How to apply

The application period for the 2012/13 academic year will start on September 1, 2011 and end on May 31, 2012. Applicants in need of a scholarship must submit their application by December 31, 2011. After that date BMS scholarships are subject to availability.

Please use our online submission form to apply for the BMS program. Note that in order to access the application form, you have to first register: This is a very simple procedure - see the login form on the main page www.math-berlin.de.

Students wishing to enter Phase I of the BMS are expected to have a bachelor degree or equivalent. Thus, in particular, Berlin mathematics students in their "Hauptstudium" can apply for membership in BMS. For students who are further advanced, part of the Phase I course requirements may be waived. For entering Phase II, students are expected to have a master, a German "Diplom" or an equivalent degree, or to pass the BMS Qualifying Exams. It is not necessary that you have completed your degree by the time you submit your application. You need to have a degree by the time you want to start at BMS! For example, you are pursuing a master degree that will be completed in May. When you submit your application to the BMS in December, you already need to apply for Phase II! If you will have finished your Bachelor degree by October, you are welcome to apply for Phase I even though you currently hold no degree.

The academic calendar at the BMS is in accordance with its three supporting universities (FU, HU, TU):

• winter semester 2012: October 1, 2012 - March 31, 2013
• lectures: mid-October - mid-February
• summer semester 2013: April 1, 2013 - September 30, 2013
• lectures: mid-April - mid-July

Applications submitted by December 31, 2011 will be decided in March 2012. You will receive an e-mail notification about the admission decision by the end of March. Some of the applicants will be invited to attend the BMS Days on February 20 and 21, 2012.

Materials Required to apply:

• Online Application Form
• Personal Statement
• Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
• Two Letters of Recommendation
• Transcripts (pdf)
• Statement of Financial Resources
• Proof of Proficiency in English
• Phase II Applicants only: Research Statement (pdf)

German applicants are allowed to submit their application in German! If your native language is German, your "Abitur" or "Matura" grade of at least "befriedigend" in English will serve as proof of English proficiency. If you cannot submit a copy of your "Abitur" or "Matura" or it does not show a grade for English you will have to submit a result of another English language test.

Criteria for the transition from Phase I to Phase II

Phase I (three to four semesters) leads students from the bachelor to the Qualifying Exam. Students need to achieve an average grade of at least "good" on the German grading scale in their Phase I courses to be allowed to take the Qualifying Exam. Students must pass the Qualifying Exam with at least a grade of "good" to be allowed into Phase II. Successfully passing the Phase I confirms that the student achieved a satisfactory level on which the dissertation can be built. Students are now ready to undertake independent research. Students who are either not admitted to take the Qualifying Exam or received grade of less than "good" are given the chance to do a master. The allocation of scholarships for Phase II is based on the student's performance in Phase I and in the Qualifying Exam. Having had a Phase I scholarship does no guarantee a Phase II scholarship!

www.math-berlin.de/index.php/Applications/»