Application of multicolor holograms in the lab.
Apply for our next Master's program starting in autumn 2026! The application system is now open.
Application of multicolor holograms in the lab.
Image: Thomas Ernstling/ Gruner & Jahr.

Abbe School of Photonics

  • Master's degree programs

    Explore our master's degree programs, scopes, course schedules, application process and scholarship offerings. Enrolled ASP students will find important information for each semester.

    Gruppenbild Photonics 2022
    Image: ASP
  • Doctoral/PhD program

    The Abbe School of Photonics doctoral program offers complementary educational modules during your doctoral studies, including additional skills training, guest lectures and specialization courses.

    Experimental setup for high harmonics generation.
    Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)
  • At a Glance

    The Abbe School of Photonics (ASP) offers a full-scale academic education in optics and photonics at one of the oldest and most reputable universities in Germany.

    Photonics Laboratory
    Image: MPSP/FSU Jena
  • Events

    ASP and their partners are organizing a thrilling and inspiring program throughout the whole year, including international conferences and workshops, keynote lectures, and research group seminars.

    Laser illumination of the sky over Jena during the Long Night of Sciences 2024.
    Image: Jenoptik AG
  • MSc Photonics Alumni

    Since 2009, more than 500 students successfully graduated in the Photonics Master's programme at ASP.

    Alumni celecbration of the Faculty in 2019.
    Image: Jan Bernert (IAP Jena)

Upcoming events at ASP and partners

  1. Intercultural Training for International Students

    9 s.t. ·
    • Workshop

    Intercultural awareness and strengthening intercultural skills for the German labor market

    • presence
    • barrier-free
    • Subject to registration
    Image: Foto: Lustre Art Group, Una (stock.adobe.com), K. Ulbricht
  2. Three Minute Thesis Competition

    19 s.t. ·
    • Seminar

    In this competition doctoral candidates present their research in three minutes

    • presence
    • public
    Illustration 3MT
    Image: Queen‘s University at Kingston, Canada, 2012
  3. Quantum Ideas Factory 2026

    • Excursion
    • Seminar
    • Workshop

    The Quantum Ideas Factory 2026 – a scientific hackathon in Jena, Germany, where bright minds turn bold ideas into breakthroughs in quantum science and technology.

    • presence
    • public
    • barrier-free
    • Subject to registration
    Participants during the Quantum Ideas Factory 2025.
    Image: rb
All events

Who we are

Holographic setup in the main physics lecture hall

Picture: MPSP.

The Abbe School of Photonics (ASP) offers internationalized education programs with multidisciplinary coverage in the field of optics, photonics and quantum technology. Topics range from current scientific aspects to engineering with product applications possible in major economic sectors, such as information and communication technology, medicine and health, manufacturing, and energy consumption. Enrolled students are trained for positions in the technical industry or in the world of scientific research in higher academia. Our school is part of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Students enrolled in our Master of Science in Photonics or Master of Science in Quantum Science & Technology programs are offered a distinguished education track culminating in a structured doctoral program (equivalent to Ph.D. level). Attractive scholarships are available for high-performance applicants. Likewise, students who are enrolled in a Master of Science in Physics can specialize in optics and photonics by choosing from among all elective modules offered by ASP.

What we do

Front facet of the ACP research building.

Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)

The Master's degree and doctoral programs are based on the profound experience in optics education which distinguishes the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The university has established optics and photonics as one of its key profile fields in education and research. ASP's education programs are embedded in the modern research environment of the Abbe Center of Photonics (ACP). This interfaculty center of the FSU Jena maintains strong bonds with local research institutions, such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringExternal link, the Leibniz Institute of Photonic TechnologyExternal link, and the Helmholtz Institute JenaExternal link, as well as with several prominent industrial partners.

Abbe School of Photonics on social media

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Seven good reasons for Jena

  • Jena is a student city

    External link

    20 % of Jena's citizens are students. They value the city’s modern infrastructure, its diverse student culture, parks and recreation areas, theaters, cinemas, shops, cafés, and restaurants!

    Campus by night
    Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)
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