The MINT Makerspace Team in the Lichtwerkstatt Jena.

Hands-on! Der MINT Makerspace

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The MINT Makerspace Team in the Lichtwerkstatt Jena.

Image: Christian Helgert

Abbe School of Photonics

Image: ASP

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.
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)

Scholarships available!
Our master's scholarships are based on criteria of academic excellence and are granted for 12 and sometimes even 24 months, thus covering either one year or the entire two-year master's degree adapted to the living expenses in Jena.
Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)

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.
Image: MPSP/FSU 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.
Image: Jenoptik AG

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.
Image: Jan Bernert (IAP Jena)

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

Upcoming events at ASP and partners

Image: Adobe Stock

Artificial Intelligence in Education: Potentials, Risks and Approaches in the Chinese Academic Discourse
8 Dec 2025
13:05 ·
- Seminar
Lunch Talk: Research, Teaching and Academic Life in China
- online
- public
- barrier-free
Image: phys.org

Stress-release structures for erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate
8 Dec 2025
14:00 ·
- Seminar
Research lab presentation by Silvia MENA BARRIENTOS
- presence
- online
- public
- barrier-free
Image: Stock Adobe

First Hands-on Experience with an HPC Cluster
9 Dec 2025
9:00 ·
- Workshop
In this workshop, you will learn how to use high-performance computing (HPC) clusters for your scientific work.
- presence
- public
- barrier-free
- Subject to registration
Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)

Photonic Entanglement: unleashing colour
9 Dec 2025
16:15 ·
- Seminar
PhD Defense by Meritxell Cabrejo Ponce
- presence
- online
- public
- barrier-free
Image: Chair of Business Dynamics, Innovation and Economic Change

Women's Leadership in Business. Insights from Ukraine
10 Dec 2025
8:15 ·
- Seminar
- Workshop
Guest Lecture with Dr. Iryna Tytarchuk
- presence
- Subject to registration
Image: DPG/Ritzkowski 2024

Nobel Prize Evening 2025
11 Dec 2025
18 s.t. ·
- Excursion
Great insights explained simply
- presence
- public
- barrier-free

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.