Medical Life Science and Technology

This two-year European Master's programme in Materials Science aims to build up a European platform at university level and strongly involving "Large Scale Research Facilities". The Master's degree is awarded by two out of the five partner universities: Rennes 1 (F), Montpellier 2 (F), Torino (I), Technical University Munich (DE), and Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (DE).
Admission criteria are a BSc degree (or equivalent - 180 ECTS) in physics, chemistry, geoscience, or materials science, together with a proficient level of scientific English.
This Master's course of study aims to promote the scientific collaboration between universities, large scale facilities, and industry. Its main objective is to provide skilled scientific and technological manpower in materials science in order to increase the contribution and use of large scale facilities both for industrial and fundamental research. Students will obtain wide background knowledge in exploring materials with neutrons or synchrotron radiation during a summer school lasting two weeks. State-of-the-art experimental beamline set-ups of spectrometers and diffractometers at synchrotron sources, nuclear reactors as well as on spallation sources will be introduced for different applications. Students should be able to choose the right source and instrumentation with respect to resolution, time-scale, and energy needed for a given scientific problem. Students will also be asked to write their own proposal and to conduct an experiment at large scale facilities. Several important European Large Scale Facilities such as FRM II (Munich, Germany), PSI (Switzerland), ESRF and ILL (Grenoble, France), LLB (Saclay, France), and DESY (Hamburg, Germany) strongly support this Master's course of study. They will co-organise the summer school and will host students in the second half of their studies to follow research activities previously agreed between a university professor and scientists from the large scale facilities.

Educational organisation

First year:
The first year consists of lectures, practical classes, and hands-on training sessions yielding 60 ECTS. This part of "Materials Science" teaching will take place at one of the five partner universities: Rennes 1 (F), Montpellier 2 (F), Torino (I), Technical University Munich (DE), and Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (DE).
Before the start of the academic year, all students will gather in Rennes by mid-September to attend the "orientation week". They will be welcomed by the coordinating team, given assistance for the administrative steps to be taken and, last but not least, they will have the opportunity to get to know each other before leaving to attend the university they have selected.

Summer school:
At the end of the first year, all students are expected to participate in a two-week summer school, which offers an excellent introduction to the use of "Large Scale Facilities". The core of the lectures will be given by the five scientists responsible for the Master's course of study in each of the five universities (W. Paulus, C. Lamberti, Ph. Rabiller, W. Petry and W. Schmahl), exhibiting a huge background in this area. Each year, the core lectures will be supported by specific seminars given by other university colleagues and by researchers who come directly from national or European Large Scale Facilities centres.
During these two weeks, the topic of the Master's thesis will be chosen by the student from a list of subjects proposed by the staff of the institutions involved.

Second year:
Each student has to move to one of the other five universities. During the second year, students concentrate on the research project they have chosen. The thesis work itself will take six months (12 months at TUM) and is generally in strong relation to the use of "Large Scale Facilities" for applied or academic research problems.
The research topic can be supervised and located at Large Scale Facilities, but will then be jointly supervised by an adviser of one of the consortium institutions. The research work is finalised by a written dissertation, which must be defended in front of a committee.
European students may write their Master's theses at another partner institution in Japan (Kyoto University, Uji, Yamanashi University), Switzerland (PSI/ETH Zurich), or India (IIT Madras).

Study abroad unit(s)

Students are expected to carry out their studies at two different locations, e.g., Rennes and
Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, or Technical University Munich and University of Torino. LMU and TUM are considered as one location, as are the two French universities.

Forms of assessment

Written and oral exams in accordance with the guidelines of the respective participating
universities and faculties

Course objectives

MaMaSELF aims at teaching the application of "Large Scale Facilities" for the characterisation and development of materials. Modern life and globalisation imply new and additional exigencies for scientists and scientific engineers in the field of scientific and industrial competitiveness. This holds true specifically for the development of new technologies and new materials that are important key products and that contribute to the technological and scientific competitiveness of industrialised countries.
Against the background of the versatile possibilities of the "Large Scale Facilities" involved,
students should learn to decide which method is to be used for which purpose for characterising materials.

Language requirements

TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, CAE, except for applicants who are natives of English-speaking countries and for students educated in English at secondary and/or university level

Academic requirements

A BSc degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent in physics, chemistry, geoscience, or materials science
Selection will be made on a competitive basis; in order to ensure an excellent student/professor ratio, the number of selected students is limited to 20.

Enrolment fees

Approx. 115 EUR per semester
The fee includes a semester ticket covering public transport in Munich.

Costs of living

In order to cover personal expenses while studying in Munich, we recommend a budget of at least 800 EUR per month.

Job opportunities

Due to the intense nature of the programme, students will not have time for jobs.

Arrival support

TUM's International Center offers a special programme tailored for international students, TUMinternational (TUMi). The TUMi programme provides help and advice for new students as well as a cultural programme with events scheduled both prior to and during the academic periods.
The service desk of the Student Service Center is the first contact point for international students. We are here to help you with issues such as applications, enrolment, student ID cards, etc. Furthermore, we offer various three- to six-week summer schools combining academics with a rich menu of educational and social activities as a foretaste of university life. For international students who have been admitted to a degree programme, the Student Service Center offers a four-week pre-study course designed to help you get started at the TUM. Students new to TUM are invited to the service fair "Fit for TUM", which takes place before the semester officially starts, to get an overview of the various offerings of support services at TUM. See: http://www.tum.de/en/studies/international-students/.
Learning German: While the language of instruction for many of TUM's postgraduate programmes is English, learning German and thus being able to participate in daily German life at a deeper level enriches the experience of studying and living in Munich. TUM's Language Centre offers language classes for students at all levels, both prior to and during the semester: See: http://www.sprachenzentrum.tum.de/en/startseite/.

Services and support for international students

In addition to support services offered by TUM International Center and the Student Service Center (SSZ), the faculty also has its own adviser for international students.

Accommodation

It is not easy to find a place to live in Munich - but it is not impossible either! TUM supports students and employees in their search for accommodation, providing personal advice, in-house listings and useful information to ensure that you can quickly find a place to call your own. See: http://www.tum.de/en/university-life/accommodations/.
With high rents and not enough rooms in halls of residence, the Munich rental market is one of the most competitive in Germany - especially for students. The city boasts over 1.4 million inhabitants, with more people moving to Munich every year - many of them attracted by the excellent study opportunities that Munich has to offer.
Student halls of residence usually offer affordable accommodation for students. The Munich Student Union runs most of these halls of residence. For more information, see: http://www.studentenwerk-muenchen.de/en/accommodation/.