Studying accelerator science
New trilateral master's program in physics at Rhine-Main universities – applications now being accepted
2025/12/01 by Astrid Ludwig
With the new trilateral master's program “Particle Accelerator Science” the Rhine-Main universities are pooling their expertise in accelerator science, which is unique in Europe. Starting in the summer semester of 2026, students will have access for the first time to a joint, internationally oriented program of study at three locations, covering the entire spectrum of this key technology. The closely interlinked exchange of research, teaching, and large-scale infrastructure creates a qualification profile that is unique in Germany.
The Rhine-Main region is a shining star in the universe of accelerator science. Nowhere else in Germany or Europe can you find such a high concentration of large-scale facilities, research institutions, and universities specializing in this discipline as in the region around Frankfurt, Darmstadt, and Mainz. “Together, we have unique expertise in accelerators,” says Holger Podlech, professor at the Institute for Applied Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt. In order to combine and coordinate their strengths and create tailor-made training for research and industry, the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) are offering the new trilateral master’s program “Particle Accelerator Science” starting in the summer semester of 2026.
For the first time, students in this international, English-language program will attend lectures, seminars, and internships at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Joachim Enders, Professor for experimental and technical nuclear physics at TU Darmstadt, emphasizes that this unique program in accelerator science brings together five departments at three universities in the two federal states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate and is part of the RMU Alliance’s Excellence Initiative.
"Particle Accelerator Science“
The initiators and those responsible have spent several years working on the framework conditions and content of the first trilateral master’s program, which also includes cooperation with the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, where currently FAIR is being built, one of the world’s largest accelerator facilities.
However, the new master’s students will also be able to conduct research at local accelerator and test units in the respective physics departments of the three RMU universities. “Together, we offer a much more comprehensive study of accelerator science than any university could achieve on its own,” says Prof. Enders, emphasizing the potential of the joint program. The program will teach different perspectives and applications in a very broad and interdisciplinary curriculum that encompasses not only physics, but also engineering aspects such as electrical engineering and materials science. “Our goal,” says Prof. Kurt Aulenbacher from the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, “is to provide students with general knowledge, not just specialized knowledge.”
During the four semesters, students take compulsory and elective courses as well as research and project phases. Credit points must be earned at all three universities. “Those who successfully complete the ‘Particle Accelerator Science’ program will have a triple degree from Frankfurt, Darmstadt, and Mainz. That is unique,” emphasizes Prof. Aulenbacher.
The new master’s program in Particle Accelerator Science is important and valuable because a joint program is more than the sum of the courses and lectures at three universities. It opens up opportunities that we may not even be aware of today. A joint degree program offers mutual exchange and joint supervision of students. It brings the three universities in Darmstadt, Mainz, and Frankfurt even closer together, enabling completely different research projects and a different level of research, including for master’s theses. Students can draw from a much larger pool of teaching and research resources and are part of three universities at the same time. That is new and special.
Jens Braun, Professor of Theoretical Nuclear Physics at TU Darmstadt and Vice Chairperson, Academic Affairs, Department of Physics.
Initially, 20 admissions per semester are planned, 40 per year — a personal and intensive degree program. The program is aimed at bachelor’s students at RMU universities, but also at interested students from other universities and international applicants. Registration begins on December 1, 2025, at TU Darmstadt, which is leading the trilateral program starting in April 2026.
The students will be the sought-after specialists of tomorrow. The accelerator community needs young talent. “We don't have enough experts who are knowledgeable in accelerator science,” says Prof. Podlech. The fields of application are diverse: In fundamental research in nuclear and particle physics, accelerators are used to search for the origin of the universe, the Higgs boson, or dark matter, for example.
There are also applications in biology, biophysics, and medical technology, and new cancer and tumor therapies or drugs have been developed in this way. With the help of accelerator science, seeds can be freed from harmful germs and X-ray light of incredible brilliance and laser quality can be generated, as well as neutrons, which in materials research enable new materials, welding processes, and fusion materials, among other things.
“Accelerator technology can be used for climate research, energy transition, or security tasks. The number of applications is virtually unlimited,” says Prof. Podlech. Students of the RMU master’s program, his TU colleague Enders is certain, “will be well trained for research, higher education, or business.”
Further comments on the new RMU degree program
The new master’s program in Particle Accelerator Science is important and valuable because… accelerators are extremely important for research, medicine, and industry. With the new master’s program, we offer students the unique opportunity to learn about and benefit professionally from electron and ion accelerator technologies. The interaction between the three RMU universities creates ideal conditions for establishing a new community with extensive accelerator knowledge.
Wolfgang Gradl, Professor for Experimental Hadron Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Dean of Studies, Department of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science.
The new master's program in Particle Accelerator Science is important and valuable because… it combines a common research focus. Accelerator science plays an important role at all three universities, supported by the research activities at GSI. Students now have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of courses in various areas of accelerator science. Particularly noteworthy is the interdisciplinary approach of the program at the interface between experimental and theoretical physics and engineering sciences. The English-language program is aimed not only at national but also international students and offers an attractive option for those considering studying in Germany.
Cornelius Krellner, Professor for Experimental Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt and Dean of Studies, Department of Physics.
Accelerator science is a combination of the most up-to-date methods in physics, the engineering sciences, and the advanced technology associated with them. The collaboration between disciplines is a cornerstone of the new master’s degree program in particle accelerator science, so we have purposely named it this. Because the design, construction, and operation of high-tech facilities of this kind currently requires not only physicists; the engineering skills of graduates in electrical engineering, IT, computational engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, and materials science are crucial, as are computer science skills where special software programs may need to be developed for automation.
The trend regarding the facilities themselves is increasingly towards smaller and more compact units which save space and energy and are thus more sustainable. This trend is being driven by technological advances such as the use of high-temperature superconductors and the possible future use of plasma and/or lasers for acceleration. This once again shows the importance of interdisciplinarity in the development and operation of the most up-to-date accelerators. These developments are simply impossible without interdisciplinarity, and the new degree program is intended to optimally prepare students for these tasks.
Oliver Boine-Frankenheim, Professor of Accelerator Physics at the Department of Electrical Engineering and IT at TU Darmstadt, and Department Head at the GSI/FAIR large-scale research institute, on the importance of interdisciplinarity
The development and operation of state-of-the-art accelerator facilities is only possible through the interaction of many disciplines – from physics and engineering to computer science. The new “Particle Accelerator Science” master program offered by the Rhine-Main Universities takes precisely this interdisciplinary approach. It is an important building block for the existing GSI accelerator facilities and the mega-construction project FAIR in training the next generation of experts who will advance our research with creative ideas and technical know-how.
Jörg Blaurock, Technical Managing Director of GSI and FAIR
