Modern sources of synchrotron radiation (SR) and neutrons are very powerful tools in a wide range of important research activities, ranging from biology and medicine to solid state physics and micro/nano-technology. This lecture series will provide basic knowledge of the operational principles, control and manipulation of SR and neutron beams and describe their main characteristics. X-ray and neutron optics will be described in detail, explaining basic experimental techniques such as absorption, photoelectron spectroscopy, diffraction analysis and wide/small angle scattering for both beam types. The program also includes future perspectives for new source developments, i.e. X-ray Free Electron Lasers (FEL), Energy-Recovery X-ray Sources and new Neutron Sources. Practical sessions will take place at the BESSY II storage ring in Adlershof and the neutron source at Wannsee, providing students access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and methods.