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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 196 credit hours, although astronomy majors normally will exceed this number. Included in this total are courses in English, foreign language (Russian, German, French or Spanish is recommended for astronomy majors and Spanish is probably the most useful for observationally-oriented students), mathematics, social science, biological and physical science, arts and humanities, and history.
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 3.0 to 3.2, 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 suggested curriculum for a Bachelor of Science degree in astronomy is listed below. Math 151 is normally listed as a prerequisite for Physics 131; however, it is recommended that physics and astronomy majors take Physics H131 concurrently with Math 151, as shown on the curriculum. Note that the honors sequence in physics (H131, H132, H133) is given 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. Astronomy majors are eligible to use the "Drop-a GEC Option," and the suggested curriculum invokes this option to drop a Natural Science course. If an astronomy major decides to take Astronomy 171 and 172, then the "Drop-a-GEC Option" could be used for a different GEC, and the net increase in hours on the suggested curriculum would be five hours.
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. Note that Physics 596 also counts as the GEC third writing course. We encourage majors interested in graduate study in astronomy to consider a double major in physics and astronomy and to apply for our Summer Undergraduate Research Program and complete a thesis with Astronomy H783 their senior year.
| First Year | Credit | |
| Autumn Quarter | Hours | |
| P | Mathematics 151, Calculus and Analytic Geometry | 5 |
| P | GEC (physical science) Physics H131, Particles and Motion | 5 |
| GEC (English 110 or 111) | 5 | |
| Survey course | 1 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| P | Mathematics 152, More Calculus and Analytic Geometry | 5 |
| P | GEC (physical science) Physics H132, Electricity and Magnetism | 5 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| P | Mathematics 153, Still more Calculus and Analytic Geometry | 5 |
| P | GEC (physical science) Physics H133, Thermal and Quantum Physics | 5 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Autumn Quarter | ||
| P | Mathematics 254, Last course in Calculus and Analytic Geometry | 5 |
| M | Physics 261, Particles and Waves I | 4 |
| M | Astronomy 291, Solar System Astronomy | 5 |
| GEC (foreign language) | 5 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| M | Mathematics 513, Vector Analysis | 3 |
| M | Physics 262, Particles and Waves II | 4 |
| M | Astronomy 292, Stellar and Galactic Astronomy | 5 |
| 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 |
| GEC (arts and humanities)1,2 | 5 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Autumn Quarter | ||
| M | Physics 555, Fields and Waves I | 4 |
| M | Physics 631, Quantum Physics I | 4 |
| M | Astronomy 350 (observational techniques) | 5 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| M | Physics 632, Quantum Physics II | 4 |
| M | Physics 656, Fields and Waves II | 4 |
| M4 | Astronomy 681 or 682 | 5 |
| GEC (second writing course)3 | 0-5 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| M | Physics 664 (Theoretical Mechanics) | 4 |
| GEC (social science)1,2 | 5 | |
| GEC (arts and humanities)1,2 | 5 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Autumn Quarter | ||
| M | Physics 621, Statistical Physics I | 4 |
| GEC (arts and humanities)1,2 | 5 | |
| GEC (social science)1,2 | 5 | |
| Elective or Senior Thesis | 3 | |
| Winter Quarter | ||
| Physics 622, Statistical Physics II | 4 | |
| M4 | Astronomy 681 or 682 | 5 |
| GEC (senior writing course) Physics 596 | 3 | |
| GEC (arts and humanities)1,2 | 5 | |
| Spring Quarter | ||
| GEC (arts and humanities)1,2 | 5 | |
| GEC (biological science) | 5 | |
| GEC (social science)1,2 | 5 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Total hours: | 199-204 |
| Total hours required or prerequisites for the Major Program: | 101 |
| Additional hours recommended for the Major Program: | 9 |
| Additional hours required by the GEC: | 73-78 |
| Electives: | 15 |
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 Math 601, 602 and 701 (Mathematical Methods in Science), as well as CSE 202 (C++ programming). 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 most valuable.
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
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Last Modified on Monday 2008 August 18 at 08:54:42 EDT
