Studying accelerator science
New trilateral master's program in physics at Rhine-Main universities — applications now being accepted
01.12.2025 |
This news is based on a press release by Rhine-Main Universities
With the new trilateral master's program “Particle Accelerator Science” the Rhine-Main universities and GSI/FAIR are pooling their expertise in accelerator science, which is unique in Europe. Starting in the summer semester of 2026, students will have access for the first time to a joint, internationally oriented program of study at three locations, covering the entire spectrum of this key technology. The closely interlinked exchange of research, teaching, and large-scale infrastructure creates a qualification profile that is unique in Germany.
The Rhine-Main region is a shining star in the universe of accelerator science. Nowhere else in Germany or Europe can you find such a high concentration of large-scale facilities, research institutions, and universities specializing in this discipline as in the region around Frankfurt, Darmstadt, and Mainz — among them also the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and the future accelerator facility FAIR. “Together, we have unique expertise in accelerators,” says Holger Podlech, professor at the Institute for Applied Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt. In order to combine and coordinate their strengths and create tailor-made training for research and industry, the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) are offering the new trilateral master’s program “Particle Accelerator Science” starting in the summer semester of 2026.
For the first time, students in this international, English-language program will attend lectures, seminars, and internships at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Professor Joachim Enders, experimental physicist at TU Darmstadt, emphasizes that this unique program in accelerator science brings together five departments at three universities in the two federal states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate and is part of the RMU Alliance’s Excellence Initiative.
The initiators and those responsible have spent several years working on the framework conditions and content of the first trilateral master’s program, which also includes cooperation with the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, where currently FAIR is being built, one of the world’s largest accelerator facilities. However, the new master’s students will also be able to conduct research at local accelerator and test units in the respective physics departments of the three RMU universities.
“Together, we offer a much more comprehensive study of accelerator science than any university could achieve on its own,” says Professor Enders, emphasizing the potential of the joint program. The program will teach different perspectives and applications in a very broad and interdisciplinary curriculum that encompasses not only physics, but also engineering aspects such as electrical engineering and materials science. “Our goal,” says Professor Kurt Aulenbacher from the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the University of Mainz, “is to provide students with general knowledge, not just specialized knowledge.”
During the four semesters, students take compulsory and elective courses as well as research and project phases. Credit points must be earned at all three universities. “Those who successfully complete the ‘Particle Accelerator Science’ program will have a triple degree from Frankfurt, Darmstadt, and Mainz. That is unique,” emphasizes Prof. Aulenbacher. Initially, 20 admissions per semester are planned, 40 per year — a personal and intensive degree program. The program is aimed at bachelor’s students at RMU universities, but also at interested students from other universities and international applicants. Registration begins on December 1, 2025, at TU Darmstadt, which is leading the trilateral program starting in April 2026.
The students will be the sought-after specialists of tomorrow. The accelerator community needs young talent. “We don't have enough experts who are knowledgeable in accelerator science,” says Prof. Podlech. The fields of application are diverse: In fundamental research in nuclear and particle physics, accelerators are used to search for the origin of the universe, the Higgs boson, or dark matter, for example. There are also applications in biology, biophysics, and medical technology, and new cancer and tumor therapies or drugs have been developed in this way. With the help of accelerator science, seeds can be freed from harmful germs and X-ray light of incredible brilliance and laser quality can be generated, as well as neutrons, which in materials research enable new materials, welding processes, and fusion materials, among other things. “Accelerator technology can be used for climate research, energy transition, or security tasks. The number of applications is virtually unlimited,” says Professor Podlech. Students of the RMU master’s program, his TU colleague Enders is certain, “will be well trained for research, higher education, or business.” (CP)
Statements on interdisciplinarity
A combination of technology, physics, and engineering expertise
Oliver Boine-Frankenheim, Professor of Accelerator Physics in the Department of Electrical Engineering at TU Darmstadt and Head of Department at the GSI/FAIR large-scale research institute, on the importance of interdisciplinarity
“Accelerator science is an interplay of state-of-the-art methods in physics, engineering, and of the associated high technology. Interdisciplinary collaboration is a defining feature of the new master’s program in Particle Accelerator Science. We deliberately chose to call it Particle Accelerator Science. In addition to physicists, the development, construction, and operation of such high-tech facilities currently require the engineering expertise of graduates in the fields of electrical engineering and IT, computational and mechanical engineering, mechatronics, materials science, and computer science — for example, when special software programs for automation need to be developed.
When it comes to the facilities themselves, the trend is increasingly moving toward more compact, smaller units that save space and energy and are therefore more sustainable. This trend is driven by technical advances, such as the use of high-temperature superconductors or, in the future, possibly the use of plasmas and/or lasers for acceleration. Here, too, the relevance of interdisciplinarity for the development and operation of state-of-the-art accelerators is evident. Without this interdisciplinarity, it is not possible, and the new master program is designed to provide optimal preparation.”
Training the next generation
For Jörg Blaurock, Technical Managing Director of GSI and FAIR, the new master’s program is an important building block for the mega-project of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung.
Jörg Blaurock, Technical Managing Director of GSI and FAIR: “The development and operation of state-of-the-art accelerator facilities is only possible through the interaction of many disciplines – from physics and engineering to computer science. The new “Particle Accelerator Science” master program offered by the Rhine-Main Universities takes precisely this interdisciplinary approach. It is an important building block for the existing GSI accelerator facilities and the mega-construction project FAIR in training the next generation of experts who will advance our research with creative ideas and technical know-how.”
Testimonials
- Jens Braun, Professor of Theoretical Nuclear Physics at the Institute for Nuclear Physics at Technical University of Darmstadt and Vice Chairperson, Academic Affairs, Department of Physics.
The new master’s program in Particle Accelerator Science is important and valuable because...a joint program is more than the sum of the courses and lectures at three universities. It opens up opportunities that we may not even be aware of today. A joint degree program offers mutual exchange and joint supervision of students. It brings the three universities in Darmstadt, Mainz, and Frankfurt even closer together, enabling completely different research projects and a different level of research, including for master’s theses. Students can draw from a much larger pool of teaching and research resources and are part of three universities at the same time. That is new and special. - Wolfgang Gradl, Professor for Experimental Hadron Physics at the Institute for Nuclear Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Dean of Studies, Department of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science.
The new master’s program in Particle Accelerator Science is important and valuable because... accelerators are extremely important for research, medicine, and industry. With the new master’s program, we offer students the unique opportunity to learn about and benefit professionally from electron and ion accelerator technologies. The interaction between the three RMU universities creates ideal conditions for establishing a new community with extensive accelerator knowledge. - Cornelius Krellner, Professor for Experimental Physics at the Faculty for Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt and Dean of Studies, Department of Physics.
The new master's program in Particle Accelerator Science is important and valuable because...it combines a common research focus. Accelerator science plays an important role at all three universities, supported by the research activities at GSI. Students now have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of courses in various areas of accelerator science. Particularly noteworthy is the interdisciplinary approach of the program at the interface between experimental and theoretical physics and engineering sciences. The English-language program is aimed not only at national but also international students and offers an attractive option for those considering studying in Germany.
Further information
