Master Applied Physics

Deepen your understanding of the laws of physics to find technical solutions in a wide range of areas such as sustainability, healthcare, energy, digitalisation, finance, space, high-tech manufacturing, and more.

Can you imagine building electronic systems that are almost as energy efficient as the neurons in our brains? Or encryption technology that makes credit card payments impossible to crack? What about making solar panels significantly more efficient, or medical imaging techniques faster, and more accurate? What opportunities could a quantum computer offer? How fast are icebergs melting, and what does turbulence have to do with this? No one would be able to answer any of these questions without a fundamental understanding of the laws of physics. If you want to join leading research in a world-renowned physics department and deepen your understanding of the laws of physics to find technical solutions in a wide range of areas, the Master’s in Applied Physics at the University of Twente (UT) might just be right for you!

We may not always realise it, as a great deal of the work of physicists is not immediately visible, but without breakthroughs in physics, the smartphone and the laptop would have been power-guzzling machines that weigh a ton and the quantum computer, or self-driving cars would still be science fiction. In this two-year, English-taught Master’s, you will combine fundamental physics with engineering: you will use scientific principles to create or improve practical devices and systems, from solar cells to microchips. Your knowledge will be valuable in a wide range of application areas, including digitalisation, high-tech manufacturing, energy, healthcare, climate change, aerospace, finance and much more.

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Start date

You can start your studies in September or February. In case you need to follow the Pre-Master’s first, you can start in September and continue with the Master’s afterwards.

Choose a specialisation

You have a lot of freedom to tailor your Master’s in Applied Physics to your interests and ambitions. Do you want to dive deeper into the field of optics and nanophotonics? Or are you more interested in fluid dynamics? What about studying the properties, structure, and behaviour of materials, or becoming an expert in quantum physics? You will build your own expertise within one of the specialisations. Your choice determines which courses you will follow and the type of research you will engage in during your master’s thesis. You can choose one of the four specialisations:

Learn from top-class professors

Research performed at the physics department of UT belongs to the top of the world and many world-class researchers will be your lecturers during this Master’s. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to contribute to high-end research yourself and work in cutting-edge, high-tech labs like the world-renowned MESA+ Institute, the Technical Medical Centre, and the Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics. Moreover, in Twente, you will benefit from a personal approach, meaning that you can count on excellent guidance and professors will usually know you by your first name.

Career perspectives 

Upon graduating in Applied Physics, you will receive the title of Engineer or Ingenieur (Ir.) in Dutch. With this title, you will have excellent career opportunities and you can find a job in a wide range of challenging sectors. In fact, it is hard to think of any industry that does not in some way rely on the knowledge of physicists. From electronics and high-tech manufacturing, healthcare, IT, sustainable energy technology, semiconductor, automotive, space, and agriculture to the financial sector: many organisations will be eager to onboard you and have you contribute to challenges related to the development of new materials, technologies or products. Thanks to UT’s connections and close partnerships with renowned companies, you will be able to find a job very soon after graduation.

Job opportunities for physicists

Many graduates of this Master’s currently work in R&D departments at all kinds of organisations, including high-tech companies like ASML, Philips or Demcon, but also universities or research institutes (e.g. TNO, ECN, CERN) or successful startups that emerged from UT, like QuiX Quantum or LioniX. Many others went on to pursue a PhD after graduation, at UT or another university in The Netherlands or abroad. You could also work at the management level, as a production manager, for example, or as the head of a corporate R&D department, or in consultancy firms like Witteveen+Bos or McKinsey & Company. You could even use your research or inventions to start up your own innovative company, like other graduates did!

Programme overview