The Faculty of Natural Sciences II – Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) brings together three disciplines under one roof, with Chemistry and Physics each ranked among Germany's top-performing departments in the CHE Hochschulranking. The faculty offers a notably wide portfolio that includes specialist programmes rarely found elsewhere in Germany: Medical Physics as a full consecutive Bachelor–Master track (one of just two universities nationwide offering this), the English-taught Master's in Polymer Materials Science, and a Master's in Renewable Energies combining physical, chemical and economic expertise. All programmes are tuition-free, with studies beginning each October. Research is closely tied to neighbouring institutes — in particular the Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik and the Fraunhofer Institut für Werkstoffmechanik — giving students early access to world-class laboratory environments.
Bachelor programmes at this faculty provide broad, rigorous foundational training designed to prepare students for both industry employment and master's study. Chemistry trains students in preparative, analytical and physico-chemical methods alongside Technical Chemistry, hazardous materials law and toxicology. Physics students choose from several distinct tracks: standard Physics (180 ECTS), Medical Physics, Physics and Digital Technologies (combining physics with IT skills for the growing digitalisation sector), Physics and Nanotechnology (explicitly linked to chip manufacturing and CMOS technology, aligned with the European Chips Act demand surge), and the interdisciplinary Physik Plus (120 ECTS, combining physics with economics or humanities for science-communication careers). Mathematics students may choose between a standard Mathematics degree and Business Mathematics, which dedicates roughly 20% of coursework to economics and includes actuarial mathematics and risk theory. Instruction at bachelor's level is primarily in German.
Master's programmes are research-oriented and allow meaningful specialisation. The Master's in Chemistry offers six specialisation tracks including Environmental Analytics, Macromolecular Chemistry, Biophysical Chemistry and Liquid Crystals. The Master's in Physics focuses on condensed matter with four specialisations: Theoretical Physics, Solid-State and Surface Physics, Physics of Synthetic and Biological Macromolecules, and Photonics and Photovoltaics. The Master's in Medical Physics deepens into Biophysics, Medical Engineering, and Radiation Physics & Dosimetry. The standout English-taught Master's in Polymer Materials Science — reflecting the faculty's core research focus on soft matter and polymers — trains chemists, physicists and engineers jointly in functional materials synthesis and characterisation, preparing graduates for both industry and doctoral study. The Master's in Renewable Energies is interdisciplinary (physics, chemistry, engineering, economics) and includes laboratory placements at MLU and industry partner sites. Most master's programmes (Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Renewable Energies) have no entry restrictions; Polymer Materials Science and Medical Physics operate with a local numerus clausus.
Doctoral candidates can pursue a Dr. rer. nat. (or Dr.-Ing. / Dr. paed.) in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics or adjacent fields. Dissertations are typically completed within one of the faculty's research groups. Structured doctoral training is available through DFG-funded Graduate Schools (Graduiertenkolleg) and Collaborative Research Centres (Sonderforschungsbereiche), as well as the International Max-Planck Research School for the Science and Technology of Nanostructures, jointly run with the neighbouring Max-Planck institute.
According to the CHE Hochschulranking, MLU's Chemistry department is among the best four in Germany and Physics among the best seven — rare peer-reviewed validation that puts this mid-sized university alongside far larger institutions. All programmes across the faculty are tuition-free, making this a highly cost-effective destination for international students comparing EU options against UK or US alternatives.
Research at the faculty is organised around two cross-disciplinary pillars — Materials Science and Life Sciences — that connect all three institutes. Funded activities include two DFG Collaborative Research Centres (SFBs), two state excellence networks (Landesexzellenznetzwerke), a DFG Research Training Group (Graduiertenkolleg), a DFG Research Unit (Forschergruppe), two BMBF Centres for Innovation Competence (ZIKs), and the International Max-Planck Research School for the Science and Technology of Nanostructures.
The primary language of instruction across the faculty is German, and most Bachelor's and Master's programmes require solid German proficiency. The main exception is the Master's in Polymer Materials Science, which is fully English-taught and explicitly designed to attract international applicants from Chemistry, Physics and Materials Engineering backgrounds.
All programmes start in the winter semester (1 October). Admission deadlines for programmes with a local numerus clausus are 31 May (if your school-leaving certificate was issued before 16 January of the application year) or 15 July otherwise. Core Bachelor's programmes in Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Business Mathematics currently have no entry restrictions, simplifying the path for international applicants who meet academic requirements.
The faculty maintains an International Office and coordinates Erasmus exchanges. Doctoral candidates from abroad are specifically supported through a dedicated international doctoral track, and the International Max-Planck Research School for the Science and Technology of Nanostructures provides structured, English-language PhD training in collaboration with the Max-Planck institute. A university-wide StudyPhone advisory line ([email protected]) is available Tuesday–Thursday, 10:00–15:00 for orientation, application and enrolment questions.
The faculty is located on Campus Heide (also called Von-Danckelmann-Platz) in Halle (Saale), a city of approximately 240,000 in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Halle is well connected by train: Leipzig/Halle Airport is approximately 20 minutes away, and Leipzig city centre (with its main rail hub) is about 30 minutes by regional train.
The faculty building itself sits on the Heide campus alongside the Institut für Chemie (Kurt-Mothes-Straße), Institut für Physik (Von-Danckelmann-Platz) and Institut für Mathematik (Theodor-Lieser-Straße). Students in Physics have ready access to the neighbouring Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik — one of the world's leading centres for electron microscopy and surface science — and the Fraunhofer Institut für Werkstoffmechanik for materials testing and research placements.
Halle offers substantially lower living costs than Munich, Hamburg or Berlin, making it an attractive base for self-funded international students.
Address: Von-Danckelmann-Platz 3, 06120 Halle (Saale)
Graduates from Chemistry programmes typically move into the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, food and environmental analysis (particularly those completing the Staatsexamen in Food Chemistry), or academic research via doctoral programmes. The specialisation tracks in Macromolecular Chemistry and Environmental Analytics map directly onto roles in polymer manufacturing, materials testing and regulatory compliance.
Physics graduates — especially those from the Photonics and Photovoltaics and Nanotechnology tracks — are in demand in the semiconductor industry, solar energy sector, medical devices firms, and R&D departments of automotive and electronics manufacturers. The Medical Physics track prepares graduates specifically for roles as medical physicists in clinical or research settings, a regulated profession in growing demand across Europe. The Physics and Digital Technologies programme targets roles at the intersection of IT infrastructure and industrial applications.
Mathematics and Business Mathematics graduates enter financial services (actuarial roles, risk modelling, quantitative analysis), consulting, the insurance sector, and software or data-intensive industries. The IHK Stipendieninitiative creates direct pathways to employers in Saxony-Anhalt's manufacturing and technology sector, with scholarship partners often converting to graduate employment.
→ All German universities offering Naturwissenschaftliche II - Chemie, Physik Mathematik
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