Academics » Undergraduate Studies

A good listing of undergraduate opportunities to conduct astronomy research can be found here. There are many excellent summer programs spread throughout the United States. They offer the chance to observe with telescopes, and to analyze images and spectra of astronomical objects such as extrasolar planets, hot stars, and distant galaxies. If you are interested in applying to graduate schools in astronomy or in physics, a description of the process, and helpful hints, can be found here, and a list of many astronomical departments and institutions worldwide can be found here.

A complete listing of our undergraduate astronomy courses can be found here.

If you are already registered for an introductory class (105G or 110G), please check here for important information about your course. Maps showing the location of our main classroom, BX 102, can be found here, and showing the location of the on-campus Tombaugh Observatory can be found here.

The Astronomy Department is pleased to offer a minor degree in astronomy. This provides an attractive opportunity for physics (and other science) majors to broaden their experiences, and to prepare for graduate work in astronomy or astrophysics. It also enables interested students to participate in astronomical research during their undergraduate training. The requirements for the astronomy minor are as follows.

1. Three lower division courses, to be selected as follows:

A. One of two 100-level astronomy courses, both of which are available every semester:

B. Two of four 300-level courses offered under the Viewing a Wider World GE curriculum, two of which are available every semester:

One or both 300-level courses may be replaced by 3 or 6 credits of Astr 400 (undergraduate research), provided that there is a faculty member who has a suitable research project with a role for an upper level physics or science student. Interested students should begin this process early, by initiating discussions with an appropriate faculty member.

2. Three higher division courses, each of which are available once every year.

The three 400-level courses are each cross-listed with equivalent courses at the 500 level. Astr 405 and 406 form a two-semester series covering general astrophysics. The first semester (Astr 405) focuses on radiative processes, stellar and galactic spectra, and celestial mechanics, and reviews astronomical applications of classical mechanics, optics, and probability. The second semester (Astr 406) concentrates on dynamics and hydrodynamics. Astr 435, offered in the fall, discusses telescopes, cameras and spectrographs, observational techniques, and data reduction and analysis in the optical and infrared wavelength regimes.

Undergraduates must obtain the consent of the instructor to enroll in 400-level courses within the department; approval is dependent upon having the required skills and background. Students interested in the astronomy minor degree should thus contact the astronomy department head, or one of the other faculty members, as early as possible to make sure they are well informed on the requirements. In particular, the 400-level courses require strong preparation in mathematics and physics. Students should be comfortable with calculus, including integration and differentiation, statistics and probability, and basic physics, including some classical mechanics, thermodynamics, and modern physics.