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Astronomy and Astrophysics Major
Effective Winter 2013
May be elected as a departmental major; not open to those with a major in Interdisciplinary Astronomy
Prerequisites to the Major.
- Mathematics through MATH 216;
- PHYSICS 140/141, 240/241 (or Honors equivalents), and 340/341.
Program of study in a major.
- ASTRO 201, 361, 399, 402, 404, and 429
- Physics Core: PHYSICS 390, 401, 405, 453
- Electives/Cognates:
- One of the following mathematics courses: MATH 450, MATH 454, or PHYSICS 351 (preferred).
- In addition, all astronomy majors are required to elect one of the following:
- ASTRO 403, 405, or 420;
- PHYSICS 411;
- or, by permission of instructor, a 500-level ASTRO course..
Students are urged to complete the requirements in physics and mathematics as soon as possible. Students planning graduate work might benefit from knowledge of Spanish, but this is not essential.
Honors Plan. Students who are interested in scholarly research in astronomy and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 are encouraged to consider Honors major. Students with a lower GPA may be admitted to the program at the discretion of the department advisor. The program requires writing a senior Honors thesis based on research done in collaboration with a faculty member. Interested students should consult with the department advisor by the beginning of their junior year.