MSc in Applied Physics
Groningen, Netherlands
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
01 Feb 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 24,200 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Dutch, EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students
** for Non-EU|for EU/EEA EUR 2,530
Introduction
Do you want to contribute to the development of computer devices that operate like a human brain? Design semi-conductor materials for the future's high-efficiency solar cells? Create an anti-icing coating for drones and airplanes? Fabricate materials that transform waste heat into electricity?
Understand why ceramic micro-/nanostructures do not break easily? Make graphene nano-devices for next-generation high-speed electronics?
The Master's degree program in Applied Physics focuses on materials engineering and device physics. It offers an excellent combination of fundamental research on the one hand and an open eye to possible industrial applications on the other. Teaching and research are embedded in the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, which belongs to the best materials research institutes in the world. The international environment of the program, and especially within the research groups, is inspiring and challenging.
The Master's degree program in Applied Physics is open to students who already have a solid background in physics or applied physics, and who are eager to expand their knowledge and skills to obtain a Master's degree in a modern applied physics research environment.
Why study this program in Groningen?
- Awarded 'Top Rated Programme' label (Higher Education Guide 2017)
- Our Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials is ranked high in the world's top 15 materials research institutes by the Times Higher Education
- Gives access to the highly selective HTMS Honours Master
- Specializes in advanced materials at the renowned Zernike Institute, named after our Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Frits Zernike
- Nearly all of our graduates find relevant high-level jobs within 3 months after graduating.
Admissions
Curriculum
2-year program; credits per year: 60 ECTS; most courses are 5 ECTS.
Program options
- General Programme (profile)
- HTSM Honours Master (honors program)
Study abroad
- Study abroad is recommended
- For an average of 20 weeks
- Maximum of 60 EC
Exchange: All our science and engineering programs offer study abroad possibilities at a number of partner institutions. Our partners include top-100 universities in Europe (for example in Germany, UK, and Sweden) and in the USA, China, South-East Asia, and South America. Our exchange programs have a typical duration of one semester and count toward your final degree.
Internship: This program offers you the opportunity to carry out an internship at a company in the Netherlands or abroad. Our choice of industry partners ranges from large multinationals (such as Shell, Philips, Unilever) to dynamic small-medium enterprises in the Groningen area. The internship has a typical duration of 3 to 4 months and counts towards your final degree.
Career Opportunities
Job prospects
The Master's degree program in Applied Physics is primarily meant for students who want to become researchers and developers in an industrial environment. Most of our graduates find immediate employment in the industry, sometimes in the same company where they have done their Industrial Internship.
The alumni in an industry often work as engineers or R&D scientists (ASML, Philips, Lambert Instruments, Thales, etc.) but also in the ICT sector of very different companies, including ABNAMRO, KPN, Deloitte, and others go into consulting (Ecofys, Witteveen & Bos). Next to industry our graduates also often continue on to a Ph.D. project after obtaining their Master's degree, to specialize further in a specific research topic, either in Groningen or elsewhere.
During the Master's degree, teamwork, communication, and presentation are important qualities to be developed. In many cases, considerable IT skills are developed as well. These general competencies, together with the analytical skills typical of researchers, for example, problem-solving abilities, guarantee that graduates are widely employable. Most applied physicists find jobs in an entrepreneurial environment where a strong background in physics is necessary.
Job examples
- R&D in an industrial or entrepreneurial environment
- Ph.D. Research Project
Program Admission Requirements
Show your commitment and readiness for Grad school by taking the GRE - the most broadly accepted exam for graduate programs internationally.