Creating the astrophysicists of tomorrow EU project designs university course in astrophysics and astronomy for high-achieving students The Erasmus Mundus European Master ‘Astromundus’ is a course on astrophysics and astronomy for master’s degree students, helping them ahead in their career. The two-year course was designed by professors from the uni- versities of Innsbruck (Austria), Padua and Rome (Italy), Gottingen (Germany), Belgrade (Serbia), and EU-funded scholarships Photo: © University of Innsbruck have boosted numbers taking part. Students on the programme start their study in Innsbruck focusing on astronomy and basics and then they can choose which partner university they wish Key facts and figures to attend. Erasmus+ Participants: Countries: The main topics covered by the course are galactic astrophysics Field: Higher Education 116 4 (including the sun, solar system and the Milky Way); solar astro- Action: Erasmus Mundus physics and space weather; extra solar planets; extragalactic Joint Master Degrees EU grant: Project duration: astrophysics (including the evolution of the galaxy and star € 3,007,400 2010-2016 formation), cosmology, astroparticle physics, gravitational waves, observational astrophysics from the ground and space, Project title and computational astrophysics. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree programme in Astronomy At the end of each two-year cycle the best master’s thesis and Astrophysics (Astromundus) is awarded a prize. Students come from all over the world, but they must have a degree in physics, astronomy, astrophysics or mathematics to be accepted for the course. Student Yana Khusanova said: I cannot describe in words how Astromundus changed my life and how many things " I learned! I hope that all talented students will be able to pursue their dreams like I did!” Following the course, the majority of graduates take their study to PhD level at universities or research insti- tutes all over the world including South Africa, Serbia, Turkey and the USA. Lead organisation Name: University of Innsbruck Location: Innsbruck, Austria Website: www.uibk.ac.at More information Project website: Partners Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany; Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy; www.astromundus.eu University of Rome, Italy; University of Belgrade, Serbia The Erasmus+ Project Results Platform: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/ projects Erasmus+.