IMPRS curriculum

The IMPRS EPP offers its PhD students a structured doctoral program. With the IMPRS curriculum, we want to give you the best possible support so that you will be able to bring your doctoral work to a successful conclusion within the specified funding period.

The Advisory Panel System (APS)

Throughout your doctoral work, the Advisory Panel System (APS) ensures that a supervisory group is standing by your side: including your doctoral advisor, your day-to-day supervisor and another scientist who serves as a mentoring external expert.

At least once per year, you will meet with the scientists of the Advisory Panel to review the progress of your doctoral work and discuss open questions or problems. A specific preparatory and follow-up procedure is required for these meetings. The first meeting should take place within the first six months after the doctoral work begins.

Lectures at the Munich universities

We recommend that you attend lectures at the Munich universities. Before the academic term, we will provide notification of lectures that could be relevant for you.

Block courses for theoretical and experimental physics

In addition to the TUM and LMU lecture program, the IMPRS organizes block courses. These take up special topics, which are presented by internationally recognized experts. For IMPRS doctoral candidates, participation in a total of three block courses is compulsory; you are free to make your own proposals for topics and instructors.

Particle Physics School Munich Colloquium

The colloquium takes place every second Friday in the month. Doctoral candidates are expected to present a 30-minute talk about their work once per year.

Young Scientist Workshop

Once a year the IMPRS EPP organizes a week-long summer workshop, which usually takes place at Schloss Ringberg on the Tegernsee. Here the participants present their work. In addition, we invite experts for overview talks as well as IMPRS alumni who speak about their current activities.

Further offerings and activities

Aside from the purely scientific events, the IMPRS EPP organizes German courses (for MPP stutdents only) and “soft-skills” seminars, through which you can for example practice and improve your rhetorical skills.
The Max Planck Instititute for Physics places great importance on the area of press and public relations. We expect you, as doctoral candidates, to take part in these activities – and we welcome your own ideas and suggestions.