What Rebecca says about the Master’s in Astrophysics

Rebecca Forsberg from Sweden

Why did you choose this programme?

“I chose this programme because I have always been fascinated with space and I wanted to take the opportunity to actually work with it. I chose Lund because of the size of the University and the number of students – I figured it would not be as scary to move away from home when there would be a lot of other students doing the same thing! The best things about studying at Lund University are the proximity to other fields of studies and the international atmosphere.”
 
What is the best thing about the programme?

“The best thing is the size of the department – it is fairly small, allowing for close contact with other students, lecturers and researchers. I get in touch with researchers within different fields of astronomy on a daily basis, which both broadens my education and motivates my studies.”
 
Have you been able to gain any practical experience during your studies?

“I have been able to conduct actual research during two summer projects at the department. The first project was a follow-up to my Bachelor's project and involved working with the researcher who supervised me. The second summer project was conducted together with two peers in the programme and a researcher. As for field trips, I travelled to the Canary Islands twice during my Master’s project, to make observations with the Nordic Optical Telescope that is located on La Palma. Additionally, some of the courses include field trips to observatories.”
 
What are you planning to do after your studies?

“I plan to continue as a PhD student. After that, I am not so sure what I will do, but I am very interested in popular science and science communication and I would like to explore that area a bit more! I will hopefully be working as an outreach and communications specialist for ESA or similar sometime in the future.”
 
To what extent has the programme prepared you for a career in your field?

“The programme primarily prepares you for a career within research. However, besides learning a lot about astronomy, we additionally practise a lot of programming, writing, reading and giving presentations, which is useful within many fields.”
 
Do you think it will be relatively easy to find a relevant position after your studies?

“Not necessarily easy, but if one is motivated to apply for a handful of PhD positions or other positions, I think one will get a job.”
 
Do you have any advice for those planning to study at Lund?

“Lund is what you want it to be! If you want to socialise and get to know a lot of people while studying something you like, then this is the place!”