What Sandhra-Mirella says about the Master's in Photonics

Sandhra-Mirella from Estonia, alumna of the programme

"I graduated from the Photonics Master’s programme at Lund University in 2015. I have been intrigued by optics since middle school, because of my physics teacher who would always engage me in different physics competitions and extracurricular courses. After finishing my Bachelor's in Estonia, I was looking for a good and broad optics/photonics programme at a respectable and highly qualified university. There are actually not that many options. I chose Lund University because Sweden has an inviting Nordic charm and Lund is a cosy and welcoming student city, which I truly loved. In addition to having a good photonics programme, those perks appealed to me and I made up my mind. I actually only applied to one other university as a plan B.

The best thing about this study programme is the structure with logically planned courses. In addition to the content, the open atmosphere of the lectures, where questions and discussions are part of the learning process, had the biggest impact on my studies. The lecturers are really open and caring, so as a student you feel encouraged to ask questions after classes if something is still unclear or if there are any questions about homework. 

In the future, I see myself working in some research and development company in a leadership position. I would like to be on the edge of development of new technologies and see them changing the world. In addition, I would love to continue teaching, so I would like to stay connected to academia to contribute to educating new physicists.

The education and knowledge I gained gave me a good background and overview of the field, with good prospects of entering many different jobs in this field. Thus, if you are interested in photonics, I definitely advise you to apply to this programme. You should of course already have a solid background in physics, but do not underestimate the value of a good motivation letter.

Take your time and think about why you want to go to Lund University and which fields and laboratories of photonics interest you the most."