Where should I do my physics course from?

[HououinKyouma]

Hello, I am currently in India and I will start with the final year of school in a month. I want to be a particle physicist and I study physics really hard, even though I don't yet understand the higher math, I try to understand the concept. I wanted to ask where should I get a degree from? My plan uptil now was Germany but I found out that they don't offer a physics course in English at bachelors level. I know german (B1 level, the requirement is B2 level, so I have 1.5 years to complete the requirement so won't be that hard) but a shift of medium would be really hard to get used to and physics is a very technical subject. What should I do? Should I work on mastering the language? or I should do bachelors + masters in India and then PhD from somewhere else? I want to study abroad because of the lack of research opportunities in India. Bachelors is only 3 years in India so it can save me a year and a ton of cash and that I can put towards funding my PhD.

Anyone that was in a similar boat answer me please. Also, how hard is it to do a PhD abroad after completing masters in India?

 

[mfb]

Bremen seems to have an English physics BSc. German BSc programs are typically designed for three years (with 3.5 years being a more common actual study time), MSc programs are two years, and PhD programs are three years - again design values, the average is a bit higher.

Physics doesn't need a large German vocabulary - it is probably easy to pick up the important parts quickly, especially if you need B2 for admission anyway. Having a technical subject is helpful here, studying literature would be much more challenging.

BSc in India and MSc abroad is an option as well, but you would have to check the compatibility of the programs.

Also, how hard is it to do a PhD abroad after completing masters in India?

It is easier with a MSc in the same country where you want to do the PhD (networking, acceptance of the degree by HR, ...), but no matter at which point you move you'll have to see that your previous degree gets accepted. To start a BSc in Germany you'll have to prove that your school education was somewhere at the same level as the German Abitur ("Hochschulzugangsberechtigung" - university admission eligibility).

 

[HououinKyouma]

Bremen seems to have an English physics BSc. German BSc programs are typically designed for three years (with 3.5 years being a more common actual study time), MSc programs are two years, and PhD programs are three years - again design values, the average is a bit higher.

Physics doesn't need a large German vocabulary - it is probably easy to pick up the important parts quickly, especially if you need B2 for admission anyway. Having a technical subject is helpful here, studying literature would be much more challenging.

BSc in India and MSc abroad is an option as well, but you would have to check the compatibility of the programs.It is easier with a MSc in the same country where you want to do the PhD (networking, acceptance of the degree by HR, ...), but no matter at which point you move you'll have to see that your previous degree gets accepted. To start a BSc in Germany you'll have to prove that your school education was somewhere at the same level as the German Abitur ("Hochschulzugangsberechtigung" - university admission eligibility).

Bremen charges a tution fee though. I will work on mastering my German if you say it won't be a problem and then I will try to do BSc from Technical University of Munich. Thanks for the reply. By the way, is TUM a good university for Physics or is there any university that is better?

 

[mfb]

TUM is a very nice university. Muenchen also has various particle physics groups.

Here is a list of German universities and research institutes with particle physics groups. Karlsruhe, Heidelberg and Aachen have strong groups, and a couple of other universities are nice, too. DESY has always been a center for particle physics and it collaborates with the University of Hamburg and the Berlin universities.

Concerning the language: German is my native language so I don't have first-hand experience in that aspect, but I learned English mainly after I left school - from using it at the university, for example. A couple of students from other countries were there, they managed to learn enough German while learning physics. Getting the grammar right in speech is difficult, understanding German is much easier.

 

[HououinKyouma]

TUM is a very nice university. Muenchen also has various particle physics groups.

Here is a list of German universities and research institutes with particle physics groups. Karlsruhe, Heidelberg and Aachen have strong groups, and a couple of other universities are nice, too. DESY has always been a center for particle physics and it collaborates with the University of Hamburg and the Berlin universities.

Concerning the language: German is my native language so I don't have first-hand experience in that aspect, but I learned English mainly after I left school - from using it at the university, for example. A couple of students from other countries were there, they managed to learn enough German while learning physics. Getting the grammar right in speech is difficult, understanding German is much easier.

This might be a bit off topic but since you are German, I wanted to ask you this: I have heard from people (Mainly from my German teacher who first suggested me to go to Germany for studies) that the living costs can easily be handled if you are working part time. Is it really true, granted that I am a man who needs the minimum things to live and keep my spendings minimum? (the cost of living is around 10k Euro per year) or should I take a loan before leaving? or I can try the first year and see if I can and if I can't, my father will fund me for that year and then for the next year I can take a loan? Thanks for the answers!

 

[mfb]

It is possible, but I'm not sure about "easily". Most students don't need loans, but as international student some funding options (especially BAföG) won't be available. Sometimes there are other options, see e.g. http://www.studierendenwerk-hamburg.de/studierendenwerk/en/finanzen/Foerdeung_Studierende_Ausland/foerderung_studenten_aus_ausland.php for Hamburg. With good grades, scholarships are an option.
You have to check the visa regulations and the university regulations to see if/when working part-time is permitted. As far as I can see the usual study visa permits a maximum of 120 full days or 240 half days per year, while typical student jobs at the university are not limited - but universities can have separate limits that can be lower than that.
Funding from your parents will certainly help.

(the cost of living is around 10k Euro per year)

It is possible to live from less, depending on where you are. Munich is the most expensive city in Germany.

 

[HououinKyouma]

Yes, I will be applying for DAAD scholarship. Thanks for the answers!

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