Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Master of Science in Physics and Astronomy

3 Minors

• Research (English-taught)
• Economy and Business (English-taught)
• Education (Dutch-taught)

External Mobility

If you choose the Research minor, you will have to take up two External Mobility-courses. These allow you to follow courses at another university or to do an internship at a company or research institution. A combination of courses and internships is also possible. The internship will be assessed through a report and presentation.

The study program focuses on acquiring a thorough knowledge of physics and its methodology, as reflected in problem-posing and problem-solving thinking, conceptualization, and modeling. The goal is to train masters who by virtue of their versatility, scientific approach, and analytical skills are highly valued and hence excellently deployable in scientific research and in many companies where research and development is a core activity. The proposed profession-specific competencies prepare for a career as a researcher, in industry and policy-making, or in education.

1. Competency in the specialty and related sciences

• Apply advanced knowledge of theories, models, areas, methods, techniques, processes, and applications within physics and astronomy to analyze and solve new or complex theoretical or experimental problems.
• Possess the attitude to make use of supporting sciences in professional activities and/or research in an independent and constructive way.
• Investigate and understand the interaction with other relevant science domains and integrate them within the context of more advanced ideas and practical applications.
• Demonstrate profound understanding of the most recent scientific developments of at least one of the aspects of the disciplines present in the program.

2. Scientific competencies

• Develop and carry out problem-orientated and innovative research and criticize the quality of both phases.
• Apply critical consideration of and reflection on known theories, models, and views within physics and astronomy.
• Show creativity to formulate hypotheses and to discover new relationships and formulate an opinion derived from basic data and information which may be limited, incomplete, or contradictory.
• Independently design and execute adequate experiments or simulations and critically evaluate the collected data.
• Collect, register, process, analyze and evaluate in a qualitative and structured way the data collected within a research or problem-solving context.
• Assimilate, analyze, critically evaluate and synthesize information in a structured way from published international scientific literature and complex information sources.
• Be able to deal with changes in conditions or planning of a research process and guide into new directions.

3. Intellectual competency

• Apply independent systematic and critical reflection on personal thinking and functioning, and translate this into well-considered conclusions and improved solutions.
• Demonstrate a professional approach that demonstrates an open-minded attitude to new scientific developments and their applications in a broad scientific, economical or social context.
• Give evidence of actively pursuing permanent knowledge development, lifelong learning, and independent guiding of the personal learning process.
• Build up logical and analytical reasoning within and outside the discipline, and comprehend and critically evaluate complex reasoning in an independent way.
• Demonstrate problem-preventing and problem-solving abilities, and use these in diverse situations or in a non-familiar context.
• Put problems in a broad perspective, and be able to solve them in a more generalized manner.

4. Competency in cooperation and communication

• Present personal research, thoughts, ideas, and opinions or proposals within professional activities in a suitable way, both written and orally.
• Communicate/discuss with specialists and non-specialists about new developments, underlying basic thoughts, opinions, and work hypotheses within the specialty and related science fields.
• Communicate in English about personal findings and research with specialists and non-specialists.
• Depending on the situation, be able to communicate, cooperate and act in an inspiring, supportive, and/or authoritative way.

5. Social competency

• Make connections between physics and astronomy and society, focusing on questions and concerns, necessities, and innovative needs originating from within the society and placing these in an international context.
• Act in an ethical and socially responsible manner.
• Integrate social responsibility and engagement within the professional activity.

6. Profession-specific competency

• Be able to function independently in a broad range of work situations and contribute to research, implement new techniques and ideas for development, and design problem-solving strategies.
• Demonstrate a professional attitude, characterized by enthusiasm, reliability, involvement, precision, accuracy, tenacity, and independence.

After graduation, you can continue your academic career as a PhD researcher.

Graduates in Physics and Astronomy from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have acquired a broad knowledge and easily applicable skills that allow them to land a job in the most diverse sectors. They are highly regarded in all sectors where problem-solving skills, analytical, mathematical, and ICT skills are needed. Did you know physicists are sought-after on the job market? Like in most of Europe, in Belgium physicists are among the 10 highest-paying jobs.

A lot of graduates find a job in scientific research. They work at universities, research institutes and assist in new scientific developments. In industry, physicists are in high demand due to their broad education in modeling, statistics, and informatics. In banking, finance, and pharmaceutics graduates with a degree in Physics work mainly on risk analysis and modeling. Finally, several physicists are also employed in the field of education.

Are you interested in one of our English-taught programmes and want to know more about studying in Brussels at VUB? VUB organises general and programme specific online info sessions. Book your timeslot today!