Advanced Functional Materials Chemnitz University of Technology

Obligatory courses are held in English. Additional elective courses that are taught in German are available.

The advanced chemical and physical aspects of modern materials and the transfer of skills in synthesis, development, analysis and manufacturing of functional materials are the key issues of the Master's degree programme in Advanced Functional Materials. The interdisciplinary programme is offered by the Faculty of Natural Sciences and is based on courses in materials chemistry and materials physics. The research-oriented extension and intensification of physical and chemical knowledge is completed by advanced courses in modern research fields including the lab-oriented modules, which include a research project and the Master's thesis.

• 15 January for the following summer semester
• 15 July for the following winter semester

Mandatory Basic Modules
The mandatory basic modules (first to third semesters) are taught in English.

• Advanced Concepts in Chemistry and Physics
• Synthetic Methods in Chemistry
• Material Characterisation
• Surfaces, Thin Films and Interfaces
• Sustainable Production Technologies
• Semiconductor Physics – Nano Structures
• Facets of Material Science
• Physics of Solar Cells
• Research project

Soft skills

• "Deutsch als Fremdsprache" (German as a foreign language) I and II (A1/A2)*

*for non-native speakers only

Compulsory Elective Modules (first to third semesters)

The following compulsory elective modules are taught in English (only a selection is shown):

• Materials in Micro and Nano Technologies
• Modern Microscopies
• Complex Materials for Manufacturing
• Surface and Interface Engineering
• Introduction to Magnetic Materials (Magnetism I)
• Methods and Applications of Magnetic Materials (Magnetism II)
• Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Laser Diodes, and Optical Sensor Systems
• Nanophysics – Physics of Mesoscopic Systems
• Physics of 2D Materials
• Aspects of Modern Optics
• Halide Perovskites in Optoelectronics
• Physics of Organic Semiconductors
• Modern Battery Materials
• Flexible Electronics
• Printed Electronics & Special Topics of Functional Printing
• Electroplating and Thermal Coating
• Functional Materials
• Kinetics of Materials
• Polymer Materials
• Colloids & Interfaces
• Colloids & Interfaces lab course
• Circular Economy of Polymers
• Computational Chemistry
• Modern Synthetic Methods and Homogeneous Catalysis
• Molecular Electronics
• Photocatalysis
• Synthesis of Functional Polymers for Energy Conversion and Storage

The following compulsory elective modules are taught in German only (only a selection is shown):

• "Prozesse und Produkte der chemischen Industrie"
• "Heterogene Katalyse"
• "Werkstoffwissenschaft – Strukturbildungsprozesse"

Non-native speakers of English can choose one of the following modules if the "Deutsch als Fremdsprache I" module or the "Deutsch als Fremdsprache II" module have not been attended:

• Englisch in Studien- und Fachkommunikation I
• Englisch in Studien- und Fachkommunikation III

Non-native speakers of German can choose one of the following modules if the "Deutsch als Fremdsprache I" module or the "Deutsch als Fremdsprache II" module have not been attended:

• Deutsch als Fremdsprache III (level B1)
• Deutsch als Fremdsprache IV (level B2)
• Deutsch als Fremdsprache – Fachkommunikation I (level C1)

A summary and detailed information of all elective modules is in the regulations.

No tuition fees

All students have to pay a semester contribution of approx. 330 EUR. This fee also covers the semester ticket, which permits you to use buses and trams in Chemnitz as well as regional trains throughout Germany during the semester. International students will receive the bank account details after admission, with which they can transfer the semester contribution. However, the fee can also be paid after arrival in Chemnitz (by German bank card or transfer).

Approx. 970 EUR per month to cover personal expenses

In general, a university Bachelor's degree in Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science is required.
Degrees from universities other than Chemnitz University of Technology are to be checked by a board of examiners on the basis of the record of study. The applicant is to provide this record of study. The applicants must have basic lab experience.

German:
Courses to obtain the required level of German language (A2 by the end of the third semester) are included within the curriculum for non-native speakers. Students providing a certificate of A2 level (CEFR) may choose advanced language courses or subject studies.

English:

• IELTS 5.5
• TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test): 72 points
• TOEFL ITP Level 1: 543 points
• Cambridge Preliminary English Test + Result Distinction (PET)
• Cambridge First Certificate in English: Grade B or C (FCE)
• Cambridge English: Business Vantage (BEC Vantage), Legal (ILEC), Financial (ICFE)
• Cambridge IGCSE: first or second language with B2
• Pearson PTE Academic: 59 points
• TOEIC: Listening and Reading Test 785 points, Speaking Test 160 points, Writing Test 150 points
• telc B2 certificate
• UNIcert II
• Completed degree in English Studies or American Studies
• Completed degree with English as the language of instruction
• Proof of professional qualification as a state-examined interpreter/translator

Applicants from countries with English as official/educational or native language are not required to submit proof of English language proficiency within their application.

• 15 January for the following summer semester
• 15 July for the following winter semester

Incoming students can apply for different funding opportunities via the International Office of Chemnitz University of Technology: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/international/incoming/stipendien/index.php.en

Students can find offers for part-time jobs, work placements etc. on the job portal offered by the Career Service of Chemnitz University of Technology: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/career-service/jobboerse/

The "Studentenwerk" Chemnitz-Zwickau runs several student residences. International students can apply for a single room in one of the residences. The prices depend on the size and furnishings of the room and vary between 270 EUR and 350 EUR: https://www.swcz.de/en/student-housing/our-halls-of-residence/

The Career Service of Chemnitz University of Technology supports students during their studies as well as graduates entering their professional life. The Career Service provides a platform for companies and institutions to present themselves: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/career-service/index.php.en

Come study in the European Capital of Culture 2025!

Approximately 8,300 students from about 90 countries study at Chemnitz University of Technology in eight faculties and at the Centre for Teacher Education. International students are supported by the International Office.

Due to the reasonably priced dormitory rooms directly on campus, the distances between accommodation, lecture buildings, cafeteria and student clubs are short. So if you feel like studying at a cosmopolitan university, apply to study in Chemnitz.

Chemnitz University of Technology is a cosmopolitan university with strong regional, national and international networks. It is also home to about 2,300 academic and administrative employees. It is thus the third largest university in Saxony. In terms of the proportion of foreign students, Chemnitz University of Technology occupies a top position among state universities nationwide. Chemnitz, the European Capital of Culture 2025, can point to many years of positive development in gross domestic product and a high proportion of highly qualified employees. It also owes this to its university, as Chemnitz University of Technology is the intellectual heart of the city and has developed into an internationally visible research location for future value creation processes and sustainable future security.

The university combines engineering and natural sciences as well as mathematics with humanities, social sciences and economics. At the junctures, unique degree programmes are created alongside pioneering research projects. These include, for example, sensor technology and cognitive psychology, computer science for humanities and social scientists, and the degree programme MINT: Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences with Applications in Technology. As of the 2025/2026 winter semester, the university offers about 100 degree programmes. A particular hallmark is the high degree of interdisciplinarity.

Chemnitz University of Technology considers excellent teaching to be an essential basis for additional lively scientific development of the research landscape as well as for the transfer of new questions, findings and methods to the economy and society. The university has created the necessary framework for this in its "Teaching Mission Statement". Thus, teachers and students jointly shape the teaching and learning conditions at Chemnitz University of Technology in the context of internationality and regionalism. The further development of study programmes is regularly initiated by the TUCpanel student survey as well as by accreditation procedures. This makes student success factors visible, which ultimately helps more students to successfully complete their studies in the standard period of study.

With 32 percent international students and numerous international researchers with cooperative relationships with 120 universities worldwide, Chemnitz University of Technology is one of the most internationally oriented universities in Germany. The university is also part of the Across Alliance. Students can benefit from a wide catalogue of courses offered by eight partner European universities. As a result of numerous exchange programmes, you can meet students from Chemnitz all over the world. It has been pursuing this path for many years with increasing dynamism and at a professional level, as evidenced by the seal of the HRK Re-Audit Internationalisation of Universities.

Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture in 2025 and the third largest city in Saxony, looks back proudly on a history of innovation with which few other cities can hope to compete. With the advent of the industrial revolution, Chemnitz quickly developed into the leading centre of mechanical engineering in Germany. This great tradition has continued uninterrupted to the present day, even through the period in which the city was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt. Today, Chemnitz (population 250,000) is well on its way to becoming one of the most important high-tech locations in Germany. But Chemnitz has much more to offer than just science and technology. Amongst other things, there is the Opera House (built in 1909), the King Albert Museum with its excellent collection of German Expressionist paintings, the Natural History Museum and the German Board Games Museum, the only one of its kind in Germany. And in the Kassberg Quarter, you can see the largest intact area of Art Nouveau architecture in Germany.