The Mandatory Part aims at gaining advanced knowledge in theoretical physics, profound skills in current experimental techniques and scientific discours. The offered topics in the Mandatory Part are chosen to give preferably good conditions for the areas you can choose in the Specialization Part.

The Mandatory Part consists of one advanced lecture in theoretical physics, and two practical trainings.
 

For Advanced Theoretical Physics you have to attend (at least) one out of the lectures Advanced Quantum Mechanics (summer term) and Advanced Statistical Physics (winter term). This is because the Cologne master program is highly involved with the local research and all research topics rely on one of both. Instead of the Cologne courses you can also choose the corresponding courses from Bonn; this is especially interesting regarding Advanced Quantum Mechanics as the Cologne course is more oriented towards condensed matter theory whereas the Bonn course is more oriented towards particle physics.

You may also attend both courses and use the spare one in the Elective Part.
 

The practical training aims at the development of well-founded skills in scientific work:

• Linking theory, experiment and simulation
• Working with literature and data
• Productive teamwork in heterogeneous groups
• Scientific writing and presentation

This is done in unity with the deepening of physical topics to be chosen by the students.

The Practical Training consists of an Advanced Seminar and two labcourses. The choice of the seminar is independent from the choice of the labcourses.

Students have to give a talk in the seminar (not graded), hand in extensive paper-like labreports for each conducted experiment (not graded) and pass two graded oral exams on the chosen labcourses.

For the advanced seminar you can choose any seminar offered by the Physics Departments of Cologne or is offered by the Physics Department of Bonn or is part of the Quantum Technology focus area in Aachen.

Further seminars can be chosen in the Elective or - if they fit the chosen fiel - as specialzied courses in the Primary or Secondary.

You have to choose 2 out of 6 different lab courses.

The lab courses are done in groups of 2-3 students, which have typically very different skills depending on the different bachelor program they have studied. Thus, it's crucial that the students of a group do not just split up the work among each other, but really meet and do everything together. The goal is not only that the work is done, but that students share the skills they have within the group. So keep in mind:

• It's not about efficiently dividing work among different students, but It's about learning by teaching each other.
• You can register for each lab course as a group; otherwise you will get assigned to other students. The assignment is done with the goal to build maximum heterogenity within the groups.
• You are not only responsible for yourself, but for your whole group! So, don't fade out if you have any problems, but talk with your group. Responsive communication is key in the labcourses.

• for the Lab Courses in Atomic & Molecular, Condensed Matter, and Nuclear Physics a combined online organisational meeting and security briefing will take place on Monday, October 20^th at 14:30 that is mandatory for all students of these courses. Please use the following zoom-link:  Meeting-ID: 931 0151 5247 Code: 443095
• the Lab Course in Biological physics will have its organisational meeting via zoom and security briefing online on Tuesday, October 14^th at 10:00 am
• zoom links for the above video conferences will be sent to all registered students via email.
• for the Lab Course in Computational physics there will be a separate organisational meeting in SR ETP 0.02 on Monday, October 13^th, 2:30 pm that is mandatory for all students who want to register for this course, see website

Every student has to register separately for each of the two lab course topics:

• Registration via the Database October 16^th (Atomic/Molecular, Condensed matter, Nuclear physics, or Particle physics) or October 13^th (Biophysics)
• Mandatory introduction meeting for Computational physics on October 13^th, 2:30 pm in SR ETP 0.02 (new theory building) and registration via ILIAS until October 14^th, 6 pm see website: