Curriculum
The programme of Theoretical Physics (120 EC) usually takes two years to complete and consists of four parts:
| Mandatory courses | 25 EC |
|---|---|
| Primary electives | 30 EC |
| Secondary electives | 15 EC |
| Research Project | 50 EC |
Attending 18 Nico van Kampen colloquia, 3 alumni talks, and 1 career event is mandatory.
You can find a complete overview of courses of the programme, with references to the course descriptions in the CoursePlanner.
Mandatory courses
The programme is detailed in the Education and Examinations Regulations (EER). The course Dilemma’s of the Scientist is comprised of two parts, both mandatory. The first takes place during the Graduate School’s Master Introduction (GSNS-INTRO; 0.5 EC), the second comprises to modules (FI-MHPSDIL1+ FI-MHPSDL2) taught in the first and second year of the Master, respectively. All elements together result in 0.5 EC. Details of the content of the courses can be found on Osiris and day-to-day communication with the lecturers typically takes place via Brightspace.
Primary electives
You have to select at least three primary electives, all 7.5 EC, out of the list below (see drop down).
Secondary electives
You can further shape your personal programme by selecting courses offered by any Master's programme within the Graduate School of Natural Sciences. This includes:
- courses from the list of primary electives;
- other mathematics courses with the above boundary conditions, with one exception: no level-3 bachelor courses are allowed as secondary electives;
- courses offered in the Master's programmes:
- Experimental Physics
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- History & Philosophy of Science.
- a profile.
Depending on the choices for the Mathematics course, a student usually will have between 12 EC and 10 EC left to fill out of a total of 18 EC. Note that students following a profile are exempt from taking a mathematics course and typically only have 3 EC of secondary electives. Students are expected to complete a programme of 120 EC in total using the secondary electives, barring special cases such as honours.
Research Project
Before starting the research project, a meeting with the programme coordinator is mandatory to check the (planned) study programme. Students can only start with the research part after approval by the programme director or the programme coordinator. Students who have not obtained strictly more than 50 EC or have not obtained approval by the programme director cannot start their project.
When?
Each year there are two designated periods for conducting a Research Project, either September-June or February-January. Of course earlier versions of (part of) the thesis can be discussed with the supervisor prior to the actual hand-in deadline; this is to be mutually arranged between student and supervisor. In the weeks just before and after these hand-in deadlines, several opportunities for an oral presentation in the ITP will be scheduled, and the thesis will be evaluated and graded within two weeks after the submission deadline, such that graduation is possible at the end of August and January, respectively. Exceptions to this schedule are to be discussed with the study advisor and the thesis supervisor.
Keep the following things in mind:
Course communication
Brightspace and MS Teams are typically used by lecturers to put the course information online just before the start of the course, whenever it is a part of a Utrecht University Master's programme.
Problem class attendance
Most Theoretical Physics (THPH) courses consist of a weekly lecture (2 x 45 minutes) by an Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) staff member and a problem class session (3 hours) supervised by Teaching Assistants (TAs) of the ITP.
These problem class sessions are a service to our students and involve a substantial effort in terms of ITP manpower. It is therefore expected that all students following a course actively participate and (if applicable) sign the attendance list of at least 75% of the sessions; this amounts to being present at least 12 out of the usual 16 weeks. This list will circulate during the first 15 minutes of the problem class session, and signing implies full attendance.
Exceptions are to be discussed with the lecturer in advance. Sanctions for poor attendance, at the discretion of the responsible lecturer, will be communicated at the beginning of the course. Active participation to the problem class sessions can be a necessary condition for access to the final exam.
Colloquium attendance
The ITF organises a biweekly 'Nico van Kampen Colloquium'. This is a key ingredient of the THPH programme, in which students are exposed to the full breadth of (theoretical) physics through talks by leading researchers in their respective fields.
To qualify for a Master’s degree, THPH students must attend at least 18 colloquia out of the 36 that are organised over the two years that are typically needed to complete the programme**.
In addition, students must attend 3 alumni talks out of the 10 in this period, as well as a career event. Attendance is maintained electronically via the Theoretical Physics Colloquium Brightspace community, to which students are registered upon entering the programme. In addition, an attendance list will circulate during the first 15 minutes of the colloquium/alumni talks, which cannot be signed afterwards (barring exceptions approved by an ITP staff member); signing for another student is fraudulent. The ITP hosts one career event per year.
To better prepare THPH students for the colloquium, an introductory talk will occasionally be presented one hour before the start of the colloquium. Attending these occasional preparatory talks, which will be announced in advance, is also compulsory.
**It is highly recommended to start attending the colloquium in the first year in the THPH program already, not only to make sure to complete the set of 18 required sessions but also to get oriented optimally on the possibilities for MSc-thesis topics.
Exam and retake rules
The grading of most THPH courses involves a final exam, combined with a midterm exam and/or hand-in exercises. The details vary from course to course and are to be clearly stated (in writing) by the lecturer at the start of the course and can usually be found on Brightspace or MS-Teams.
Every year there is one retake per course, which is not open for those who scored below 4, or obtained 6 and above in the regular (first) grading period. These THPH rules conform to the Education and Examinations Regulations (EER).
Integrity and quality of hand-in work
Hand-in exercises are an important part of the feedback mechanism from lecturer/TA to student. The quality, readability, and exposure of this work must therefore be of such a standard that feedback is possible efficiently; it doesn't need to be typeset. Additionally, in line with proper scientific integrity, it is also mandatory to:
- (i) provide references to (non-standard) sources other than the book/notes of use in the course,
- (ii) to mention key input from others (e.g. fellow students with whom the work was carried out or internet discussion forums).
Lastly, handing in work for grading also implies implicitly and explicitly that the work was actually done by the student, otherwise, it will be considered as fraud - if discovered - with all due consequences as stated in the EER.
Extra opportunities
Want to go abroad for part of your programme?
If you want to go abroad, it's important to let your programme coordinator know in advance. The curriculum is generally very packed, so it requires timely planning. If you have a general idea of what you want to do, please first discuss it with your programme coordinator to see if it fits into your programme.