Extra opportunities

For students who want to challenge themselves and pursue a combined degree programme, Utrecht University offers an honours programme of 180 EC that covers the full content of both the Mathematical Sciences and Theoretical Physics Master’s programmes within three years.

The honours programme consists of  the Theoretical Physics programme content with an addition of 30 EC of mathematics Master’s courses. It further includes an extended research thesis project of 65 EC (instead of the standard 50 EC) supervised jointly by two staff members, one from the ITP and the other from the Department of Mathematics. In addition, the two secondary electives for the Theoretical Physics program must come from Master-level mathematics courses.

In summary, the 180 EC programma consists of:

• 29.5 EC mandatory physics courses
• 21.5 EC primary elective Theoretical Physics courses
• 64.5 EC master-level math courses
• 65 EC research thesis 

Are you interested in more than one Master’s programme? Do you want to look across boundaries and combine one programme with another? Are you an excellent student and looking for a challenge? In this Honours programme you take two Master’s programmes within the Graduate School of Natural Sciences at the same time. For instance, you could do Theoretical Physics and Computer Science simultaneously, but other combinations are also possible. 

First-year Master’s students of the Utrecht University Graduate School of Natural Sciences (GSNS) or Life Sciences (GSLS) can enroll in the QBio honours programme while continuing their Master’s programme.

During the Graduate Honours Interdisciplinary Seminars (GHIS) you will meet students from other disciplines in a series of small-scale seminars. Under supervision of leading UU researchers you will study socially relevant themes. These research themes vary from privacy and globalization to DNA and complex systems. You follow one seminar per study period and conclude the year with an interdisciplinary group project. 

GHIS is offered in English and available for all Master’s students from the UU.

Young Innovators is an honours programme for curious and involved students that like to commit to challenges about sustainability and societal wellbeing. You’re a changemaker working for and on a better world. Young Innovators allows you to work in interdisciplinary teams on projects that shape social innovation. 

Young Innovators is offered in English and available for all Master’s students from the UU.

In the Leadership Programme you discover what kind of leader you are or want to be. You apply knowledge from different disciplines to real leadership dillemas and get a better understanding about what it means to be a leader in a globalising world. You follow workshops (i.a. public speaking skills, conflict management) taught by experts ranging from UU professors and external lecturers. During the interactive and intimate College Tours you can engage with leaders from different domains in society. You finish the year by working with a leader as part of the Leader to Shadow component. 

The Leadership Programme has both an English and Dutch track and is available for all Master’s students from the UU.