineering fields. Together with basic research in the natural sciences, such collaborations form an essential basis for shaping the modern information society. Similarly, the analysis and exploration of cultural and economic developments and changes in the information and knowledge society also require interdisciplinary approaches. These questions are addressed in cultural and social sciences as well as economics and have an impact on teacher training and vocational education.

Business

The University of Paderborn is an excellent choice for successful cooperation between industry and a university geared towards innovation. Technology and knowledge transfer have a high priority here. We educate graduates who can inspire your business. Innovative ideas are incubated, promising developments are competently nurtured, and entrepreneurs are led towards successful start-ups.