For each of the eight Research Training Areas, there are several core courses (4 hours/ week) with well-defined contents that define the knowledge and skills that any student pursuing advanced work in this area should have. Each course ends with a final exam designed to check that the student has mastered the content of the course at an active working level. All basic courses are taught every year. They will be accompanied by tutorial sessions (2 hours/week) and homework problems.
All BMS courses are part of the official course catalogues of the Mathematics Institutes at Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin. The courses are therefore also open to non-BMS students.
Links to
Description of the Core Courses and of their contents
BMS Core Course Dictionary
Core Courses in the winter semester 2024/25
Advanced Courses in the winter semester 2024/25
Links to
If you wish to have courses from your previous studies recognized as BMS Core Courses, you will need to apply for this within your first semester at BMS.
Please submit your complete application via email to your respective BMS Liaison Officer.
Required documents:
1. Completed form "BMS_Core_Courses_Form_previous_degree.pdf" (may be filled out digitally)
2. Confirmation of equivalence from a BMS lecturer: You will need to contact a BMS Faculty member who teaches the equivalent course, send them your syllabus and ask them to verify the equivalence of the course you took in your previous studies. The BMS lecturer may send their confirmation directly to your BMS Liaison Officer (via email).
3. Transcript of your previous studies which lists the relevant course(s).
4. Plan for your Phase I Courses: You must also submit a list of courses you are planning to take during your Phase I to fulfill the BMS Phase I course requirements. It is possible to later deviate from this plan if your research interests change as long as you keep the BMS Study Regulations in mind.
Regulations on which courses may be recognized:
- Courses must be on a Master's study level.
- Courses must not be a requirement for your previous degree if that degree was basis for your admission to the BMS (e.g. a Bachelor's degree).
Grades from other universities will not be considered when computing the average grade for BMS purposes.
Until the summer semester 2024, the Core Courses were called Basic Courses and the overview was given in the BMS Basic Course Dictionary.
