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Goals of the Master's programme

The Master's programme in Physics and Astronomy has the following general learning outcomes for students:

a. Acquire knowledge, skills and insights in the relevant field of study;
b. Develop academic competences;
c. Prepare for their future career;
d. Strengthen qualifications in the area of independent academic research;
e. With regard to the specialisation Science, Management and Innovation, acquire knowledge, insight and skills in relevant areas of business administration, policy sciences and social beta themes;
f. With regard to the specialisation Science in Society, acquire knowledge, insight and skill in relevant areas of media, knowledge transfer and social interaction;
g. With regard to the specialisation Science and Education, acquire additional teaching competences.

In addition to the general learning outcomes described in Part II of these regulations, the Master’s programme in Physics and Astronomy has the following learning outcomes:

General cognitive skills
1. Graduates will have acquired a way of thinking that will enable them to penetrate and solve problems, while maintaining a critical stance towards established scientific insights.
2. Graduates will be able to formulate and analyse scientific problems at an abstract level by dividing them into testable sub-problems, differentiating between major and minor aspects.
3. Graduates will be able to synthesize solutions to sub-problems within a scientific framework and thus contribute to the formulation of general theories.
4. Graduates will possess mathematical knowledge to the extent that this is relevant in physics and astronomy at the Master’s level.
5. Graduates will possess sufficient skills in the fields of computing and computer science, which will enable them to design and implement computer programs and use current application programs.

Skills based on knowledge and insights pertaining to the fields of physics and astronomy

6. Graduates will have gained adequate knowledge and insights pertaining to the basic sub-areas of physics and astronomy. The scope of this basic knowledge will be sufficient to allow them to do practical training in one of the research groups.
7. Graduates will possess sufficient skills in at least one sub-specialisation of physics and astronomy to conduct scientific research under supervision.
8. Graduates will be able to understand scientific articles on the chosen specialisation. Furthermore, they will be able to follow the developments in the chosen specialisation (level: Physical Review).
9. Graduates will be able to assimilate newly acquired knowledge of physics and astronomy and to integrate this knowledge with the knowledge they already possess. In addition, they will be able to orient themselves at specialist level in a sub-specialisation of physics and astronomy that lies outside the chosen specialisation.

Research methods in physics and astronomy

10. Graduates will be able to find relevant scientific sources relating to physical or astronomical problems that need to be solved.
11. Graduates will be able to formulate new questions and hypotheses in the fields of physics and astronomy, and to select the appropriate pathways and research methods for solving these questions, taking into account the services and means available.
12. Graduates will be able to set up and perform experimental or theoretical scientific research, to systematically process and critically interpret the research results, and to formulate conclusions
General communication skills
13. Graduates will be able to communicate with colleagues in the same discipline about scientific knowledge, both at basic and specialist levels. They will be able to report orally and in writing, and to discuss a scientific topic, in Dutch as well as in English.
14. Graduates will be able to hold an oral presentation and to write a lucid article on the research conducted and modern concepts in physics and astronomy for a general, non-specialist public.


Reflection on society, societal problems and professional career

15. Graduates will have gained sufficient knowledge of and insights into the role of physics and astronomy in society in order to function adequately in their future professions and reflect on societal problems.
16. Graduates will have gained knowledge and acquired skills to compete for professional opportunities after graduation.
Specific skills to be acquired in the specialisations Particle and Astrophysics, Physics of Molecules and Materials, and Neuroscience:
17. Graduates will have a broad and in depth overview of the topic of the Master’s specialisation and profound knowledge of capita selecta in connection to the subject of the Master’s thesis.


Specific skills to be acquired in the specialisation Science in Society (SIS)

18. Graduates will have sufficient knowledge of various theories of communication that will enable them to reflect critically on the literature in the field of communication.
19. Graduates will have gained insight into theories of communication and will be able to put a number of them into practice.
20. Graduates will be able to reflect on the ways in which they put their communication skills into practice, efficiently applying communicative concepts.
21. Graduates will have gained insight into factors that have a positive or negative effect on communication, and will have acquired the skills to identify and influence these factors in concrete communicative situations.
22. Graduates will possess skills in the fields of scientific journalism and technical communication, and knowledge of recent developments in these fields.

Specific skills to be acquired in the specialisation Science for Education

23. Graduates will have sufficient knowledge of various theories of communication that will enable them to reflect critically on the literature in the field of communication.
24. Graduates will have gained insight into theories of communication and will be able to put a number of them into practice.
25. Graduates will be able to reflect on the ways in which they put their teaching skills into practice, efficiently applying educational concepts.
26. Graduates will be able to indicate how scientific analyses and solutions to questions should be applied in concrete curricular and extra-curricular settings.
27. Graduates will be able to guide non-colleagues in mastering and practising the teaching profession.

Specific skills to be acquired in the specialisation Science, Management and Innovation

28. Graduates will have gained an overview of and insight into the various theories in the fields of management science and business administration.
29. Graduates will have sufficient knowledge of these theories to reflect critically on the literature on counselling in these fields.
30. Graduates will have gained insight into the various tools and strategies relating to the diagnosis and analysis of various types of complex management questions in science-related, knowledge-intensive organisations.
31. Graduates will be able to use these tools and strategies in practice and to report on them orally and in writing, effectively applying theoretical concepts from management science and business administration.