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The language of science

A unique combination of pure and applied mathematics

The Master in Mathematics is a two-year programme divided into core courses, elective courses and seminars, and concludes with the Master’s project either in one of the research groups at the university or in internship at a company. You can follow the programme either full-time or part-time. The start dates are September 1st and February 1st.

The Master has five tracks. By following a track you have a wide variety of courses to choose from, both local and through MasterMath, and you have the opportunity to be a member of one of our research groups and participate in its activities. Can’t decide? Don’t worry – you can switch tracks later on, and you’ll have plenty of freedom to choose your own study path. You can find all the courses and more information in the Study Guide

First year

Depending on which track you decide to specialise in, during year one you’ll take a number of compulsory core and elective courses based on your chosen study path, and the ‘Master Seminar’ of the track. In this seminar, you will practice giving mathematical presentations and read research papers in your field. All students will also take part in the weekly 'Introduction to the Master Mathematics'. In this seminar, you get to know the local research groups, learn about possible thesis projects, experience what it means to be part of an active academic community, and familiarise yourself with research ethics and scientific writing.

Summary

In this track you will delve into fundamental mathematics and find your own path in the fields Algebra, Number Theory, Geometry and Topology. On the algebraic side, our research group has a strong profile in representation theory, arithmetic geometry and algebraic K-theory, and formalization of mathematics. On the topological side, we excel in topological data analysis, infinite-dimensional and manifold topology, (geometric) graph theory, and mathematical physics. The topology group is part of the Center for Topology and Applications Amsterdam (CTA2).

Examples of thesis’ topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
  • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
  • Project: Tight asymptotic bounds in Topological Data analysis
  • Project: Unveiling the connections of Cluster Algebras
  • Project: Modular forms, elliptic curves, and Diophantine equations
  • Project: Generalizing symplectic geometry from 1 to 2 dimensions
  • Project: p-adic geometry and the Langlands programme.
  • Project: Geometry and arithmetic
  • Project: Eilenberg–MacLane spaces via configuration spaces
  • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
  • Project: Higher orientability

Find out more about these projects

Summary

In this track you will explore analytic tools such as differential and integral equations used to model the world around us and to describe the dynamics of evolving systems. Our research group has a strong profile in network dynamics, emergence of patterns, computation dynamics, mathematical biology, topological methods, and data analysis. The group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Dynamics and Computation (ACDC).

Examples of thesis topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Patterns and Uncertainty Quantification in Brain dynamics
  • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
  • Project: Networks, Symmetry, and Synchrony
  • Project: Computer Assisted Proofs
  • Project: Stochastic electrodynamics
  • Project: On the Study of Feed Forward Network Dynamics
  • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
  • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world
  • Project: Periodic orbits of mathematical billiards
  • Project: Dimension reduction for networks of coupled oscillators

Find out more about these projects

Summary

The topics of Probability and Statistics have traditionally been a point of focus at the mathematics department of VU, which is reflected in a large group of researchers. The caesura between probability and statistics is not sharp, and many researchers are active in both fields. Statistics for life sciences and forensic probability and statistics are important fields of application. At VU there is specific expertise and focus on statistical inference for stochastic processes, high dimensional statistics, regularization of inverse models, graphical models, Bayesian statistics, nonparametric (quantile) regression, statistics for networks, computational neuroscience, queueing theory, and spatial probability models. 

Examples of thesis’ topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Asymptotics of nonparametric regression using sparse neural networks with ReLU activation
  • Project: Model reduction in probabilistic forecasting
  • Project: A graph-theoretic framework for neural field models on the human connectome
  • Project: Power with partially exact matching' [causal inference]
  • Project: Stability analysis of Markov Chains
  • Project: A critical look at e-values
  • Project: Filtering and parameter estimation in the Jansen-Rit model
  • Project: Revisiting Vine Copula Imputation
  • Project: Nonparametric mean-covariance estimation in a periodic setting

Find out more about these projects

Summary

In this track you will explore the many facets of mathematical methods in order to investigate biology and the medical sciences. You will delve into neuroscience, statistics for big data, dynamics of cellular processes, topological methods for the study of networks.

Examples of thesis’ topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Brain Network Dynamics
  • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
  • Project: Riemannian geometry of brain networks
  • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world

Find out more about these projects

Summary

In this track, you will study how to transform data into decisions with a special focus on optimization. Our research groups have a strong profile on stochastic processes, networks, optimization, machine-learning algorithms, and simulation-based approaches. These topics have practical applications in various sectors, such as healthcare, logistics, energy, and service industry. Our group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Optimization, Statistics and Analytics (ACOSA).

Examples of thesis topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Enhancing Real-Life Simulation Optimization
  • Project: Fitting Stochastic Diffusion Models for Power Grid Network Data
  • Project: Modelling the impact of climate extremes on power grid networks

Find out more about these projects

Summary

Motivate & inspire students as a teacher in the STEM disciplines - This specialisation is taught in Dutch. 

During the specialisation Secondary Education Teacher Training for STEM Disciplines, you will learn how to transfer your knowledge and motivate and inspire students in your field of study, whether it is Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biology. For computer science, there is another route: the one-year teacher training programme. The courses for this teacher training specialisation are taught in Dutch and your teaching qualification will be valid in the Netherlands.

As a teacher, you make an important contribution to the future of young people, society and education in the Netherlands. In our knowledge economy, specialists in the area of knowledge transfer are indispensable. With an abundance of jobs in secondary education, obtaining a teaching qualification guarantees job security and—flexibility—because in addition to being a teacher, you are also a scientist in your field.

The teacher training programmes at VU Amsterdam are unique because of their modular structure that is built around 20 themes (core practices). You will apply these teaching practices directly in the classroom, as you will be working in a school for more than 50% of your study programme. At VU Amsterdam, personal attention and individual guidance are top priority. You will have a mentor from VU Amsterdam and a workplace supervisor who is an experienced first-degree subject teacher.

With this specialisation, you will obtain a specialist Master's degree in a STEM discipline and a first-degree teaching qualification (eerstegraads lesbevoegdheid).  This means that in two years, you will be qualified to teach both lower and upper secondary vocational education (HAVO/VWO) and pre-university education (VMBO) in the Netherlands. All teachers in the STEM disciplines are also qualified to teach the STEM elective NLT (Nature, Life and Technology). 

The teacher training specialisation in the STEM disciplines starts every academic year in September and February, unless you are following a Master's programme in Ecology, Earth Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, or Biomedical Technology and Physics. Within these Master's programmes, you can only start the specialisation in September.

Second year

What makes you unique as a STEM teacher? We explore your strengths as a teacher while focussing on personal attention, customisation and guidance. You will follow an integrated programme, which includes a practical component (internship) in secondary education and didactic theory at VU Amsterdam. You will be taught general didactics related to core practices as well as specific subject-related didactics for your school subject. The theory is always applied and tested in practice at the school where you conduct your internship. You will start immediately with the practical component. Internships are arranged by VU Amsterdam.

You can find the complete course overview in the study guide

  • Algebra, Geometry and Number Theory

    Summary

    In this track you will delve into fundamental mathematics and find your own path in the fields Algebra, Number Theory, Geometry and Topology. On the algebraic side, our research group has a strong profile in representation theory, arithmetic geometry and algebraic K-theory, and formalization of mathematics. On the topological side, we excel in topological data analysis, infinite-dimensional and manifold topology, (geometric) graph theory, and mathematical physics. The topology group is part of the Center for Topology and Applications Amsterdam (CTA2).

    Examples of thesis’ topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
    • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
    • Project: Tight asymptotic bounds in Topological Data analysis
    • Project: Unveiling the connections of Cluster Algebras
    • Project: Modular forms, elliptic curves, and Diophantine equations
    • Project: Generalizing symplectic geometry from 1 to 2 dimensions
    • Project: p-adic geometry and the Langlands programme.
    • Project: Geometry and arithmetic
    • Project: Eilenberg–MacLane spaces via configuration spaces
    • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
    • Project: Higher orientability

    Find out more about these projects

  • Analysis and Dynamical Systems

    Summary

    In this track you will explore analytic tools such as differential and integral equations used to model the world around us and to describe the dynamics of evolving systems. Our research group has a strong profile in network dynamics, emergence of patterns, computation dynamics, mathematical biology, topological methods, and data analysis. The group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Dynamics and Computation (ACDC).

    Examples of thesis topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Patterns and Uncertainty Quantification in Brain dynamics
    • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
    • Project: Networks, Symmetry, and Synchrony
    • Project: Computer Assisted Proofs
    • Project: Stochastic electrodynamics
    • Project: On the Study of Feed Forward Network Dynamics
    • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
    • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world
    • Project: Periodic orbits of mathematical billiards
    • Project: Dimension reduction for networks of coupled oscillators

    Find out more about these projects

  • Probability and Statistics

    Summary

    The topics of Probability and Statistics have traditionally been a point of focus at the mathematics department of VU, which is reflected in a large group of researchers. The caesura between probability and statistics is not sharp, and many researchers are active in both fields. Statistics for life sciences and forensic probability and statistics are important fields of application. At VU there is specific expertise and focus on statistical inference for stochastic processes, high dimensional statistics, regularization of inverse models, graphical models, Bayesian statistics, nonparametric (quantile) regression, statistics for networks, computational neuroscience, queueing theory, and spatial probability models. 

    Examples of thesis’ topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Asymptotics of nonparametric regression using sparse neural networks with ReLU activation
    • Project: Model reduction in probabilistic forecasting
    • Project: A graph-theoretic framework for neural field models on the human connectome
    • Project: Power with partially exact matching' [causal inference]
    • Project: Stability analysis of Markov Chains
    • Project: A critical look at e-values
    • Project: Filtering and parameter estimation in the Jansen-Rit model
    • Project: Revisiting Vine Copula Imputation
    • Project: Nonparametric mean-covariance estimation in a periodic setting

    Find out more about these projects

  • Biomedical Mathematics

    Summary

    In this track you will explore the many facets of mathematical methods in order to investigate biology and the medical sciences. You will delve into neuroscience, statistics for big data, dynamics of cellular processes, topological methods for the study of networks.

    Examples of thesis’ topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Brain Network Dynamics
    • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
    • Project: Riemannian geometry of brain networks
    • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world

    Find out more about these projects

  • Data Science and Optimization

    Summary

    In this track, you will study how to transform data into decisions with a special focus on optimization. Our research groups have a strong profile on stochastic processes, networks, optimization, machine-learning algorithms, and simulation-based approaches. These topics have practical applications in various sectors, such as healthcare, logistics, energy, and service industry. Our group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Optimization, Statistics and Analytics (ACOSA).

    Examples of thesis topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Enhancing Real-Life Simulation Optimization
    • Project: Fitting Stochastic Diffusion Models for Power Grid Network Data
    • Project: Modelling the impact of climate extremes on power grid networks

    Find out more about these projects

  • Secondary Education Teacher Training for STEM Disciplines

    Summary

    Motivate & inspire students as a teacher in the STEM disciplines - This specialisation is taught in Dutch. 

    During the specialisation Secondary Education Teacher Training for STEM Disciplines, you will learn how to transfer your knowledge and motivate and inspire students in your field of study, whether it is Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biology. For computer science, there is another route: the one-year teacher training programme. The courses for this teacher training specialisation are taught in Dutch and your teaching qualification will be valid in the Netherlands.

    As a teacher, you make an important contribution to the future of young people, society and education in the Netherlands. In our knowledge economy, specialists in the area of knowledge transfer are indispensable. With an abundance of jobs in secondary education, obtaining a teaching qualification guarantees job security and—flexibility—because in addition to being a teacher, you are also a scientist in your field.

    The teacher training programmes at VU Amsterdam are unique because of their modular structure that is built around 20 themes (core practices). You will apply these teaching practices directly in the classroom, as you will be working in a school for more than 50% of your study programme. At VU Amsterdam, personal attention and individual guidance are top priority. You will have a mentor from VU Amsterdam and a workplace supervisor who is an experienced first-degree subject teacher.

    With this specialisation, you will obtain a specialist Master's degree in a STEM discipline and a first-degree teaching qualification (eerstegraads lesbevoegdheid).  This means that in two years, you will be qualified to teach both lower and upper secondary vocational education (HAVO/VWO) and pre-university education (VMBO) in the Netherlands. All teachers in the STEM disciplines are also qualified to teach the STEM elective NLT (Nature, Life and Technology). 

    The teacher training specialisation in the STEM disciplines starts every academic year in September and February, unless you are following a Master's programme in Ecology, Earth Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, or Biomedical Technology and Physics. Within these Master's programmes, you can only start the specialisation in September.

    Second year

    What makes you unique as a STEM teacher? We explore your strengths as a teacher while focussing on personal attention, customisation and guidance. You will follow an integrated programme, which includes a practical component (internship) in secondary education and didactic theory at VU Amsterdam. You will be taught general didactics related to core practices as well as specific subject-related didactics for your school subject. The theory is always applied and tested in practice at the school where you conduct your internship. You will start immediately with the practical component. Internships are arranged by VU Amsterdam.

    You can find the complete course overview in the study guide

Second year

In your second year, you can select electives relating to your chosen area of specialisation. The last semester of your second year is dedicated to the Master’s project. This is either a research thesis under the supervision of a staff member, or an external internship at a company or research facility. If you choose an internship, you’ll have an on-location advisor as well as a supervisor from the Department of Mathematics. To complete your Master's project, you’ll write a thesis and present your results in a colloquium.

Summary

In this track you will delve into fundamental mathematics and find your own path in the fields Algebra, Number Theory, Geometry and Topology. On the algebraic side, our research group has a strong profile in representation theory, arithmetic geometry and algebraic K-theory, and formalization of mathematics. On the topological side, we excel in topological data analysis, infinite-dimensional and manifold topology, (geometric) graph theory, and mathematical physics. The topology group is part of the Center for Topology and Applications Amsterdam (CTA2).

Examples of thesis’ topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
  • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
  • Project: Tight asymptotic bounds in Topological Data analysis
  • Project: Unveiling the connections of Cluster Algebras
  • Project: Modular forms, elliptic curves, and Diophantine equations
  • Project: Generalizing symplectic geometry from 1 to 2 dimensions
  • Project: p-adic geometry and the Langlands programme.
  • Project: Geometry and arithmetic
  • Project: Eilenberg–MacLane spaces via configuration spaces
  • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
  • Project: Higher orientability

Find out more about these projects

Summary

In this track you will explore analytic tools such as differential and integral equations used to model the world around us and to describe the dynamics of evolving systems. Our research group has a strong profile in network dynamics, emergence of patterns, computation dynamics, mathematical biology, topological methods, and data analysis. The group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Dynamics and Computation (ACDC).

Examples of thesis topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Patterns and Uncertainty Quantification in Brain dynamics
  • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
  • Project: Networks, Symmetry, and Synchrony
  • Project: Computer Assisted Proofs
  • Project: Stochastic electrodynamics
  • Project: On the Study of Feed Forward Network Dynamics
  • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
  • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world
  • Project: Periodic orbits of mathematical billiards
  • Project: Dimension reduction for networks of coupled oscillators

Find out more about these projects

Summary

The topics of Probability and Statistics have traditionally been a point of focus at the mathematics department of VU, which is reflected in a large group of researchers. The caesura between probability and statistics is not sharp, and many researchers are active in both fields. Statistics for life sciences and forensic probability and statistics are important fields of application. At VU there is specific expertise and focus on statistical inference for stochastic processes, high dimensional statistics, regularization of inverse models, graphical models, Bayesian statistics, nonparametric (quantile) regression, statistics for networks, computational neuroscience, queueing theory, and spatial probability models. 

Examples of thesis’ topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Asymptotics of nonparametric regression using sparse neural networks with ReLU activation
  • Project: Model reduction in probabilistic forecasting
  • Project: A graph-theoretic framework for neural field models on the human connectome
  • Project: Power with partially exact matching' [causal inference]
  • Project: Stability analysis of Markov Chains
  • Project: A critical look at e-values
  • Project: Filtering and parameter estimation in the Jansen-Rit model
  • Project: Revisiting Vine Copula Imputation
  • Project: Nonparametric mean-covariance estimation in a periodic setting

Find out more about these projects

Summary

In this track you will explore the many facets of mathematical methods in order to investigate biology and the medical sciences. You will delve into neuroscience, statistics for big data, dynamics of cellular processes, topological methods for the study of networks.

Examples of thesis’ topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Brain Network Dynamics
  • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
  • Project: Riemannian geometry of brain networks
  • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world

Find out more about these projects

Summary

In this track, you will study how to transform data into decisions with a special focus on optimization. Our research groups have a strong profile on stochastic processes, networks, optimization, machine-learning algorithms, and simulation-based approaches. These topics have practical applications in various sectors, such as healthcare, logistics, energy, and service industry. Our group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Optimization, Statistics and Analytics (ACOSA).

Examples of thesis topics

While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

  • Project: Enhancing Real-Life Simulation Optimization
  • Project: Fitting Stochastic Diffusion Models for Power Grid Network Data
  • Project: Modelling the impact of climate extremes on power grid networks

Find out more about these projects

Summary

Motivate & inspire students as a teacher in the STEM disciplines - This specialisation is taught in Dutch. 

During the specialisation Secondary Education Teacher Training for STEM Disciplines, you will learn how to transfer your knowledge and motivate and inspire students in your field of study, whether it is Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biology. For computer science, there is another route: the one-year teacher training programme. The courses for this teacher training specialisation are taught in Dutch and your teaching qualification will be valid in the Netherlands.

As a teacher, you make an important contribution to the future of young people, society and education in the Netherlands. In our knowledge economy, specialists in the area of knowledge transfer are indispensable. With an abundance of jobs in secondary education, obtaining a teaching qualification guarantees job security and—flexibility—because in addition to being a teacher, you are also a scientist in your field.

The teacher training programmes at VU Amsterdam are unique because of their modular structure that is built around 20 themes (core practices). You will apply these teaching practices directly in the classroom, as you will be working in a school for more than 50% of your study programme. At VU Amsterdam, personal attention and individual guidance are top priority. You will have a mentor from VU Amsterdam and a workplace supervisor who is an experienced first-degree subject teacher.

With this specialisation, you will obtain a specialist Master's degree in a STEM discipline and a first-degree teaching qualification (eerstegraads lesbevoegdheid).  This means that in two years, you will be qualified to teach both lower and upper secondary vocational education (HAVO/VWO) and pre-university education (VMBO) in the Netherlands. All teachers in the STEM disciplines are also qualified to teach the STEM elective NLT (Nature, Life and Technology). 

The teacher training specialisation in the STEM disciplines starts every academic year in September and February, unless you are following a Master's programme in Ecology, Earth Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, or Biomedical Technology and Physics. Within these Master's programmes, you can only start the specialisation in September.

Second year

What makes you unique as a STEM teacher? We explore your strengths as a teacher while focussing on personal attention, customisation and guidance. You will follow an integrated programme, which includes a practical component (internship) in secondary education and didactic theory at VU Amsterdam. You will be taught general didactics related to core practices as well as specific subject-related didactics for your school subject. The theory is always applied and tested in practice at the school where you conduct your internship. You will start immediately with the practical component. Internships are arranged by VU Amsterdam.

You can find the complete course overview in the study guide

  • Algebra, Geometry and Number Theory

    Summary

    In this track you will delve into fundamental mathematics and find your own path in the fields Algebra, Number Theory, Geometry and Topology. On the algebraic side, our research group has a strong profile in representation theory, arithmetic geometry and algebraic K-theory, and formalization of mathematics. On the topological side, we excel in topological data analysis, infinite-dimensional and manifold topology, (geometric) graph theory, and mathematical physics. The topology group is part of the Center for Topology and Applications Amsterdam (CTA2).

    Examples of thesis’ topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
    • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
    • Project: Tight asymptotic bounds in Topological Data analysis
    • Project: Unveiling the connections of Cluster Algebras
    • Project: Modular forms, elliptic curves, and Diophantine equations
    • Project: Generalizing symplectic geometry from 1 to 2 dimensions
    • Project: p-adic geometry and the Langlands programme.
    • Project: Geometry and arithmetic
    • Project: Eilenberg–MacLane spaces via configuration spaces
    • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
    • Project: Higher orientability

    Find out more about these projects

  • Analysis and Dynamical Systems

    Summary

    In this track you will explore analytic tools such as differential and integral equations used to model the world around us and to describe the dynamics of evolving systems. Our research group has a strong profile in network dynamics, emergence of patterns, computation dynamics, mathematical biology, topological methods, and data analysis. The group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Dynamics and Computation (ACDC).

    Examples of thesis topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Patterns and Uncertainty Quantification in Brain dynamics
    • Project: Periodic orbits of relativistic particles
    • Project: Networks, Symmetry, and Synchrony
    • Project: Computer Assisted Proofs
    • Project: Stochastic electrodynamics
    • Project: On the Study of Feed Forward Network Dynamics
    • Project: Turán problem and eigenvalues of hypergraphs
    • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world
    • Project: Periodic orbits of mathematical billiards
    • Project: Dimension reduction for networks of coupled oscillators

    Find out more about these projects

  • Probability and Statistics

    Summary

    The topics of Probability and Statistics have traditionally been a point of focus at the mathematics department of VU, which is reflected in a large group of researchers. The caesura between probability and statistics is not sharp, and many researchers are active in both fields. Statistics for life sciences and forensic probability and statistics are important fields of application. At VU there is specific expertise and focus on statistical inference for stochastic processes, high dimensional statistics, regularization of inverse models, graphical models, Bayesian statistics, nonparametric (quantile) regression, statistics for networks, computational neuroscience, queueing theory, and spatial probability models. 

    Examples of thesis’ topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Asymptotics of nonparametric regression using sparse neural networks with ReLU activation
    • Project: Model reduction in probabilistic forecasting
    • Project: A graph-theoretic framework for neural field models on the human connectome
    • Project: Power with partially exact matching' [causal inference]
    • Project: Stability analysis of Markov Chains
    • Project: A critical look at e-values
    • Project: Filtering and parameter estimation in the Jansen-Rit model
    • Project: Revisiting Vine Copula Imputation
    • Project: Nonparametric mean-covariance estimation in a periodic setting

    Find out more about these projects

  • Biomedical Mathematics

    Summary

    In this track you will explore the many facets of mathematical methods in order to investigate biology and the medical sciences. You will delve into neuroscience, statistics for big data, dynamics of cellular processes, topological methods for the study of networks.

    Examples of thesis’ topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Brain Network Dynamics
    • Project: Studying knots formed viral DNA
    • Project: Riemannian geometry of brain networks
    • Project: Thriving or surviving: how bacteria manage to stay alive in an ever-changing world

    Find out more about these projects

  • Data Science and Optimization

    Summary

    In this track, you will study how to transform data into decisions with a special focus on optimization. Our research groups have a strong profile on stochastic processes, networks, optimization, machine-learning algorithms, and simulation-based approaches. These topics have practical applications in various sectors, such as healthcare, logistics, energy, and service industry. Our group is part of the Amsterdam Center for Optimization, Statistics and Analytics (ACOSA).

    Examples of thesis topics

    While the national Mastermath program allows you to follow courses all across the country, the master thesis project should make the difference in your choice of university. Have a look at a list of exciting thesis topics that you could explore at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

    • Project: Enhancing Real-Life Simulation Optimization
    • Project: Fitting Stochastic Diffusion Models for Power Grid Network Data
    • Project: Modelling the impact of climate extremes on power grid networks

    Find out more about these projects

  • Secondary Education Teacher Training for STEM Disciplines

    Summary

    Motivate & inspire students as a teacher in the STEM disciplines - This specialisation is taught in Dutch. 

    During the specialisation Secondary Education Teacher Training for STEM Disciplines, you will learn how to transfer your knowledge and motivate and inspire students in your field of study, whether it is Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Biology. For computer science, there is another route: the one-year teacher training programme. The courses for this teacher training specialisation are taught in Dutch and your teaching qualification will be valid in the Netherlands.

    As a teacher, you make an important contribution to the future of young people, society and education in the Netherlands. In our knowledge economy, specialists in the area of knowledge transfer are indispensable. With an abundance of jobs in secondary education, obtaining a teaching qualification guarantees job security and—flexibility—because in addition to being a teacher, you are also a scientist in your field.

    The teacher training programmes at VU Amsterdam are unique because of their modular structure that is built around 20 themes (core practices). You will apply these teaching practices directly in the classroom, as you will be working in a school for more than 50% of your study programme. At VU Amsterdam, personal attention and individual guidance are top priority. You will have a mentor from VU Amsterdam and a workplace supervisor who is an experienced first-degree subject teacher.

    With this specialisation, you will obtain a specialist Master's degree in a STEM discipline and a first-degree teaching qualification (eerstegraads lesbevoegdheid).  This means that in two years, you will be qualified to teach both lower and upper secondary vocational education (HAVO/VWO) and pre-university education (VMBO) in the Netherlands. All teachers in the STEM disciplines are also qualified to teach the STEM elective NLT (Nature, Life and Technology). 

    The teacher training specialisation in the STEM disciplines starts every academic year in September and February, unless you are following a Master's programme in Ecology, Earth Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, or Biomedical Technology and Physics. Within these Master's programmes, you can only start the specialisation in September.

    Second year

    What makes you unique as a STEM teacher? We explore your strengths as a teacher while focussing on personal attention, customisation and guidance. You will follow an integrated programme, which includes a practical component (internship) in secondary education and didactic theory at VU Amsterdam. You will be taught general didactics related to core practices as well as specific subject-related didactics for your school subject. The theory is always applied and tested in practice at the school where you conduct your internship. You will start immediately with the practical component. Internships are arranged by VU Amsterdam.

    You can find the complete course overview in the study guide

Change your future with the Mathematics programme

Change your future with the Mathematics programme

A Master’s degree in Mathematics will set you up well for an exciting (international) career. Your analytical mind and problem-solving skills will make you a valuable asset for all kinds of employers.

Explore your future prospects
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Want to know more?

Do you have any questions about the curriculum of this programme?

If you have any questions regarding this Master's programme, please contact the master coordinator Joost Hulshof by sending an email to: j.hulshof@vu.nl

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