Find MSc Programs in Natural Sciences 2019 in Utrecht in Netherlands

Human Geography is a new Master’s program that starts in September 2017. It stems from the former Economic Geography and Urban Geography programs. You can specialize in one of the two fields by choosing a track:

Urban regions are bubbling, dynamic places where people get together and generate new ideas. They are breeding grounds for innovation and economic growth. Many people still move to the city, chasing their dreams: for a challenging career, a pleasant living environment, all the amenities within easy reach. And besides the local residents, large numbers of tourists visit the city seeking an entertaining stay.... [-]

Cities and regions throughout the world face challenges that require integrated knowledge of urban geography, economic geography, international development studies, and planning. In this Research Master’s program in Urban and Economic Geography (previously known as Human Geography and Planning), you will gain a broad theoretical and methodological background that will allow you to become an academic or professional researcher of ongoing social, spatial, and economic developments in cities and regions. You can specialize in your preferred geographic sub-discipline while maintaining a broader perspective on the functioning of cities and regions, as well as the relevant theories and methods.... [-]

The master's program Spatial Planning (previously known as Planologie) trains you to solve conflicting interests on urban land. Many stakeholders have different ideas on how to use land – learn to balance them and find sustainable solutions. As a planner, you are also directly involved in preparing a public policy for sustainable cities. Apply appropriate methods and instruments that contribute to sustainable, smart, and inclusive spatial policy. Learn how to develop innovative concepts and manage complex governance processes for the sustainable use of spatial resources such as land and shape the urban environment of the future.

The program in Utrecht prepares you to approach issues such as facilitating sustainable urban (re)development, finding answers to changing socio-spatial demands (such as demographic or climate change), dealing with complexities of metropolitan areas and real estate development in difficult economic times, or governance of environmental changes in an uncertain climate. Therefore, you will be trained in... [-]

Nanomaterials are essential building blocks that can produce chemicals in an environmentally friendly manner, harvest light to supply energy, and help develop faster computers and better medicines. In this two-year Master’s program, you will gain in-depth knowledge on, and experimental experience with, novel nanomaterials and their synthesis, structure, and applications – for example, as catalysts or in nanophotonics.... [-]

Our Master’s program in Climate Physics offers you a unique combination of theoretical courses and practical training in all aspects of the Earth’s climate. You’ll study physics, dynamics, and chemistry of the atmosphere, oceans, and cryosphere – as well as explore their interactions.

The Dutch Master's Selection Guide (Keuzegids Masters 2017) ranked this program as the best in the field of Physics in the Netherlands.

The two-year Climate Physics program trains you to be a highly skilled researcher by focusing on the fundamental physical processes that make up the Earth’s climate system. The complex nature of the work requires advanced mathematical skills right from the start. You will build on this foundation by adding specialized theoretical, observational, and computational knowledge and skills relating to the atmosphere, meteorology, oceans, cryosphere (ice), and biosphere. Moreover, your instructors will encourage you to develop a critical attitude towards your research results and your underlying assumptions.... [-]

The research Master’s degree program in Theoretical Physics is your gateway to understanding the fascinating world of physics, ranging from the unimaginably small scales of elementary particles to the vast dimensions of our universe. Our highly rated research program will equip you with the knowledge and skills to describe space-time and elementary particles as well as macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in quantum and soft matter.

The Dutch Master's Selection Guide (Keuzegids Masters 2017) ranked this program as the best in the field of Physics in the Netherlands.

The MSc program in Theoretical Physics provides students with a broad overview of methods and topics in theoretical physics and teaches them to work independently in a specific sub-discipline of the field. Students also learn to present and discuss their work both orally and in writing, and to take a critical attitude towards the existing literature.... [-]

What glues a society together? How can trust and cooperation be promoted and conflict be avoided? What is the role of social networks, social norms and formal institutions in these processes? What causes inequality in general and inequality between men and women in the job market in particular? Why do immigrants have higher unemployment rates and lower-paid jobs? How do environments and institutions shape people’s values, attitudes and behaviours? And how do these individuals’ values, attitudes and behaviours shape society at large?

In the Master’s program Sociology and Social Research, you will learn how to answer these questions. We will teach you to develop explanations for relevant social phenomena using state-of-the-art theory from Sociology, but also other disciplines such as Economics and Psychology. You will test these explanations using quantitative empirical research methods.... [-]

Mathematical Sciences has been judged as a 'Top Rated' Master's program by the national Master guide (Keuzegids Masters) of 2018!

This research-oriented Master’s will provide you with a rich toolkit of creative problem-solving skills that will turn you into a desired scientist, both in and outside academia. You will dive deep into mathematics, develop genuine research skills in pure, applied and industrial areas and learn to think out of the box.

This Master's is part of the national Mastermath Program, a collaboration of Dutch Mathematics Departments who joined efforts to enhance their Master's programs. Due to this collaboration, you can benefit from an exceptional list of mathematical courses, offered either by Utrecht University or another Dutch University. Check the courses page for more information and a full overview of the courses you can choose from.... [-]

Seas and oceans play an important role in our day-to-day lives, and over 65% of the world’s population lives or works in coastal areas. Vital for our economy and health – as well as for climate, food, and biodiversity – seas and oceans have immense societal significance. However, the oceans are changing rapidly as human-induced pollution and CO2 emissions lead to warming, acidification, and deoxygenation of seas and oceans. The impact on organisms, ocean chemistry, and currents on short to long timescales is uncertain, affecting ecosystems, but also the economy and policymaking.

As part of your two-year Master’s program in Marine Sciences, you will learn how marine systems and processes operate naturally – and how they change through human intervention. The program offers multidisciplinary cutting-edge knowledge and research in this rapidly developing field.... [-]

The field of experimental physics offers unique scientific and technological challenges. As a student in the Master’s degree program in Experimental Physics, you will learn about the fundamental scientific theories that describe the world around us. You will receive advanced training in the design and use of advanced instrumentation or computer simulations required to study those theories.

The Dutch Master's Selection Guide (Keuzegids Masters 2017) ranked this program as the best in the field of Physics in the Netherlands.

You will gain hands-on experience with the latest technologies in, for example, laser cooling to study Bose-Einstein condensation, novel techniques used to study complex materials down to the (sub)atomic level, and microscopy techniques that allow you to follow biological processes on an nm scale. Hand in hand with these experimental methods, you will also learn to apply advanced data analysis techniques and computer modeling.... [-]

In our Master's program in Earth, Life, and Climate, you will explore the fundamental processes which regulate the past, present, and future dynamics of sedimentary systems, biodiversity, and climate, as well as their evolution. This two-year program will provide you with the knowledge you need to understand climate change and its impact on natural environments such as soils, sediments, lakes, groundwater, wetlands, estuaries, and oceans.

The main topics you will study include the evolution of life, the development of sedimentary basins, carbon sources and sinks, biogeochemical and geochemical fingerprinting of sedimentary processes/environments, and climate reconstruction.

The Master’s program in Earth Surface and Water involves the study of natural and human-induced physical and geochemical processes, patterns, and dynamics of the Earth’s continental and coastal systems. This two-year program provides you with the knowledge that is essential to manage the planet sustainably, guarantee the availability of natural resources for future generations, and understand and avert natural hazards.

The main subject areas you will study consist of the dynamics of coastal and river systems, (geo-)hydrological processes, groundwater remediation, land degradation in drylands and mountainous regions, natural hazards, and delta evolution on centennial and longer timescales.... [-]

In the Master in Earth Structure and Dynamics program, you will explore the composition, structure, and evolution of the Earth’s crust, mantle, and core. During this two-year program, you will learn to link geological, geophysical, geochemical, and geodetic observations made at the Earth’s surface to physical processes operating within the planet.

The program combines geology, geophysics, mathematics, physics, chemistry and field studies to address how the solid Earthworks. It allows you to specialize in virtually any aspect of solid Earth science, ranging from theoretical geophysics to pure geology or geochemistry. Many students choose a combined geology-geophysics focus.... [-]