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This sample curriculum is relevant for students who started no earlier than Summer Quarter 2007.
The Ohio State University offers the Bachelor of Science degree in astronomy. To receive this degree, a student must fulfill the requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and of the Department of Astronomy. Arts and Sciences requires undergraduates to complete at least 181 credit hours, although astronomy majors normally will exceed this number. Included in this total are courses in English, mathematics, social science, biological and physical science, arts and humanities, history, and foreign language. Of the foriegn language options, Russian, German, French or Spanish are recommended for astronomy majors and Spanish is probably the most useful for observationally-oriented students.
A Major Program, consisting of at least 40 credit hours of courses in physics, astronomy and mathematics, contains courses in which the student is required to receive at least a grade of C- on each course and an average grade of C. Courses usually included in the Major Program are preceded by an M in the listing below, while prerequisites to these courses have a P before them. Our recommended curriculum for the Bachelor of Science program is intended to prepare students for graduate study leading to a Ph.D. degree in astronomy; to be competitive for admission to most graduate schools in astronomy an undergraduate should have a grade point of at least 3.5, do well on the General and Physics Graduate Record Exam (GRE), and have some experience with a research project.
Modern astronomy is almost entirely the application of physics to the study the universe and objects contained in it. This study of astrophysics requires extensive training in physics and mathematics, as can be seen in the recommended courses for astronomy majors. The curriculum is highly structured, with lower level courses being required before taking the next higher courses, etc. The curriculum is also designed so that students interested in graduate study have completed most of their advanced physics coursework by the end of the third year and are better prepared to take the Physics GRE in the Autumn Quarter of the fourth year. In addition, most of the courses in a given subject must be taken in sequence. This means that a student who is delayed in taking the beginning math or physics courses can have graduation delayed and/or will need to attend summer school. Also, some upper level courses are offered only once a year, so that a student who is only one quarter behind the suggested curriculum may miss an offering of such a course and end up being delayed for a full year. Because of these conditions, care is required in planning the courses for a prospective astronomy major. The Astronomy Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies is also happy to meet with interested students to go over planning for courses (and for future careers). Contact information for the Director of Undergraduate Studies is provided below.
The recommended curriculum for a Bachelor of Science degree in astronomy is listed below. A concise list of all required courses is available on a separate webpage. Math 151 is normally listed as a prerequisite for Physics 131; however, physics and astronomy majors are strongly recommended to take Physics H131 concurrently with Math 151, as shown on the curriculum. Note that the honors sequence in physics (H131, H132, H133) is offered just once a year, starting in the autumn. A student who must postpone taking physics until a later quarter would take the non-honors 131-132-133 sequence. While some variations in the math and science courses are possible, such changes should be discussed with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. GEC stands for General Education Curriculum; these courses may be rearranged in the curriculum, although students are urged to take their beginning English course as soon as possible and defer most of their GEC requirements until the fourth year.
Students majoring in both physics and astronomy normally have the following courses in the astronomy major but not the physics major: Physics 596 and 664; Astronomy 291, 292, 350, 681, and 682. Some variation in these choices may occur depending on which option the student selects for the physics major. The Physics Department website lists a Double Major Sample Curriculum. We encourage majors interested in graduate study in astronomy to consider a double major in physics and astronomy, apply to our Summer Undergraduate Research Program, and complete an Undergraduate Thesis in Astronomy. This is necessary to be eligible for the graduation honor with research distinction in Astronomy.
Note that between 2008 and 2009 CSE 202, Physics 416, and Astronomy 295 were added to the astronomy major and Physics 664 was dropped. These changes are effective for all students who first enroll in Autumn 2008 or after. Students who enrolled before this date may follow either set of requirements in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
| First Year | Credit | |
| Autumn Quarter | Hours | |
| M | Astronomy 295, Undergraduate Seminar1 | 1 |
| MPS 100, Undergraduate Survey | 1 | |
| P | GEC (quantitative) Mathematics 151, Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | 5 |
| P | GEC (physical science) Physics H131, Particles and Motion | 5 |
| GEC (English 110) | 5 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| M | Astronomy 295, Undergraduate Seminar1 | 1 |
| P | GEC (quantitative) Mathematics 152, Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | 5 |
| P | GEC (physical science) Physics H132, Electricity and Magnetism | 5 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| P | GEC (additional breath) Mathematics 153, Calculus and Analytic Geometry III | 5 |
| P | GEC (physical science) Physics H133, Thermal and Quantum Physics | 5 |
| M | CSE 202, Intro to C++ Programming2 | 4 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Autumn Quarter | ||
| M | Astronomy 291, Solar System Astronomy | 5 |
| P | GEC (additional breath) Mathematics 254, Calculus and Analytic Geometry IV | 5 |
| M | Physics 261, Particles and Waves I | 4 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| M | Astronomy 292, Stellar and Galactic Astronomy | 5 |
| M | Mathematics 513, Vector Analysis | 3 |
| M | Physics 262, Particles and Waves II | 4 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| M | Mathematics 415, Differential Equations | 4 |
| M | Mathematics 568, Linear Algebra | 3 |
| M | Physics 263, Particles and Waves III | 4 |
| M | Physics 416, Methods of Experimental Physics2 | 4 |
| Third Year | ||
| Autumn Quarter | ||
| M | Astronomy 350, Observational Techniques3 | 5 |
| M | Physics 555, Fields and Waves I | 4 |
| M | Physics 631, Quantum Physics I | 4 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| M | Astronomy 681 or 6824 | 5 |
| M | Physics 632, Quantum Physics II | 4 |
| M | Physics 656, Fields and Waves II | 4 |
| GEC (second writing course)5 or Elective | 0-5 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| Physics 664 (Theoretical Mechanics)6 | 4 | |
| GEC (arts and humanities)7 | 5 | |
| GEC (social science)7 | 5 | |
| GEC (history)7 | 5 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Autumn Quarter | ||
| M | Physics 621, Statistical Physics I | 4 |
| GEC (arts and humanities)7 | 5 | |
| GEC (social science)7 | 5 | |
| Thesis or Elective | 3 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| M | Astronomy 681 or 6824 | 5 |
| Physics 622, Statistical Physics II | 4 | |
| Physics 596 (third writing course)8 | 3 | |
| Thesis or Elective | 3 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| GEC (biological science) | 5 | |
| GEC (history)7 | 5 | |
| Thesis or Elective | 3 | |
| Total hours: | 190-195 |
| Total hours required or prerequisites for the Major Program: | 101 |
| Additional hours recommended for the Major Program: | 16 |
| Additional hours required by the GEC: | 60-65 |
| Additional hours for new prerequisites | 8 |
| Electives: | 6-15 |
| Senior Thesis: | 0-9 |
Notes:
Students with superior preparation may be given credit for some of the lower level courses by passing a proficiency test in the relevant subject matter, so no one who already knows most of the material should have to sit through a course. Additional courses that would be useful for astronomy majors include CSE 202 (C++ programming), as well as Physics 730 (Methods of Theoretical Physics), CSE 640 (Numerical Analysis), Math 601, 602 and 701 (Mathematical Methods in Science). Students with superior mathematics abilities may take an accelerated version of the calculus and analytic geometry courses which cover the material in one or two fewer courses than listed above. Honors versions of some courses are available for particularly able students. Honors students in astronomy are especially encouraged to consider the advantages of participating in our Summer Undergraduate Research Program between their third and fourth years. In this program a student completes a research project in either theoretical or observational astronomy under the guidance of a faculty member and then enrolls in Astronomy H783 the following year to write a senior thesis. For students planning on graduate study, the experience, understanding and confidence that come from doing their own research are extremely valuable. Completion of an Undergraduate Thesis in Astronomy is a requirement for the graduation honor with research distinction in Astronomy, which is noted on the degree and permanent academic record.
Current and potential astronomy majors are also encouraged to contact the Astronomy Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies:
OSU Department of Astronomy | McPherson Laboratory 140 W 18th Avenue | Columbus, Ohio 43210-1173
Phone: 614-292-1773 | Fax: 614 292 2928 | More Contact Info | Accessibility Contact
If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact www@astronomy.ohio-state.edu.
Last Modified on Friday 2011 September 23 at 07:54:01 EDT
