Science Education and Communication

In the classroom... and beyond

As a graduate of the Science Education and Communication programme, your job perspectives may include science and mathematics teacher, educational researcher, staff member at a science museum or as a designer of teaching material. There is a strong need in society for such professionals who can bridge the gap between science and the public, both in formal education, and in informal settings. If you are broadly interested in a variety of science topics, enjoy working with and for other people, and feel an urge to understand the social significance of your field of expertise, then it is worth looking at the details of this programme.

The Master’s programme focuses on three core areas:

• science and mathematics; 
• professional practice in science and mathematics education and communication; and 
• R&D in science and mathematics education and communication.

These components are being offered in a broad study programme, which can be tailored to your individual interests. In all variations of the programme, you will do a professional practice internship and a research project. If you want to obtain a teacher degree, your internship will be at school. For other students, the internship could also be in informal educational settings, such as a science museum. For Dutch students, the internship usually will be in Dutch. If your English language skills meet the requirements of the U-Teach programme (Council of Europe B2/C1 level), you may also apply for an internship in English. Your research project can be either purely on a science topic, or on a science education topic.

Dependent on your specific choices, you may also earn a first-degree teacher qualification in one of the sciences (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, computer science or astronomy).

One year programme or master-minor?

If you already have a MSc in Science or Mathematics, you are eligible for admission to a one-year Educational Master's programme, which also leads to a teacher degree. You will find these programmes under their Dutch names, although all programmes are also available in the English-spoken U-Teach programme:

• Biology: Leraar voorbereidend hoger onderwijs biologie
• Chemistry: Leraar voorbereidend hoger onderwijs scheikunde
• Physics: Leraar voorbereidend hoger onderwijs natuurkunde
• Mathematics: Leraar voorbereidend hoger onderwijs wiskunde
• Astronomy: Leraar voorbereidend hoger onderwijs sterrenkunde

Note that there is no one-year Educational Master's programme in Computer Science. If you already have a MSc in Computer Science and you want to obtain a teacher degree, you may opt for the two-year Master programme Science Education and Communication and request exemption from the first year of the programme.

If you prefer a research programme in science, but you would also like to get a thorough basis in science communication, you may opt for a Communication and Education master-minor, which can be taken as part of several Master’s programmes, or you might include individual courses in your study programme.