The Leiden master’s programme in Astronomy consists of four research-oriented specialisations and three combined specialisations. Please find below an overview of all Astronomy courses on offer in 2018-2019. For a preliminary overview of Astronomy courses on offer in 2019-2020, click here.
For information on courses and requirements of each specialisation, please follow the links below:
For information on courses and requirements of each specialisation, please follow the links below:
| Course | EC | Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Astronomy Master's Research Projects |
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| First Research Project Astronomy | 30 | ||
| Master's Research Project Astronomy 2 | 30 | ||
|
Astronomy Core Courses |
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| Origin and Evolution of the Universe | 6 | ||
| Stellar Structure and Evolution | 6 | ||
| Large Scale Structure and Galaxy Formation | 6 | ||
|
General Astronomy Courses |
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| Computational Astrophysics | 6 | ||
|
Instrumentation-related Astronomy Courses |
|||
| Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments | 6 | ||
| Radio Astronomy | 6 | ||
| Detection of Light a | 3 | ||
| Detection of Light a + b | 6 | ||
|
Specialist Astronomy Courses |
|||
| Astronomical Spectroscopy | 3 | ||
| High-energy Astrophysics | 3 | ||
| Modern Astrostatistics | 3 | ||
| Numerical Recipes in Astrophysics | 6 | ||
|
Inter-faculty Electives |
|||
| Science and the public: contemporary and historical perspectives | 6 | ||
Level 100
Introductory course, builds upon the level of the final pre-university education examination.
Characteristics: teaching based on material in textbook or syllabus, pedagogically structured, with
practice material and mock examinations; supervised workgroups; emphasis on study material and
examples in lectures.
Level 200
Course of an introductory nature, no specific prior knowledge but experience of independent
study expected.
Characteristics: textbooks or other study material of a more or less introductory nature; lectures, e.g. in
the form of capita selecta; independent study of the material is expected.
Level 300
Advanced course (entry requirement level 100 or 200).
Characteristics: textbooks that have not necessarily been written for educational purposes; independent
study of the examination material; in examinations independent application of the study material to
new problems.
Level 400
Specialised course (entry requirement level 200 or 300).
Characteristics: alongside a textbook, use of specialist literature (scientific articles); assessment in the
form of limited research, a lecture or a written paper. Courses at this level can, to a certain extent, also
be on the master’s curriculum.
Level 500 Course with an academic focus (entry requirement: the student has been admitted to a
master’s programme; preparatory course at level 300 or 400 has been followed).
*Characteristics: *study of advanced specialised scientific literature intended for researchers; focus of the
examination is solving a problem in a lecture and/or paper or own research, following independent
critical assessment of the material.
Level 600
Very specialised course (entry requirement level 400 or 500)
*Characteristics: *current scientific articles; latest scientific developments; independent contribution
(dissertation research) dealing with an as yet unsolved problem, with verbal presentation.
The classification is based on the Framework Document Leiden Register of Study Programmes.
The Astronomy pre-master’s programme is designed specifically to eliminate relatively minor deficiencies in the prior education of applicants lacking specific knowledge or experience required for successful participation in the Astronomy master’s programme.
Click here for more information on the Astronomy pre-master's programme