Where to apply?

In order to become a student in the International Master's Programme in Geophysics you must

• submit one application with the Geophysics group of the Faculty of Geosciences. This application must be done online through the corresponding application portal of LMU.
• If you are neither a German citizen nor a "Bildungsinländer" (i.e. you hold a bachelor's degree from a German university; master's degrees do not count here!) you must also in parallel direct a second application to the International Office of LMU (deadline also July 15th)

In the following we will describe the details of application #1 (directed to Geophysics) which is required by all applicants. For details on the other application please visit the webpages of the International Office.

Documents Required

Besides completing our online form you must submit the following documents as PDFs:

1. standard CV including all biographical information, complete academic background, professional experience and practical trainings
2. proof of proficiency in the English language (for details see details below)
3. an essay (for details see Essay below)
4. your degree certificates (for details see Degree Certificates below)

Essay

The International Master's Programme in Geophysics of LMU and TUM is a research oriented programme with a strong focus on modelling and simulation. As such we expect our candidates to possess above average skills and knowledge in at least one of the following fields and a sound background in at least one other:

• physics and theoretical geophysics
• mathematics
• simulation and data processing
• tectonics and sedimentology

In your essay please describe in detail

• why and how you meet the above criteria
• what you expect to learn and gain from our programme; present and discuss your academic and career objectives, being as specific as possible with regard to your particular research interests within the field of Geophysics and why you intend to pursue your graduate studies with us
• how this relates to your accomplishments in your previous academic studies

The essay forms an integral part of the evaluation of your application. Thus, it should be well crafted.
Please also note the following:

• The essay must have a length between 700 and 1,000 words.
• All external sources used in its preparation and any ideas by other people must be fully and correctly cited.
• The essay can only be submitted as PDF.

Degree Certificates

As part of your application you need to provide proof that you hold a bachelor's degree or a corresponding equivalent university degree. For this you must submit in a single PDF the following documents

• Degree certificate(s)
• Transcript(s) of Records

Additionally we need

• From German, EU and British applicants: Your Diploma Supplement(s) or, alternatively your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), which incorporates the European Diploma Supplement
• If your degree was issued from a university outside of the European Union, and your transcript of records does not list the grading scheme used, you must supply an official document listing information on the grading scheme that was employed at your university at the time of your studies.
• Applicants from People's Republic of China, Mongolia and Vietnam need to additionally submit the original certificate from the Akademische Prüfstelle (APS) of the respective German Embassy.
• Applicants from India: The German Mission in India recently started requiring APS certificates as part of the documents needed to apply for student VISA. Should you have an APS certificate when applying with us, please upload it as part of your documents. However, this is not mandatory, yet.
  

Please also note the following:

• The requested documents are only needed from institutions of higher education. Please do not upload in our online portal school leaving certificates, etc. These are without any relevance to us.
• Documents must be provided in their original language and additionally as certified translations into either German or English, if this is not their original language.

Proof of Proficiency in the English Language

Candidates for the programme must provide proof of very good mastery of the English language. The required level is C1 (or better) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Preferably this is documented by a standardised test:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• International English Language Testing Service (IELTS)
• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

Alternative proofs may be accepted by the selection committee if a corresponding request is made as part of your online application. Alternatives proof might e.g. be

• a higher education entrance qualification from an institution with English as language of instruction
• a degree from an higher education institution with English as language of instruction
  

A decision on alternative proofs is made on a case-by-case basis. In general a standardised test is preferred.

Decision Process

Each application is evaluated by two members of our selection committee. These will individually grade the application based on the following three criteria:

The points for the three criteria will be summed up and an arithmetic mean of the grades by the two reviewers will be computed. Based on this mean the application is categorised and decided upon:

We will perform an interview with candidates whose application cannot be decided upon by the three criteria above. The interview will be conducted by the two reviewers and will form the basis of the final decision of our selection committee.