Physics and Astronomy

Entry requirements

A completed Bachelor's degree

Entering the Master’s degree in Physics and Astrophysics requires a Bachelor’s degree in:

• Physics and Astronomy
• Physics
• Applied Physics
• ...or equivalent

Your degree has to be equivalent to a Dutch university diploma. The Examination Board will determine if an international student has the required knowledge to be admitted. The Examination Board will also indicate if the student is required to follow specific courses from the Bachelor's programme to eliminate possible deficiencies.

A proficiency in English

In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English.This requirement has been satisfied when the student meets the conditions, listed on our website.

Would you like to know if you are eligible to be admitted to this programme? Take our E-Check and instantly get an insight in your eligibility.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Would you rather specialise in pure physics or discover the interface between physics and astronomy, mathematics, chemistry or biology? The choice is yours. At Radboud University, you can choose from six specialisations and within each specialisation you’ll have plenty of room to customise your programme. We guarantee the highest quality for all specialisation programmes, resulting in number one rates by the Dutch ‘Keuzegids Masters’ for four years running.

Renowned research in Physics and Astronomy

The physicists and astronomers at Radboud University are internationally renowned. They attract attention worldwide with spectacular discoveries - from the origin of cosmic particles to magnetism with light. You can also work on the theoretical and experimental physical properties of new materials, such as graphene, on the nano- and molecular scale. This research was awarded with the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010.

Specialisations

As a Physics and Astronomy student, you'll choose one of the following specialisations. With electives and internships, you can fit the programme exactly to your specific interests.

• Particle and Astrophysics
  In this Master’s specialisation you’ll unravel questions like: What are the most elementary particles that the universe consists of? What did our universe look like in the earliest stages of its existence? And how will it evolve? One of the topics is the Higgs particle, which is partially a Nijmegen discovery.
• Physics of Molecules and Materials
  This specialisation focuses on the structure and properties of materials. You’ll work at the ‘terra incognita’ between quantum and classical physics, which is of great importance for designing next-generation materials and devices.
• Neurophysics
  In this specialisation, we aim at unravelling the neuro-computational mechanisms of this fascinating, complex system and use this knowledge for relevant applications, such as robotics and neuro-technology
• Science in Society
  This specialisation will equip you with the tools and skills to become a professional intermediary between science and society. You’ll learn to analyse (governmental) science communication and connect scientific knowledge with divergent perspectives and interests of various stakeholders.
• Science, Management and Innovation
  This specialisation will teach you what is happening in the world of business and public administration, how innovation is managed in company strategies, how government designs policy and how that interacts with societal challenges.
• Quantum Matter
  This specialisation will teach you matter on a fundamental quantum-physical level and discover collective and emergent quantum phenomena for future technologies. Using theory or experiments, or both.

If you have any questions, email us here: study-information@ru.nl

Learn more via the Radboud University contact form.

Information for international students

Application deadlines

Non-EU/EEA students

• The deadline for non-EU/EEA students who wish to apply for a scholarship is 31 January prior to the September intake. For the requirements and selection procedure for scholarships, please check our scholarship overview.
• The deadline for those not applying for a scholarship is 1 April for non-EU/EEA nationals for the September 2026 intake. You can apply for the September 2026 intake from 1 October 2025.

EU/EEA students

• The application deadline for EU/EEA students with housing assistance for the September 2026 intake is 1 May, and the deadline without housing assistance is 1 July. You can apply from 1 October onward for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The application deadlines for Master’s starting in February are 1 November for non-EU/EEA citizens and 1 December for EU/EEA citizens.

Fees and funding

Radboud University offers 3 different scholarships that are open to prospective Master's students from non-EU/EEA countries and who want to follow an English-taught Master's programme.

Radboud Scholarship Programme

The Radboud Scholarship Programme offers talented, highly motivated, non-EU/EEA students with outstanding study results the opportunity to be awarded a partial scholarship for an English-taught Master’s programme.

NL Scholarship (for prospective students)

The NL Scholarship (formerly known as Holland Scholarship) is a partial scholarship for non-EU/EEA students who want to do their Master’s in the Netherlands.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

The Fulbright Commission, sponsored by Radboud University, is offering scholarships for talented American students to study at Radboud University.