* Visa/residence permit, Books
Academic Bachelor's degree
GMAT
Motivation and initiative
Academic Referee
In your application, you have to verify your English proficiency. You can do this by providing 1 of the following English proficiency test scores:
TOEFL IBT: a minimum of 92 points overall and a minimum of 22 points for each sub-score (TOEFL institution code: 9011). The TOEFL Home Edition is allowed for the September 2022 intake.
IELTS (Academic test): a minimum of 6.5 overall and a minimum of 6.0 for each sub-score. The IELTS indicator test is not allowed.
Cambridge Assessment English
Certificate in Advanced English: 180 points overall and in each skill or
Certificate of Proficiency in English: 180 points overall and in each skill.
Test scores must also conform to the following guidelines:
Make sure you schedule your English proficiency test before the application deadline.
Test scores received after the application deadline are accepted, as long as your English proficiency test was taken before the application deadline.
Your English proficiency test score cannot be more than 2 years old before the start date of your programme. For example, if you are applying for the September 2022 intake we do not accept English proficiency tests taken before September 2020.
Be sure to plan your test on time; test dates fill quickly and it can take several weeks for you to receive your results. Applications without a sufficient score or with a test date after the application deadline, will not be accepted.
Is GRAPPA in Amsterdam the track for me?
The GRAPPA track is for ambitious students interested in gravitation, astroparticle and particle physics. You are intrigued by both the subatomic scale (e.g. the Standard Model, particle interactions) and the largest scales (e.g. astrophysical objects, the Universe), and are particularly interested in combining the two to address some of the biggest puzzles in science. Furthermore, you:
are interested in fundamental research;
have thorough knowledge of quantum mechanics, calculus and electrodynamics;
have a theoretical or experimental background.
What does Gravitation, Astro-, and Particle Physics in Amsterdam have to offer me?
The GRAPPA track offers a broad curriculum. Members of the research group are theorists and experimentalists, and you will be able to specialise in either theoretical, experimental (astro)particle physics or astrophysics. The curriculum is designed to challenge you and to give you the tools to work on your research topic in your second year. Current GRAPPA research topics include:
Gravitational waves
Collider-based particle physics experiments
Dark matter detection
Multi-messenger techniques (i.e. neutrinos, radio through gamma-ray signatures)
Particle acceleration in astrophysical sources
Cosmology
Beyond the Standard Model physics
GRAPPA staff members are involved with several international research projects, such as:
CERN-based ATLAS and LHCb experiments
KM3NeT neutrino telescope
KamLAND reactor neutrino experiment
XENON dark matter experiment
Cherenkov Telescope Array
VIRGO gravitational wave interferometer
Existing and upcoming astrophysical facilities from the radio waves (e.g. LOFAR) through the X-rays (e.g. Chandra, XMM, LOFT)
More information click :here
Courses
Together with the programme manager, you will tailor an individual course load with a focus on either theoretical physics, particle physics or astrophysics.
GRAPPA has the following compulsory courses, to give you a solid foundation:
General Relativity
Particle Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysics
Particle Physics
GRAPPA student seminar
Academic skills courses
Besides these core courses, 24 EC is reserved for elective courses to allow you to develop your skills for your research project in the second programme year.
The remaining 12 EC you can freely devote to any other courses that interest you (even outside of physics or astronomy), or to make up for deficiencies.
Master's thesis
The second year of the GRAPPA programme focuses on your chosen research project. You will work with one of the academic staff members on a timely and relevant topic, and apply the skills you developed during your courses to work on original research. Topics can range from fairly theoretical (such as cosmology) to experimental (such as building astroparticle physics detectors). Your total thesis work is worth 60 EC.
International experience
Within GRAPPA you can gain international experience in an educational setting, by:
attending the CERN summer-school
doing a project at the La Palma observatory
attending an international school
arranging your own astroparticle physics related international activity.
Graduates of the Master's programme Physics and Astronomy typically pursue careers:
as PhD students at physics and astronomy institutes around the world, progressing from there to careers in academia or industry
in research, within industry (e.g. Philips, Shell, Océ, ASML)
in research, within research institutes (e.g. Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM))
as teachers, within high schools or universities
as (technical) policy officers, within (science-oriented) governmental and non-profit organisations
in business (e.g. ICT companies, telecommunications companies, investment banks, consultancy firms)
as writers, for (science-oriented) media
as entrepreneurs.
Insurance: €420 per year
