Science Education and Communication

Do you have solid knowledge in one of the sciences, do you enjoy sharing your knowledge, and would you like to deepen your insight in education and communication processes? Then the Master’s programme in Science Education and Communication may be your choice.

In this programme, you will gain theoretical insights and practical skills in both formal and informal educational practices. Your science discipline will be put in a broader societal perspective, and you will develop your own views on how your discipline should be relevant to secondary education and to the public at large. The internships and the research project in science education and communication will support you to develop as a skillful practitioner as well as an innovator.

This two-year programme can be your gateway to careers, such as:

• Teacher in secondary or higher education
• Educational design
• Science writing or editing
• Museum education
• Science education research.

Programme features

A unique feature of the Utrecht SEC programme is the integration of disciplinary knowledge with science teaching and science communication in a single research-oriented Master’s programme. The programme is flexible and allows substantial room for your own choices.

Centre of Expertise in Science and Mathematics Education

The programme is offered by the Graduate School of Teaching, which involves a close collaboration between the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Freudenthal Institute at the Faculty of Science, each bringing their own kinds of expertise.

As a student in this programme, you will conduct your research project at the Freudenthal Institute of Faculty of Science, which is the major national centre in science and mathematics education research.

Share your knowledge and views, make science and mathematics meaningful.

Specialisations

After a partly joint first semester, you will specialise in one of the programme tracks:

• Teacher Degree (in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Computer Science)
• Research and Development in Science Education and Communication

World-class university

Choosing Utrecht University means choosing one of the best universities in the country. Several renowned international rankings place Utrecht University among the 100 best universities in the world, and in a survey among Dutch professors, it was proclaimed the best university in the Netherlands. The teaching environment at Utrecht University is international: half of the Utrecht Master's programmes are taught in English. The existing and former academic staff of Utrecht University include twelve Nobel Prize laureates.

Shanghai ranking: Best university in the Netherlands

Natural Science and Mathematics at Utrecht University are at 53rd place on the Shanghai Ranking. Overall, Utrecht University is ranked as the best university in the Netherlands.

CHE ranking: Top 4 in Europe

Due to high-quality research in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, Utrecht University earned a top position within the prestigious CHE ranking Utrecht University, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, and Cambridge University are the top 4 of Europe's 56 top universities.