European Master's Programs in Physics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the requirements and structure of master's programs in Europe, particularly in relation to applying for PhD programs in physics. Participants explore the differences between Australian and European educational pathways, the significance of coursework versus research components in master's degrees, and specific admission criteria for PhD programs in different countries.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that in Australia, the typical path is to complete an honours year followed by a PhD, while in Europe it generally follows a BSc, then a master's, and finally a PhD.
  • The same participant questions whether a master's degree that is primarily coursework, without a research component, is sufficient for applying to PhD programs in Europe, given their own research experience from their honours year.
  • A program director from Sweden explains that admission requirements can vary by country and institution, but generally, a master's degree or equivalent education is required for PhD admission, with specific requirements in physics.
  • This program director mentions that their master's programs typically consist of coursework with a research-based thesis component at the end, which may lead to publications.
  • Another participant recalls a degree called a licentia that was previously common in Sweden, questioning its current status and relevance to PhD admissions.
  • A later reply confirms the existence of the licentia degree, stating it is not a requirement for a PhD but can serve as a shorter research path for certain students.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the necessity of research components in master's programs for PhD applications, and there is no consensus on the equivalency of different degrees across countries. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specific requirements for different programs.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the clarity of equivalency judgments for degrees, the variability of admission requirements across institutions, and the specific expectations for research experience in different European countries.

Floatzel98
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Hey everyone,

So here in Australia things are a bit different to Europe (and the US). Here you would usually finish your honours year and then apply to a PhD. How I understand it is in Europe is it goes - BSc, Masters then PhD.

I'm close to finishing my honours year (which includes a research component - I might be able to get a publication out of it), but I'm not planning on applying for a PhD in Australia, for a couple of reasons.

I'm hoping I can get into a PhD program somewhere in Europe, but it seems my honours isn't equivalent to a masters, so to apply for PhD programs in Europe I would need a masters degree. So I've been looking at masters degrees (in Europe), which leads me to my question(s):

Are master's degrees all coursework, or do they usually have a research component? I've looked at a few physics master's programs in Europe (offered in English) that I technically am eligible for, but they are all coursework, no research. Does this matter when applying for PhD programs in Europe? Its hard to tell whether universities want masters programs that have research components or not. Would a coursework masters be fine given that I do have 'research experience' through my honours degree?

Honestly I am fine doing more coursework, because even though my honours year had a coursework component I feel I've barely learned anything. I still don't really know quantum field theory; I haven't got the best understanding of the standard model (and my research project is in supersymmetry...and I barely have a working knowledge of that).

I feel that I don't know enough to start doing a PhD at this point anyway. Obviously more research experience is only a good thing; I'm not averse to that.

But my question is: Is a master's by coursework a valid prerequisite for a European PhD, or it is expected that the master's has a research component to it?

Thanks for reading. Hopefully my question is clear.

:)
 
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It is going to depend on the degree you have and the program you apply to. I am the program director of a Physics PhD program in Sweden, so I can mainly inform you regarding the admission requirements here, different countries and institutes may have different rules.

By law we require one of the following for admission to any doctoral program:

- A master’s degeree.
- 240 ECTS credits (4 years of full time study), 60 of which should be at advanced level (ie, master level).
- Other equivalent education.

The last part is where it gets tricky because you have to make a judgement call about what the equivalent of your degree is. There are official ways of having your degree judged by the state authorities, but it seldom happens in my experience.

In addition, programs may have additional admission requirements. In our case, the special requirement is that the basic requirement is satisfied within the subject of physics.

Effectively, the bigger hurdle is to find a PhD position as they are typically announced in open competition and you have to be selected from a pool of candidates.

Regarding master programs, our programs are typically coursework focused only with the exception for a 30 credit thesis work at the end (half a year). This is typically research based and some times lead to a publication.
 
Orodruin said:
It is going to depend on the degree you have and the program you apply to. I am the program director of a Physics PhD program in Sweden, so I can mainly inform you regarding the admission requirements here, different countries and institutes may have different rules.
Around two decades ago, I interviewed a physics grad student from Sweden. She was working towards a degree called a licentia. It appeared to be peculiar to Sweden, or maybe Scandinavia, and appeared to be in between a masters and a PhD. Does that degree still exist? I don't see it listed here: https://studyinsweden.se/plan-your-studies/degree-programmes/ .
 
CrysPhys said:
Around two decades ago, I interviewed a physics grad student from Sweden. She was working towards a degree called a licentia. It appeared to be peculiar to Sweden, or maybe Scandinavia, and appeared to be in between a masters and a PhD. Does that degree still exist? I don't see it listed here: https://studyinsweden.se/plan-your-studies/degree-programmes/ .
It exists (a student I co-supervise had his licentiate defence earlier today). However, it is not required to get a PhD. Some people do it during their PhD as a kind of a trial run (although it is an actual degree). Others are admitted to two years of research studies instead of four with licentiate as the end goal. This is mainly intended for medical and industrial research students who are doing their studies part-time and have (or their funding source has) problems making commitments that would span the better part of a decade, but still want to undertake research studies.
 
Orodruin said:
It exists (a student I co-supervise had his licentiate defence earlier today).
Congratulations, what a coincidence. Thanks for the explanation.
 

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