Master’s programme

What the master’s programme at the Department of Optics is

Two years that turn you from someone who can carry out a measurement into someone who can plan one. A master’s student here does not sit through courses alongside research – research is the main occupation. You join one of the department’s research groups, work on a real topic and usually leave with co-authorship of a publication, or at the very least a talk at an international conference.

2 yearsFull-time, the E5 “Physics and Astronomy” speciality
2Partner internships: Le Mans in France and Shizuoka in Japan
4Countries our students go to for internships: Germany, France, Japan, Switzerland
0 UAHWhat state-funded master’s students pay. Budget places are available every year

The specialisation is laser physics, spectroscopy, optics of semiconductor nanostructures, ellipsometry and optical metrology. Part of the courses are taught in English – the same English you will later use to read papers and write your own.

What the two years look like

First yearAdvanced special courses, electives matched to your topic and entry into a research group. The thesis topic is set at the start, not in the final semester.
Second yearMostly experiment and writing the thesis. Interim results are presented at the department’s seminars and at the annual SPO symposium.

The international part

The department maintains active research ties with the University of Arkansas, Chemnitz University of Technology, the Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics and Shizuoka University. For students this means the DAAD scholarship programme, joint experiments and participation in international conferences.

Who should come here

Those who already hold a bachelor’s degree in physics or a related field and want not another diploma but their own topic and laboratory work. Graduates of other faculties and universities enrol too – there is one requirement: a bachelor-level background in physics or a related direction, and a readiness to work in the lab.

How to apply

“Optics and Laser Physics” is one of the master’s programmes of the E5 speciality at the Faculty of Physics, with its own admission competition. The admission score has three parts:

Weights of the admission score components. The subject exam counts three times as much as each of the others – and has a minimum threshold of 100 points. Prepare for it first.

State-funded places are available every year; see the exact number for the current year in the admission listing at vstup.knu.ua. Dates, the subject exam programme and how to pick a research supervisor before you even apply – on the Master admission page.

Where next

Doctoral studiesAt the department, with your own topic and a path to a PhD.
ResearchInstitutes of the NAS of Ukraine and research groups abroad.
IndustryPhotonics, optical instrumentation, sensing, computer vision, semiconductor technology.

The full description of the “Optics and Laser Physics” programme – aims, course list and competences. How to apply · Documentation and course syllabi · Doctoral studies