As the physics degree programme is part of the NAWI-Graz project, you can enrol at either Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) or the University of Graz (Uni Graz). You will then be automatically enrolled at the other university as well.

Enrolment takes place at the relevant Academic Affairs Office, and you must bring the following with you:

• Proof of citizenship
• Photo ID
• Original proof of general university entrance qualification

Deadlines and further information can be found on the respective university websites: TU / KFU

The Bachelor’s degree programme in Physics has no entry requirements and no admissions process.

However, there are various ways to prepare for the course. You can find more information on this under the question “How can I prepare for the course?”.

Mathematics presents the biggest hurdle for new students at the start of their degree. The maths curricula of different schools prepare pupils to varying degrees for university study. It is therefore advisable to refresh the maths you have learnt so far, or at least bring your maths skills up to A-level standard.

Both universities offer refresher courses in maths, which are highly recommended. Further information: TU / KFU (Mathematics Bridging Course)

Experimental Physics 1 is suitable for an introduction to the physics covered in the degree programme. The book ‘Experimentalphysik 1: Mechanik und Wärme’ by Wolfgang Demtröder is a useful resource for this. It can be borrowed free of charge from the TU Graz library or downloaded as an e-book.

ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, but is most commonly used as an abbreviation for an ECTS credit. These credits are awarded upon completion of a course (usually after passing an exam), and students must accumulate 180 ECTS credits for a Bachelor’s degree and a further 120 ECTS credits for a Master’s degree.

These credits are intended to represent the workload involved in a course, with 1 ECTS credit equating to 25–30 hours of study.

The first-year students tutorial is organised every year by the Basisgruppe NAWI Physics student group and takes place mainly during the first week of term. First-year students are divided into small groups so they can get to know one another. It also provides an opportunity to make contact with students from higher years, who can offer support as you settle in.

Other features of the first-year students tutorial:

• Networking among students
• Learning together
• Help with starting your studies
• Organising leisure activities together

Although the first-year students tutorial is voluntary, it is strongly recommended to everyone, as it provides great support when starting your studies and is a lot of fun ;)

Studying physics isn't easy, so don't be afraid to speak to your fellow students. They're bound to have just as many questions as you do, and it's easier to figure things out together ;)

The minimum duration of a Bachelor’s degree is 6 semesters, and 4 semesters for a Master’s degree. However, it is common for students to exceed the minimum duration by 2 to 3 semesters.

After the minimum duration of study, every student is entitled to 2 tolerance semesters for the Bachelor’s degree and a further 2 for the Master’s degree, during which they remain exempt from tuition fees. However, this number may vary for financial aid purposes!

The physics degree is a full-time course and therefore takes up a significant amount of time. This varies for each student and is comparable to a 40-hour-a-week job.

Once you have successfully registered and uploaded a photo for your student ID card via the relevant online system (TU / KFU), you can collect it from the relevant Academic Affairs Office.

The Introductory and Orientation Phase, or STEOP for short, is designed to help students find their way around their degree programme and provide an overview of the course. It comprises the following courses:

• Experimental Physics 1: Mechanics and Heat – Lecture (6 ECTS)
• Linear Algebra – Lecture (3 ECTS)
• Experimental Physics 2: Electricity and Optics – Lecture (6 ECTS)
• Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations – Lecture (3 ECTS)
• Introducton to Bachelor Study of Physics – Seminar (0.5 ECTS)

The name ‘STEOP Pool’ comes from the fact that students are free to choose which modules they take for the experimental (Experimental Physics 1: Mechanics and Heat and Experimental Physics 2: Electricity and Optics) and the mathematical (Linear Algebra and Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations) parts of the STEOP. These selected courses should be completed as soon as possible, as in addition to these 9.5 ECTS, only 22 further ECTS can be earned in other courses! After that, you can only register for lectures, but not for courses with integrated examinations!

Before completing the STEOP pool, you can earn a total of 33.5 ECTS credits. This includes the selected 9.5 ECTS credits from the STEOP courses, leaving 22 ECTS credits available for other courses.

It is essential to bear this in mind in the 2nd and 3rd semesters, as it is possible that marks for STEOP courses have not yet been entered, but registering for a practical course could take you over the permitted 22 ECTS!

The following courses are part of the STEOP pool for the Bachelor’s degree in Physics:

• Experimental Physics 1: Mechanics and Heat – Lecture (6 ECTS)
• Linear Algebra – Lecture (3 ECTS)
• Experimental Physics 2: Electricity and Optics – Lecture (6 ECTS)
• Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations – Lecture (3 ECTS)
• Introducton to Bachelor Study of Physics – OL (0.5 ECTS)

The first two courses are only held in the winter semester, although examination dates are also offered in the summer semester. The situation is exactly the opposite for the other two courses. The introductory course also takes place in the summer semester.

As with any other exam, you have five attempts to successfully complete the STEOP exam.

Please note: If you are studying to become a teacher, or are enrolled on another course offered exclusively by the University of Graz, you only have four attempts!

The courses Experimental Physics 1: Mechanics and Heat and Linear Algebra are only held in the winter semester, although examination dates are also offered in the summer semester. In contrast, the courses Experimental Physics 2: Electricity and Optics and Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations are only held in the summer semester, with examination dates in the winter semester. The introductory course in Physics also takes place in the summer semester.

Study materials can be found under the respective course:

• Experimental Physics 1: Mechanics and Heat
• Experimental Physics 2: Electricity and Optics
• Linear Algebra
• Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations

From a legal point of view, there is no problem with starting in the summer semester; however, there are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, the semesters are generally structured sequentially, meaning that many topics covered in the second semester (summer semester) build on mathematical foundations that are taught in the first semester (winter semester). It is therefore important to find out in advance about the necessary foundations. You can do this either by checking the course descriptions on TUGRAZonline or UNIGRAZonline, or by finding out about the BaGru.

Another important point is sitting the STEOP exams, which are also mandatory for lateral entrants. Here, you can either sit exams for winter-semester courses during the summer semester or attend the summer-semester courses. Due to their inherent examination nature, winter-semester practice exams cannot be taken during the summer semester.

The Introducton to Bachelor Study of Physics is also offered in the summer semester. This is highly recommended, as it is one of the STEOP courses and provides an overview of the degree programme. The BaGru chair is usually present and is happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact the BaGru in writing or speak to them in person (just pop in). The lecturers and tutorial leaders are also happy to provide information if you have any questions about exams, exam content, key fundamentals, etc. The only mistake is not asking!

Furthermore, particularly as a student changing disciplines, you can find out in advance about the key subject areas for the winter semester to gain an insight into the methodology and way of thinking of physicists.

As the maths modules in particular build on one another to a very large extent, it does not make sense for students transferring from other disciplines to complete the entire second semester. Listed below are some modules that can be taken with (almost) no prior knowledge.

• Programming in Physics: 5 ECTS lectures
• Introduction to Physical Measurement Methods: 2.5 ECTS lectures
• Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations (only with a good knowledge of differentiation/integration): 3 ECTS lectures, 1.5 ECTS tutorials
• Experimental Physics 2: Electricity, Magnetism and Optics: 6 ECTS lectures, 3 ECTS tutorials

Courses from the specialisation areas to be chosen later can also be taken:

• Geophysics (from General Physics): 3 ECTS lectures, 1.5 ECTS tutorials
• Cryo Technology, Vacuum Technology, and Analysis Methods (from Technical Physics): 4.5 ECTS lectures
• Physical Principles of Materials Science (from Technical Physics): 4.5 ECTS lectures

It should not be forgotten that the STEOP pool should be completed as soon as possible!

It is particularly important for students starting in the summer term to complete the STEOP-pool as soon as possible. In the summer semester, the following courses are offered: Introducton to Bachelor Study of Physics, Experimental Physics 2: Electricity and Optics and Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations; for the other two courses, Lecture: Experimental Physics 1: Mechanics and Heat and Linear Algebra, only examinations will be held.

The two lectures from the winter semester can be studied independently if desired. The relevant materials can be found on our cloud. It may also be useful to look at Differential- and Integral Calculations, as this is required as prior knowledge for Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations.

As long as the STEOP pool has not yet been completed, only 22 ECTS credits can be earned, so it is essential to keep this limit in mind!

Many problems arise simply because students – and even lecturers – are not fully aware of their rights and obligations, or are unaware of them at all. To give you at least a brief insight, the HTU has summarised the most important points concisely in a basics of study law. Most of this information is taken from the University Act (2002 version) and applies largely in the same way at the University of Graz.

In it, you’ll find explanations of, for example, what a lecturer must announce at the start of a course, how often you’re allowed to retake exams, what a panel examination is, when and for how long you’re allowed to inspect your exam papers, and much more. These are all your rights – make sure you exercise them within reason!

If you already have a rough idea of the topic you’d like to write your Bachelor’s thesis on, you can simply contact the relevant professor or lecturer. Links to the faculties at the TU, as well as to the official KFU website, can be found on this page: Links.

There is also the option of attending the so-called department presentation. Here, representatives from the individual faculties outline their current areas of research and present potential topics for Bachelor’s theses. The date for the department presentation can be found on the BaGru noticeboard. Of course, we are also happy to receive enquiries via email. You can also find videos of a digital department presentation here (only in german).

To register for a practical course, you need to sign up via your degree programme’s online campus, i.e. TUGRAZonline or UNIGRAZonline. It is important to note that you should only register at one university; there is no need to register at both! As practical groups usually take place at both universities, the courses will appear in both online systems, but you only need to register for one of them!

An accompanying tutorial is usually listed right next to the lecture. Once you have found the practical, click on the button on the right to register. For large practicals, you will then have the option to enrol in a specific group. In most cases, you will initially be placed on a waiting list. The purpose of this is to allow the tutor to ensure an even distribution across the individual practical groups once all students have registered.

You should pay particular attention to the deadlines, as registration for the practical is usually closed before the first session begins. 

As a general rule, it is always advisable to register for a lecture. This is the only way to gain access to any course materials or to be notified (via email) of any changes to the timing or venue of the lecture sessions. You will also be informed of the exam dates in this way. It also makes the exam registration process quicker. Furthermore, if you have not registered for a particular lecture, you may need to write to the lecturer personally in order to register for the exam.

It also helps the university to adjust the size of the lecture theatre to accommodate the number of participants in advance.

Registration is not compulsory, but it does have many advantages.

There are often various reasons why you might be unable to register for an exam.

For example, if you are not enrolled on a lecture course, you will often be unable to register for its exam. In such cases, however, it is sufficient to write to the lecturer directly and request registration in person. The lecturer must then process your registration, provided there are still places available for the exam.

For practice exams, registration is not required in almost all cases; should this nevertheless be the case, it is best to contact the tutor.

Another situation in which exam registration is not possible is if you exceed the permitted ECTS credits that you would achieve upon passing the exam. This limit generally applies only to those who have not yet passed all STEOP exams. Specifically, no further ECTS credits may be earned beyond the available quota (22 ECTS credits, excluding the ECTS credits awarded for the STEOP exams). Further details can be found in the STEOP section of this FAQ.

First of all, it’s important to note that a Bachelor’s degree in Physics does not necessarily mean you have to choose a Master’s degree in Physics. Many physicists switch to Master’s programmes in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, etc. However, it is important to note that such switches usually require you to catch up on certain modules. The best way to find out about these subjects or any potential credit transfers is to contact the Dean of Studies for the relevant programme.

If you wish to remain in physics for your Master’s degree, there are four programmes to which you are automatically admitted upon completion of your Bachelor’s degree, meaning you do not need to meet any further entry requirements. These programmes are briefly outlined in the following sections.

Further information on the individual programmes can be found in the relevant study plans.

Physics comprises five specialisation areas, from which students can choose one. These five specialisations are:

• Astrophysics deals with the physical structure of our solar system and the universe.
• Atmospheric Physics and Climate focuses on meteorology and climate physics.
• Experimental Physics covers empirical data collection in physics.
• Space Physics and Astronomy combines elements from Astrophysics, Atmospheric Physics and Climate, and the Master’s programme in Space Science and Earth from Space.
• Theoretical and Computational Physics covers the theoretical study of physics. The focus is on simulations.

Of course, there is also the option to tailor your specialisation to your individual interests. In this case, you should find a supervisor who can provide guidance and act as an academic mentor.

The technical physics stream focuses on application-oriented topics. It covers a broad range of subjects, from nano- and quantum materials and the development of complex materials to laser spectroscopy, which is important for researching physical phenomena at the microscopic level. Students also learn how to use computer simulations for fundamental research in materials development.

Advanced Materials Science (AMS) focuses primarily on the properties of materials. This requires a grounding in both physics and chemistry, which students acquire during their studies. The programme also covers a wide range of complex tasks in industry and research:

1. Learning about the manufacture, processing, characterisation, modelling and application of materials.
2. Acquiring the ability to apply complex scientific methods from the fields of physics, chemistry and materials science.
3. Interdisciplinary and solution-oriented collaboration in project teams.
4. Documenting and presenting results and solution strategies using modern communication and presentation techniques. 

There is also the opportunity to specialise in one of the following areas: 

• Metals and Ceramics
• Semiconductor Processing and Nanotechnology
• Biobased Materials

Space Sciences and Earth from Space offers three specialisations:

• Solar System Physics: focuses on the solar system, the planets, and the interaction between solar winds and solar flares
• Satellite Systems: covers the field of satellite communication and navigation, with applications in disaster prevention, crisis management, telemedicine and distance learning
• Earth System from Space:  Observation of the components using modern satellite technologies, and the physical description and numerical modelling of these components. 

Furthermore, Space Sciences and Earth from Space is a course of study that can be pursued by graduates holding a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Geodesy or Physics without having to sit supplementary examinations.