Astronomy, Ph.D.

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Return to: 3460 Department of Physics and Astronomy

Degree Requirements

Prior to registration each semester, students should be advised by either the chair of the department or the director of graduate studies. Please note, graduate assistants are required to enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours each for the fall/spring semesters and 9 credit hours for the summer semester. These credit hours will consist of courses required for the prescribed 71 hour program of study, as well as additional hours of ASTR 9999 , ASTR 8710 , and ASTR 8910 .

Students are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Courses in which a student earns a grade of “C+” or lower cannot count toward the student’s overall degree credit hours.

Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy

(Minimum of 71 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree)

Students Must Either Complete or Exempt (0-23 Credit-Hours)

Exemption from these courses may be granted on the basis of testing or of having successfully completed similar courses elsewhere. Students not exempting at least four courses must take more than the 71 minimum hours required for the degree.

ASTR 6510 - Astrophysics of Stars and Planets 3 Credit Hours
ASTR 6520 - Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics 3 Credit Hours
PHYS 6510 - Mathematics of Physics I 3 Credit Hours
PHYS 6520 - Mathematics of Physics II 3 Credit Hours
PHYS 6810 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics 3 Credit Hours
PHYS 7600 - Classical Mechanics 4 Credit Hours
PHYS 7700 - Electricity and Magnetism 4 Credit Hours

Mathematics

Students must have competence in the following areas of mathematics: matrix algebra, vector and tensor analysis, partial differential equations, Fourier series and boundary value problems, and complex variables.

Required Courses (20 Hours)

Students seeking a Ph.D. degree in astronomy must complete the following six core courses:

ASTR 6100 - Astronomical Techniques and Instrumentation 3 Credit Hours
ASTR 6200 - Astronomical Data Analytics 3 Credit Hours
ASTR 8000 - Stellar Atmospheres and Spectroscopy 4 Credit Hours
ASTR 8100 - Stellar Structure and Evolution 4 Credit Hours
ASTR 8300 - The Interstellar Medium 3 Credit Hours
ASTR 8400 - Extragalactic Astronomy 3 Credit Hours
Students seeking a Ph.D. degree in Astronomy must complete at least 15 additional hours of 8000-level astronomy courses, including at least two (but no more than three) hours of ASTR 8900 - Seminar in Astronomy . No more than three hours of either ASTR 8710 - Research Topics in Astronomy or ASTR 8910 - Directed Study in Astronomy can count against the 71 hour program of study. Alternatively, up to 12 hours of 8000-level physics (PHYS) or computer science (CSC) courses may be counted against the minimum of 15 additional hours

Satisfactory Completion of

ASTR 6300 - Teaching Astronomy 2 Credit Hours (one hour)
ASTR 6310 - Teaching Astronomy Lab Practicum 1 Credit Hours (two hours)

Required Minimum of 30 Hours

A minimum of 30 hours of ASTR 9999 - Doctoral Dissertation Research must be completed; only 34 hours of these count against the 71 hour program of study for the Ph.D.

Language or Research Skill

Proficiency in an approved language or research skill. Contact the graduate director for details.

Teaching Experience

Students must serve as teaching assistants for at least five instructed lab sections (e.g. lab sections of PHYS 1111K, PHYS 1112K, ASTR 1010K, ASTR 1020K or equivalent). Large or more involved lab sections may count as more than one lab section, as determined by the associated Graduate Director. It is recommended that a lab be taught concurrently with PHYS/ASTR 6310 Teaching Lab Practicum.

General Examinations

Students seeking a Ph.D. degree in Astronomy must take the first astronomy general examination, administered as a written examination covering the fundamentals of astronomy, within a year of entering the program.
Students seeking a Ph.D. degree in Astronomy must also take the second general examination, administered as a written and oral examination, after passing at least twelve hours of 8000-level astronomy courses.

Physics M.S. with a Concentration in Astronomy

Students pursuing the Ph.D. degree are strongly urged to satisfy the requirements for the Physics M.S. with a Concentration in Astronomy (non-thesis option) as soon as possible after entering the program. See the director of graduate studies for details.

An Oral Presentation

An oral presentation and discussion of the student’s proposed dissertation research, by the end of the third year after admission to the program.