Please find below the overview of all Astronomy master's courses on offer in 2020-2021.
For a preliminary overview of Astronomy courses on offer in 2021-2022, click here.
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 |
|||
| First Research Project | 30 | ||
| Master's Research Project | 30 | ||
| Astronomy Student Colloquium | - | ||
|
Astronomy Core Courses |
|||
| Interstellar Medium | 6 | ||
| Large Scale Structure and Galaxy Formation | 6 | ||
| Origin and Evolution of the Universe | 6 | ||
| Stellar Structure and Evolution | 6 | ||
|
General Astronomy Courses |
|||
| Galaxies: structure, dynamics and evolution | 6 | ||
| Star and Planet Formation | 6 | ||
| Simulation and Modeling in Astrophysics (AMUSE) | 6 | ||
|
Instrumentation-related Astronomy Courses |
|||
| Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments | 6 | ||
| Detection of Light a | 3 | ||
| Detection of Light b | 3 | ||
| High Contrast Imaging | 3 | ||
|
Specialist Astronomy Courses |
|||
| Exo-planets: Interiors and Atmospheres | 3 | ||
| High-energy Astrophysics | 3 | ||
| Modern Astrostatistics | 3 | ||
| Gravitational Lensing | 3 | ||
| Numerical Recipes for Astrophysics | 6 | ||
| Observational Cosmology | 3 | ||
|
Inter-faculty Electives |
|||
| Science Methodology (SCM) | 4 | ||
| 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.
Career orientation
During the Astronomy master’s education programme, we support you in making choices that are relevant to your future career. You will be stimulated to think about your ambitions and potential and to reflect on how to reach your goals. By actively exploring the possibilities, you enable yourself to make motivated study and career choices.
We organise various activities to help you think about questions like:
What are my strong skills and what skills can I still learn?
In which subjects do I want to specialise?
What subject will I choose for my Master Research Project?
Which electives fit my future ambitions?
Which type of job would I like to do after my Astronomy master’s?
What kind of employer would I like to work for?
Events Click here for the Astronomy career event calendar. This calendar contains an up-to-date overview of all career events relevant to Astronomy master’s students, including:
Intake with the Astronomy Study Advisor
Lectures from alumni
Career Information Meeting Astronomy (CIMAS)
Leiden Observatory Science Day
Company visits, dinners and lectures
Field-specific conferences (Physics@Veldhoven, Fysica, Nederlandse Astronomen Conferentie)
LU Career Zone
The Leiden University Career Zone is a website that offers support to Leiden University students and alumni, both during their studies and career. It offers advice, information and tools, including professional tests to draft your personal profile and job aplication tips.
Soft skills
In the Astronomy course descriptions in this Prospectus, behaviour-oriented skills are listed for each course. Although these soft skills cannot be measured like course objectives, being aware of the skills you acquire is important. They determine how you approach your work and your life and are therefore highly relevant to shaping your study path and future career.
Contact
Questions about your study and/or career path? Make an appointment with the Astronomy Study Advisor.
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