Physics

Career prospects

Our graduates are employed by research institutes like the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). But they also find careers with major multinationals like Shell and Philips, and with telecommunications companies and banks. The public sector likewise offers opportunities, as do software houses and consultancies. If you choose the Research profile, you can become an assistant or trainee researcher at a university and work towards a PhD.

PhD programme 
The four-year PhD programme trains you as an independent researcher. PhD students are employed by the university under a contract which includes agreements about the character and content of their education. The first year is mainly spent complementing your theoretical knowledge and preparing the ground for your research. To obtain your PhD, you must write a thesis.

In addition to those financed by the university, other PhD positions are supported by bodies like the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), as well as various companies and the European Union. 
 
Postgraduate training course for clinical physicists
The Master’s programme in Physics, and the specialization in Biophysics and Physics of Complex Systems in particular, can be organized in such a way that it provides admission to a postgraduate training course for clinical physicists.

A career in teaching
Graduates of the Education profile can pursue a career in teaching. Detailed information about the further study programmes in this sector can be found in the study guide 'Lerarenopleiding Onderwijscentrum VU' available from the CETAR secretariat:

Telephone: +31 (0)20 59 89222
E-mail: onderwijssecretariaat@ond.vu.nl
Website: www.onderwijscentrum.vu.nl