Application and Admission

Recruitment Strategy and Process

SAOT recruits national and international students as well as graduates from FAU. The admission of high-level educated international candidates is one of the important features of the SAOT education. This is simplified by using English as working language of the school.

Please submit your application documents (do not send original documents) to saot-administration@fau.de

In order to find out which documents are required, please check which application category applies to you:

SAOT admits excellent graduates in the field of engineering or sciences (especially physics) with an outstanding result in the degree earned (master or diploma or comparable scientific orientated degree). Candidates are invited to apply to the graduate school at any time.

Applicants pick a field of interest out of the four SAOT topics and provide

  1. the application form
  2. a curriculum vitae
  3. copies of academic transcripts of your secondary school, BSc, and MSc grades
  4. copies of your school and university leaving certificates
  5. clear statement of the research area (which must be available at SAOT) in which you would particularly like to work. This statement must include your reasons for the choice with a tentative research proposal; the relationship to your previous studies and experience should be evident. You might also include ideas which of the SAOT Principal Investigators or Associate Investigators would be a suitable supervisor for you.
  6. authenticated translations if the transcripts and certificates are not in English or German
  7. two letters of recommendation from academics

Based on application documents, we extract potential candidates and forward the respective application to PIs/AIs, who –according to the overlap of the scientific interests of the candidate and the PI/AI – could become potential supervisors. If the PI/AI is interested to collaborate with the candidate, the PI/AI will interview the candidate and inform SAOT whether he is willing to supervise the respective candidate and whether he can provide the personal funds for the candidate´s salary on his own, or if he asks for a SAOT scholarship. After having passed this procedure successfully, the candidate will be accepted as a tentative member. How a tentative member becomes a regular member is explained in the Credit Point System (CPS).

The application procedure is likely to take several months, so you are advised to start the process at least half a year before you intend to come to Erlangen. Please expect about two months for the processing of a visa; in some countries three or four months may be necessary.

Applicants pick a field of interest out of the four SAOT topics and provide

  1. the application form
  2. the supervision agreement (please fill electronically)
  3. a curriculum vitae
  4. copies of academic transcripts of your secondary school, BSc, and MSc grades
  5. copies of your school and university leaving certificates

In this case the two letters of recommendation and the personal interview with SAOT examiners are replaced by the commitment of the PI/AI to act as supervisor for the particular DC.

The supervision agreement shall be provided in original form; all other documents in electronic form where possible.

Applicants pick a field of interest out of the six SAOT topics and provide

  1. the application form
  2. supervision agreement (please fill electronically)
  3. a curriculum vitae

For admission the candidates need to find a SAOT PI/AI who agrees to supervise their doctoral thesis.