Application procedure

There are three main steps to submit an application to the Master's Program in Geology:

1. Identify which category of applicant you belong to (German, Bildungsinländer, EU, non-EU), and verify that you possess the necessary prerequisites for the program.
2. Gather documentation and scan it.
3. Fill online application and attach documentation (all documents must be pdf only).

Documents Required

1. Standard CV in English, including all biographical information, complete academic background, professional experience and practical training.
2. Proof of proficiency in the English language (for details see Prerequisites).
3. Proof of German A1 level (if available; proof of German knowledge may also be submitted within one year of starting the program).
4. Essay (for details see Essay below).
5. Degree certificates (for details see Degree Certificates below).

Essay

Between 700 and 1,000 words, written in English. 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 accessible to editing tools (i.e, it must not be an image). 

The essay forms an integral part of the evaluation of your application: it should be well crafted and thought-through.

The International Master's Program in Geology is a research-oriented program. As such we expect applicants to possess above average skills and knowledge in at least one of the following fields and a sound background in at least one other:

• stratigraphy
• sedimentology
• tectonics
• structural geology
• petrology and mineralogy
• geochemistry
• resources geology
• geophysics

Applicants are expected to have experience with one or more methods of geological research (e.g., field mapping, microscopy, data processing, analytical techniques, computer modeling and programming) and good spatial skills. They are also expected to be highly proficient in reading and understanding complex texts and sets of instructions, and to be adept at problem-solving.

In your essay:

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

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

Your transcripts must show also that you satisfy the prerequisites concerning previous courses passed (and, if necessary, course syllabi may need to be included, see prerequisites). At the time of application you must have acquired a minimum of 150 ECTS (i.e., the transcripts that you submit must show that 150 ECTS worth of modules have been passed, which is the equivalent of 5 out of 6 semesters of a Bachelor program).

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 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. 
• Letters of reference, internship certificates, etc. are NOT considered. Please do not upload any.
• 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.
• Make sure that all the documents you upload have your family name as the first part of the document name. Example: Your family name is Smith, then your CV should be named smith_CV.pdf
• Documents provided by email/mail or handed in personally will not be taken into account.
• Incomplete applications (with the exception of missing final grade and proof of German proficiency) cannot be processed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to verify completeness before final submission. Applications can be saved as many times as desired before submission.
• If your application is rejected, you can apply again in the next application period. After a second rejection, re-application is no longer allowed.