Application

Requirements

The formal requirement for admission to HEPP is a Master's degree in physics or computer science or a comparable degree in engineering or mathematics.
Applicants are expected to have good oral and written English language skills. Appropriate proof (in the form of a recognised test or certificate) must be submitted with the application documents.
Applicants are asked to provide names and addresses of two referees, e.g. faculty members of the university from which the qualifying degree has been obtained.
These referees may be asked for letters of recommendation concerning the applicant.

Application procedure

In general, no specific doctoral projects are advertised by IPP. Instead, a rolling application procedure has been set up in which application documents can be submitted at any time.
Our supervisors have access to the applicant pool and the corresponding documents and select candidates for their research projects .

For a successful application, it is therefore highly recommended that you first gain an overview of our research projects and scientifiv departments (see links under menu item
"Scientific Program and Curriculum") and point out in your application how your own knowledge and skills would fit in.

The application procedure is as follows:

The candidate fills in the application form (follow the link "Apply now!" on the left side) and uploads available supporting documents (i.e. transcripts, certificates).
The HEPP office checks the documents for completeness and distributes them via an encrypted platform to the currently more than 80 supervisors at IPP and the partner universities.
Supervisors interested in an applicant will directly contact the candidate for additional information or an interview. It is possible that a candidate will receive several offers.
The duration of the application procedure until acceptance or non-acceptance is typically six weeks.
The best time for application is up to three months before completing your master's degree (or equivalent).

Financial Support

PhD students accepted for HEPP are typically awarded with a 3 years PhD contract or a scholarship at IPP or the partner universities.

Doctoral students at IPP generally receive a support contract according to the rules of the Max Planck Society. The Max Planck support contracts allow the scientific freedom of a grant to be combined with the social security of an employment contract. They allow doctoral students to devote themselves to their scientific work independently and without restriction. Payment is based on the Collective Wage Agreement for the Civil Service (TVöD). Doctoral students at IPP receive a salary of 75 percent of pay group 13 of TVöD.