Photonics Engineering

"Studying and living in Belgium, the heart of Europe, for two years of my Master program was an interesting experience in my life. The program contains good fundamental courses which gave me a strong and solid knowledge in photonics which was needed to be successful in the next steps of my study. The joint program between VUB and UGent makes the program more interesting, as students have the opportunity to experience two universities during their Master studies. Different events help the students feel more comfortable and have a close and friendly relation with their classmates. Studying in Belgium in Photonics program taught me many things and made me stronger toward achieving my goals."

“If you’re interested in electromagnetic waves, the Maxwell equations and quantum physics and you have always wondered how these scientific concepts are important in our daily lives, I strongly suggest to sign up for the Master of Science in Photonics Engineering. Engineering Bachelor studies have provided me with valuable baggage of scientific and mathematical knowledge to understand the most intricate concepts of this world. On top of the theoretical and practical knowledge, as engineers, we learn to understand and see the world differently. The Master in Photonics makes use of the concepts learned in the Bachelor to implement them on technology applications. In addition, I participated in an exchange abroad that opened my mind to other cultures and how they do research in the photonics field. This programme has challenged me to use theoretical knowledge into real-life technology applications such as lasers, optical modules, detectors to data communication networks. Thanks to the experience I have acquired I could pursue a career working on 5G projects.”

My research internship at VUB’s Photonics research group B-PHOT motivated me to pursue this programme, and I don’t regret it: I have acquired photonics skills in theory, simulation, and experimentation in an international context. Furthermore, my internship at a Belgian SME active in spectral sensing solutions allowed me to gain practical and professional experience. I got the chance to train different soft skills in project planning (analyse a problem and implement solutions), communication (writing reports, making presentations), and how to work in a multidisciplinary environment towards the development of novel optical sensors at a fast pace.

In order to feed my curiosity in Physics and Optics, I joined B-PHOT through the Master of Science in Photonics. During this fulfilling programme, I learned and gathered the science and the skillset required for a creative mind to find innovative solutions to challenging problems. This ability has helped me to perform high-quality research in the frontiers of optics-based diagnostics in microbiology in collaboration with University Hospital Antwerp (UZA).Mehdi Feizpour

Despite all the theory I learned, the programme helped me to become more confident in my skills. Some of the tasks during my master studies just seemed impossible, but in the end, we always managed to solve them as a team. This gave me great confidence towards my problem solving skills. In addition, I personally really appreciated the honest feedback of the professors, who always had our personal and professional development in mind.

I’ve always been fascinated by light and it’s applications. This is the reason why I enrolled in the Master of Science in Photonics. The result was an extensive two-year long program where I discovered that the potential of photonics reached far beyond what I had ever imagined. Thanks to the professional and genuine guidance of the whole B-PHOT team I learned how to master the science of light step by step.

Besides the excellent education, I also had the opportunity to get to know people from many places all over the world. Hence, the EMSP also helps you to expand your network and broaden your horizon.
Moreover, international experiences such as Erasmus or the International Internship in Photonics are strongly supported.

In conclusion, personally, one of the most important aspects of an academical master is to be prepared for the professional world. At the end of this trajectory this was most certainly the case.Jan Coosemans

Belgium generally and Brussels especially are the most international places in Europe. In addition, the low density of the classes assures that you will never be just a number in the programme and makes the interaction between the students, professors and staff members smooth and easy. The international internship opportunities give you an amazing chance to gain more experience from multinational world-class companies. In conclusion, I can tell that choosing this programme was a perfect decision.

The Master of Science in Photonics Engineering equips you with an exquisite skillset, combining theoretical expertise with hands-on training in fully equipped world-class research labs, offering a very valuable focus on industrial applications and valorizations. Also, international experience in the heart of Europe exposes you to a variety of cultures and opportunities to interact, learn and exchange in a friendly environment.

The programme has at times been demanding and challenging, but certainly a highly enjoyable and rewarding experience I would strongly recommend!

The master programme (and especially the thesis) really improved my photonics and programming skills. The professors are nice and patient to students’ questions.

This is a brilliant programme. Studying amongst international students is exciting & gainful. The professors at VUB communicate the lectures with clarity & actively guide and support the students. I am happy to have opted for VUB for pursuing Masters in Photonics.

“ There has been light from the beginning. But we hardly measure the importance of light in our daily lives. Light is nowadays used for everything from internet cables to low cost light sources. However, this is just a beginning and we have many more exciting discoveries to make and applications to invent. I have understood this as I was studying photonics at VUB in the framework of the Master programme (Erasmus Mundus, at that time). As students, we were exposed to interdisciplinary curricula on how light aids in and interacts with various other disciplines. We also witnessed a number of close collaborations with various industries, which gave us a unique opportunity to understand how photonic inventions make their way to market. The gained knowledge helped and steered me tremendously as I continued on developing photonic sensors for biosystems during my PhD at EPFL and now inventing optoelectronic micromachines as a PostDoc at MIT. I can't stress enough how innovative and visionary this programme is. “