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About us Faculty of Science and Engineering Our Education Welcome Packages BSc Physics Welcome

Kick-off activities

During the Kick-off Activities you will be introduced to the faculty, the degree programme, the study association(s), and most of all, to your fellow students. These activities are labeled as ‘Kick-off Activities’ in the schedule. We strongly encourage you to attend these.

Kick-off Schedule

You can find your timetable on rooster.rug.nl, please find the timetables via the links:

Physics

Applied Physics

Please note that the welcoming event on Friday the 1st of September from 9 to 11 is not visible on the timetable.

Introduction to the degree programme

We start the academic year together on the welcoming day on Friday September 1. During this day you will get to meet the programme director, academic advisor, your mentor and your fellow students.

Your timetable for Friday September 1 is:

Event Time Location
Incoming 9:30-10:00 Entrance of the Aletta Jacobs Hall
Welcoming Speech by programme directors and academic advisors 10:00-11:00 Aletta Jacobs Hall - Room 0005
Campus Tour and Lunch together with mentor group 11:00 onwards Zernike Campus (lunch pickup at Aletta Jacobs Hall)
Start Pienterkamp (not mandatory) Around 14:00 See information below 'Introduction Camp'

Double degree Mathematics and Physics

Programme
If you follow the double degree programme in Physics and Mathematics, you do some more courses in a term than other students. Please find your programme here on Ocasys. To meet the Binding Study Advice requirements, you need to pass at least 45 EC of one of the programme. We advise you to give priority to one of the programmes, so that you make sure to pass the BSA threshold for that programme.

Mentor
Both programmes have a mentor system, with more or less the same mentor programme. You can indicate your choice via a form that will be shared via email.

Introduction meetings
Please feel welcome to join the online introduction meeting for double degree students. During this meeting the academic advisors of both programmes will share useful information on studying two programmes and answer many frequently asked questions. Do you have any questions? Please ask them at the end of this meeting. Please find the details of this meeting below.

Please also join the introduction meetings for Physics on Friday 1 September and for Mathematics on Monday 4 September, during these days you will meet many fellow students and your mentor.

Event Time Location Online Introduction Double Degree Mathematics and Physics Tuesday, 29 August 2023, 15.00-16.00h Google Meet:

meet.google.com/cdz-mawx-nwd

(Just click on the link to join the meeting)

Kick-Off Activities Study Associations

Date Event Time Location Organiser
September 4 Pubquiz 18:30-22:00 Aclo Sportsbar Francken, FMF & Sirius A
September 5 Crazy 39 17:00-22:00 Francken Room (5113.0002) Francken
September 8 Board Games Evening 17:00-22:00 Nijenborgh Canteen FMF

Information Market

The Information Market will be held on Tuesday, 5 September in the main hallway of the Energy Academy. It offers an opportunity for you to get all the information that you may need to start your journey here at the FSE outside the standard information regarding your programme.

The organisations listed below will all be present at the market. There will also be poffertjes and a barista available outside the venue throughout the day!

@Ease

Hi! We are @ease: a place where young volunteers are available for other young people who would like to comfortably clear their thoughts and get things off their chest. The volunteers are young people just like you, there for you whenever you need to talk. Free of charge, anonymous, as many times as you’d like. You will be talking to people of similar age, many of which are also students. @ease is there for everybody in the age range of 12 to 25.

Come talk to us at any time during your stay at Groningen. In Groningen we are available for in person conversations every Tuesday afternoon, you can also chat with us online: every Monday to Thursday.

Find us at https://ease.nl/groningen.php.

Confidential Advisor

If you experience undesirable behaviour ((sexual) intimidation, discrimination, bullying, aggression, stalking, unequal or unfair treatment) while studying at the University of Groningen you can always contact the confidential advisor, Marjolein Renker.

The confidential advisor offers individual support and assistance to students and staff.

The confidential advisor will help you look for a way to resolve the undesirable situation and provide guidance in this process. Where necessary the confidential advisor will refer you to other specialists inside or outside the university.

The confidential advisor is independent and will only take follow-up steps with the explicit permission of the student concerned.

Undesirable behaviour can cause stress and mental and physical health problems. it is important not to keep it to yourself but to talk to someone!

Contact:

Confidential Advisor: Marjolein Renker

Address: Visserstraat 47 Groningen (centre of the city)

T 050 363 54 35

M 06 11 15 22 13

m.h.j.renker@rug.nl

www.rug.nl/confidentialadvisor

Honours College

Hi first year student! Are you looking for an extra challenge? Do you like to show initiative and want to develop your talents? Do you have a broad interest? Then the Honours College Bachelor programme might be something for you!

The BA Honours Programme is designed for students who want to get more out of themselves and their academic training. It is a complementary programme of 45 ECTS that you can follow alongside your regular Bachelor’s degree programme without having to pay an extra tuition fee. The programme lasts 2,5 years and is themed around deepening of your regular programme and broadening of knowledge and understanding with a broader view. On that account the interdisciplinary approach will be very important, next to intensifying the knowledge of your own Bachelor's degree programme. Together with students from all faculties you will look into scientific and social issues from different disciplinary angles.

Why should you do the Honours College?

You will get intensive education in a small group setting with like-minded, motivated students. And in the broadening part you get the chance to develop yourself personally and broaden your knowledge of disciplines of other faculties. Want to get better in research? In the deepening part you will dive deeper into disciplines of your faculty and develop your academic skills and mind-set via your own Research Projects and by offering modules.

After completing the Honours Programme you will receive an Honours record on your Bachelor's Diploma Supplement along with a Letter of Recommendation from the Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen and the Dean of the Honours College. This gives you a head start when applying for a position in science, business or government.

Q&A Session

Want to know what the Honours College exactly is? Is it fun? Yes it is! What does it exactly entail? And what do I do in the deepening part? Is the programme tough? How do I apply? What is important in my application? Please join the Q&A session for all the answers. A current Honours College student will also be present to answer your questions. I hope to meet you!

Additional Information:

Applications for the Honours College BSc programme will take place at the beginning of 2022 and more information will be provided closer to the time. If you still have queries before then, please refer to http://www.rug.nl/honours and https://student.portal.rug.nl/infonet/studenten/fse/bachelors/honours-college/.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)Team

Who are we?
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Team, a unit which consists of trainers and project managers.  

What do we do?
We work towards celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion and equity at FSE.

How do we realize that?

  • We promote and implement inclusive and equitable practices in teaching and learning
  • We foster an inclusive community of students and staff at FSE-  where : each member feels acknowledged, respected and valued
  • where each feels they belong and can contribute substantially.


What can we do for you?

  • D&I Trainingsevery year, we deliver trainings that enhance the inclusive skillset of Teaching Assistants (TAs), mentors and Study Associations members.
  • “Be Proud @FSE” contact us if you feel different from other FSE students (who, in majority, are white, Dutch/ EU, cis-gender, heterosexual, etc…) and feel disadvantaged, disengaged,  demotivated or discriminated against because of that…
  • Work experience: on a regular basis, our team needs interns or student assistants to help us create a more inclusive FSE community.


How to reach us?
Email us!


DEI-team
DEI-team
International Welcome Centre North

The IWCN is the contact point for information about living in Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe. We have a large range of meticulously-researched and continuously-updated information, and we also provide information about working in the Netherlands as an International.

IWCN Poster

Language Centre

What can we do for you?

Are you a student and do you want to work on your language skills and intercultural understanding? At the Language Centre you can improve both! Sign up for one of our many courses, have your language level tested, or visit our free online portal for academic communication skills.

Language training

  • Dutch, English, Spanish, German, Japanese and more
  • E-learning: free Introduction to Dutch MOOC on futurelearn.com

Language testing

  • Language Centre English Test (LCET)
  • Tests in other languages

Academic communication skills

  • Dutch and English
  • Writing and publishing skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Publishing in English
  • E-learning: free online portal with ‘how-to’ videos!

Intercultural training

Crossing borders | Studying abroad: a new adventure!

Our online Crossing borders courses help you to develop your intercultural competences both before and while abroad

For more information and registration:

W www.rug.nl/languagecentre

T 0031 50 363 5802

E languagecentre@rug.nl

New Energy Academy

The energy transition needs both skilled professionals and excellent researchers with a broad perspective on what is happening in the world. This is why we take an interdisciplinary and multilevel approach and collaborate closely with the University of Groningen and Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Together we enable you to become the energy professional the world needs.

The extracurricular programme of New Energy Academy prepares you for the energy system of the future.

For more information, visit our website: https://newenergyacademy.org/

Student Administration Office

The Student Administration FSE assists all prospective and current students, alumni and staff. On working days and during office hours, we always strive to be present with one or more people. You can visit us without an appointment.

The Student Administration FSE can help all prospective, current students and alumni with matters such as:

Student Service Centre

The Student Service Centre (SSC) is the centre of expertise in student counselling at the University of Groningen. Student counsellors, psychologists and trainers work at the SSC to help you with your studies in various areas. You can choose from a wide range of support facilities, including: information and advice, individual interviews, short-term therapy and a range of workshops and training courses. Together, we prevent and limit any obstacles that you may encounter during your studies, so that you can develop yourself optimally.

The SSC kindly invites all FSE students to watch our online video presentations regarding various support topics that may become relevant during your study time in Groningen. These digital information sessions are available here.This website also contains additional written information about many interesting support topics.

Topics that will be tackled in our video presentations include:

  • Courses / workshops for study support, organised by the trainers
  • Psychological / mental support offered by the psychologists
  • Information and advice from the student counsellors
  • Financial support from the Graduation Fund / profileringsfonds
  • Studying with a functional impairment or chronic disease
  • Exam facilities
  • Modern Migration legislation for non-EU/EEA students

Representatives of the SSC will be available during the FSE Information Market in September, to answer any remaining questions that you may have about our services.

Mobility, Internship & Career Services (MIC)
  • Looking for a challenge alongside your studies?
  • Want to prepare for your career?
  • Want to broaden your skills and experiences outside your study programme?


If one of the answers is ‘yes’ then the MIC is the place to be! To ensure that your skills align with the demands of today's labor market, the MIC offers a range of services to support your personal and professional development. From Career workshops on communication and assistance with writing a CV to virtual internships and a mobility abroad. Within our office you will find a team of dedicated professionals, passionate about helping you succeed!We look forward to meeting you at MIC!

Mobility
Thinking about going abroad during your Bachelor's programme?The Mobility, Internship & Career Services (MIC) of the Faculty of Science and Engineering assists FSE-students with studying abroad, and international students with studying at the FSE for short periods. We know that arranging an exchange can be a time consuming matter. You need to take care of a lot of things and start well in advance! The Mobility, Internship & Career Services (MIC) of FSE would like to guide you through the steps you need to take.So, visit us if you:

  • are interested in going abroad during your Bachelor's programme,
  • would like to find out about the options to go abroad,
  • would like to know what the requirements are to be able to go abroad,
  • would like to know what the advantages of going abroad can be,
  • have any other exchange related questions you would like to ask

Internships
Internships of Mobility, Internships & Career Services is the central point of contact for practical information about internships. This involves among other things funding options, insurance and support in the process of finding research options. By internships we mean internships, research projects and all other outplacements when the outplacement does not involve course work.

What do we do at Internships?
We inform and assist outgoing students in the process of finding an internship or a research project (national and international);

  • We inform outgoing students about the scholarship possibilities;
  • We Inform and assist incoming students with the practical matters such as registration;
  • We check internship agreements.

Career Services
We welcome you to the Faculty of Science and Engineering. You are about to start your studies. You might not realize, but in the coming years you will prepare yourself for your future career. Alongside your study programme, where you will gain the necessary academic knowledge and skills, it is important to develop your soft skills that will help you in your future career. Career Services FSE is here to help you with exactly that. (*) Links below only work when you are logged in as a student.

What do we offer at Career Services?

  • Vacancy database
    Looking for a job as a student assistant or teaching assistant? Lecturers and other employees of the FSE work with student assistants and teaching assistants to get all the work at the faculty done. A lot of students work as a student assistant or teaching assistant, it is a paid, usually part time, job alongside your studies. Looking for a job as a student assistant or teaching assistant? Please visit the Career Tab on the student portal for job vacancies for student assistants or for teaching assistants.
  • Checks of CV, motivation letter and LinkedIn profile & photo shoots
    Found a job you want to apply for? Please visit the Career Services Desk FSE on tour for free advice and tips on your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Also valuable when you apply for a student assistant or teaching assistant job. You can also have your profile picture taken at the desk on tour.
  • Workshops
    Career Services organizes (online) workshops so you can develop skills necessary for your future job(s). During career workshops you mostly develop your soft skills, such as networking and how to make a job interview a success. While your study programme does not teach you these skills, developing them is necessary to get and keep a job after you graduate.
  • FSE Career Day
    The FSE Career Day is a yearly event where all FSE students are welcome to participate in all kinds of activities to help you prepare for your future career. The target audience of the FSE Career Day is master students, however all FSE students are more then welcome to join. The next FSE Career Day takes place on May 15, 2024 in the FSE buildings at Zernike. More information will follow closer to the event.
  • Career activities at the study associations
    Where the activities of Career Services focus on getting to know yourself and developing yourself and your skills, the study associations focus on helping you to  connect to the labour market. We highly recommend you to join your study association so you can also take part in their career activities.

Teacher Training Programmes

You can obtain a Teaching Qualification for Dutch high-schools for the subjects Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computing Science or Biology during or after your studies at FSE. Find us at the information market to discover the different options.

Global & Intercultural Engagement Distinction (GIED)

We all live, work and study in an increasingly global and interconnected world. To help prepare students for work in an international and intercultural (research) team and an increasingly global workplace, FSE offers the 30 ECTS extracurricular Global & Intercultural Engagement Distinction (GIED) programme to both Bachelor and Master's students. GIED will help you increase your language and intercultural skills, and your labour market value.

For more information visit www.rug.nl/fse/gied.

Escape Room

On Thursday, 7 September 2023, there will be an escape room game organised by Expinc on the Zernike Campus. Limited spots are available. The sign-up will be organised in mentor groups and your mentor will sign your team up.

Introduction Camp

A great way to get to know your fellow students as soon as possible, is the Introduction camp, organized by the study association of your degree programme.

Dear prospective first-year student,

You have made an excellent choice in joining us here in Groningen at the RUG! We are thrilled to welcome you to the Faculty of Science and Engineering during the upcoming academic year. This year, like every other year, there will be an introductory camp which we call the Pienterkamp! This camp is a way to meet your fellow first-year students in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy.

Pienterkamp will be held on the weekend before the first week of the academic year, which will be Friday the 1st of September till Sunday the 3rd. On Friday there will be an Introduction Day on campus organized by the university, after which we will start Pienterkamp right away! (Mathematics and Applied Mathematics students have this Introduction Day later in the week) Costs will be around 50 euros, the exact value is yet to be determined.

Friday afternoon, directly after the university Introduction session, we will bike together to the Loryann in Bakkeveen. This will be a journey of about 40 km so make sure to pack some snacks and water. Your luggage will be brought to the camp location, so you won’t have to worry about dragging your stuff with you on your bike. Please do not pack too heavily though! When we arrive at the Loryann, we have a nice evening planned, including a lovely dinner and a pub quiz.

On Saturday, you’ll have the pleasure of meeting our lovely and holy Pienterkamp tradition called vlaby, which we dare not speak about until the weekend. Furthermore, we will play some sports and finish the day with a BBQ and an exciting activity in the woods nearby.

Sunday will be a chill day, where there is the option to go swimming or just hang out in the common rooms. After lunch, Pientercamp will sadly be over and we will bike back to Groningen.

This camp is a lovely opportunity to meet your fellow first-year students, so make sure to check out the website where more information will be provided such as what to pack, the definitive price, and when you can sign up. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send us an email at mail@pienterkamp.nl.

Hope to see you there!

Kind regards,

The amazing Pienter committee <3

Last modified:05 February 2024 3.28 p.m.