Astronomy and Cosmology (MSc)
Admission requirements
To be eligible for Astronomy and Cosmology at Leiden University, you must meet the following admission requirements.
Diploma requirements
You are eligible to apply if you have
- a bachelor’s degree in Astronomy (Sterrenkunde) from any research university in the Netherlands
OR - a bachelor’s degree in an Astronomy-related programme from a research university in the Netherlands.
Admission to this master is under the provision that you have University-level in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of fundamental Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Astronomy. We expect your previous programme to be comparable to undergraduate courses of the Leiden Astronomy curriculum, i.e. including:
• a strong theoretical and mathematical foundation, including courses covering classical mechanics, quantum physics, electrodynamics, statistical physics, statistics, linear algebra and complex analysis.
• additional courses in the field of Astronomy.
• and with proficiency in programming in a 3rd generation programming language, preferably in Python.
Astronomy and Cosmology: For this specialisation, you must additionally have knowledge of “Astro-Particle Physics” or "Elementary Particle Physics" at undergraduate level.
Astronomy and Data Science: For this specialisation, proven fluency in a 3rd generation programming language (e.g. Python, C++, ..) is required. Additionally, knowledge of “Statistics” at undergraduate level is required.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to our Bachelor degrees in Astronomy (and, if applicable, whether you meet the additional requirement for certain specialisations).
If you have a bachelor’s degree that does not meet the requirements specified above, you may be eligible for an individual Pre-Master’s Programme tailored to your individual background. If you have successfully met the requirements of the imposed Pre-Master's Programme, you will be admitted to the master’s programme.
For more information, please contact the Astronomy study advisor.
If you have a bachelor’s degree in Astronomy or in an Astronomy-related programme from a foreign research university with a level similar to Dutch universities, you are eligible to apply under the condition that you have in-depth knowledge (comparable to undergraduate courses of the Leiden Astronomy curriculum).
Admission to this master is under the provision that you have University-level in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of fundamental Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Astronomy. We expect your previous programme to be comparable to undergraduate courses of the Leiden Astronomy curriculum, i.e. including:
• a strong theoretical and mathematical foundation, including courses covering classical mechanics, quantum physics, electrodynamics, statistical physics, statistics, linear algebra and complex analysis.
• additional courses in the field of Astronomy.
• and with proficiency in programming in a 3rd generation programming language, preferably in Python.
Astronomy and Cosmology: For this specialisation, you must additionally have knowledge of “Astro-Particle Physics” or "Elementary Particle Physics" at undergraduate level.
Astronomy and Data Science: For this specialisation, proven fluency in a 3rd generation programming language (e.g. Python, C++, ..) is required. Additionally, knowledge of “Statistics” at undergraduate level is required.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to our Bachelor degrees in Astronomy (and, if applicable, whether you meet the additional requirement for certain specialisations).
If you have a bachelor’s degree that does not meet the requirements specified above, you may be eligible for an individual Pre-Master’s Programme tailored to your individual background. If you have successfully met the requirements of the imposed Pre-Master's Programme, you will be admitted to the master’s programme.
For more information, please contact the Astronomy study advisor.
Language requirements
The following requirements apply*:
- IELTS Academic modules only, on paper or on computer: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
- We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
- We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Skill Retake
- TOEFL internet based: 90 overall, with at least 20 for each separate component.
- We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
You are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country. - We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™ or institutional tests such as ITP.
- We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
- Cambridge English Exam C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced (180), with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.
Note that English test results may not be more than two years old and must be obtained in one single test.
*You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta; or if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university or (for September intake) a diploma of an English-taught higher professional education (hbo) programme completed at a Dutch university of applied sciences.
For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.
Additional information
We expect students to bring a regular laptop running Windows (or running Linux for certain study programmes). MacOS may in most cases also suffice (with Parallels for Windows installed), but not all specialized applications may be supported, and less support may be available.
• Windows 11 compatible – 64-bits (or Linux for some study programmes)
• Processor/CPU – modern, medium range
• Memory/RAM – 8 GB, if possible 16 GB
• Storage – 512 GB, if possible 1 TB