Semester Information for Astronomy and Astrophysics Majors and Minors

Students who began their degree under quarters will not be penalized as the university moves to a semester schedule, either in terms of progress towards their degree or their expected date of graduation. Ohio State's committment to this policy is stated explicitly in the Semester Conversion Pledge to Students.

The first term on the new semester system will be Summer 2012. Students scheduled to graduate after this date are strongly encouraged to prepare well in advance to minimize potential complications. All Astronomy and Astrophysics majors are strongly encouraged to work out transition plans with the Astronomy Department's Directory of Undergraduate Studies. Sample transition plans are available below.

Effective Autumn 2012 we also expect the name of the major and minor programs to change to from Astronomy to Astronomy and Astrophysics. Below is a summary of how the astronomy and astrophysics major will change and guidelines on how to plan your coursework to insure a smooth transition.

Transition Policy and Sample Transition Plans

Nearly all of the courses required for the major and minor programs translate directly from 5-hour quarter courses to 3-hour semester courses. The only exception is Astronomy 295, a 1-hour quarter seminar that students must take twice on the quarter system. This will be replaced with a 1-hour semester seminar, Astronomy 2895, which students will take only once. As of Autumn 2012, any student who has completed either one quarter of Astronomy 295 or one semester of Astronomy 2895 will be deemed to have met the seminar requirement.

Transition policies for the required or prerequisite physics and math courses have been established by the Departments of Physics and Mathematics, respectively. Students can minimize their own transition difficulties by making sure that they do the following during the 2011-12 academic year:

First-year students in 2011-2012 should refer to the 1 year quarters plus 3 years semesters transition plan. Students should make certain that they have completed Math 153 and Physics 133 by the end of Spring 2012.

Second-year students in 2011-2012 should refer to the 2 years quarters plus 2 years semesters transition plan. Students should make certain that they have completed Math 254, 415, 513, and 568 and Physics 263 by the end of Spring 2012.

Third-year students in 2011-2012 should refer to the 3 years quarters plus 1 year semesters transition plan. Students should make certain that they have completed Physics 632 and 656 by the end of Spring 2012. Double majors with physics should complete Physics 633 and 657.

Proposed Astronomy and Astrophysics Major Curriculum Under Semesters

The Astronomy Department has developed a proposal for the astronomy major curriculum under semesters. While this curriculum has not yet been formally approved by the Office of Academic Affairs, and in particular the new course numbers may still change, we expect the curriculum will approximately have this form:

Prerequisites

Semester Course	Semester Hrs	Quarter Equivalent	Qtr Hrs
Math 1151 Calculus I	5	Math 151-153 (with Math 1152)	5 each
Math 1152 Calculus II1	5	Math 151-153 (with Math 1151)	5 each
Math 2153 Calculus III1	3	Math 254	5
Physics 1250/1250H Mechanics, Thermal Physics, and Waves	5	Physics 131-133 (with Physics 1250)	5 each
Physics 1251/1251H E&M, Optics, and Modern Physics	5	Physics 131-133 (with Physics 1251)	5 each

Major Program

Semester Course	Semester Hrs	Quarter Equivalent	Qtr Hrs
Astron 2895 Seminar	1	Astron 295	1 + 1
Astron 2291 Basic Astrophysics and Planetary Astronomy	3	Astron 291	5
Astron 2292 Stellar, Galactic, and Extragalactic Astronomy & Astrophysics	3	Astron 292	5
Astron 3350 Methods of Astronomical Observation and Data Analysis	3	Astron 350	5
Astron 5681 Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis2	3	Astron 681	5
Astron 5682 Introduction to Cosmology2	3	Astron 682	5
CSE 1222 Intro to C++	2	CSE 202	4
Math 2568 Linear Algebra2,3	3	Math 568	4
Math 2415 Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations2,3,4	3	Math 415	3
Physics 2300 Dynamics of Particles and Waves I	4	Physics 261-263 (with Physics 2301)	4 each
Physics 2301 Dynamics of Particles and Waves II	4	Physics 261-263 (with Physics 2300)	4 each
Physics 3700 Methods in Experimental Physics	3	Physics 416	4
Physics 5400 Electricity & Magnetism I	4	Physics 555, 656, 657 (with Physics 5401)	4 each
Physics 5401 Electricity & Magnetism II5	4	Physics 555, 656, 657 (with Physics 5400)	4 each
Physics 5500 Quantum Mechanics I	4	Physics 631-633 (with Physics 5501)	4 each
Physics 5501 Quantum Mechanics II5	4	Physics 631-633 (with Physics 5500)	4 each
Physics 5600 Statistical Physics	4	Physics 621 and part of 622	4

Sample Astronomy and Astrophysics Curriculum on Semesters

Notes:

1) An acceptable substitute math sequence is Math 1151 - 1172 - 2173 - 2568 - 2415. More advanced students may also substitute Math 1161 - 2162 in place of Math 1151 - 1152 - 1153 or Math 1151 - 1172 - 2173. Math 1151 - 1152 - 2153 - 2174 and Math 1151 - 1172 - 2173 - 2174 also meet the minimal requirements, but are not recommended for students who plan to go to graduate school.

2) Only one of Astron 5681 and 5682 will be required.

3) Math 4551 Vector Analysis is also recommended for students who plan to go to graduate school.

4) Math 2255 Differential Equations and Their Applications is an acceptable substitute for Math 2415

5) Only one of Physics 5401 and 5501 will be required, both are recommended.

Proposed Astronomy and Astrophysics Minor Curriculum Under Semesters

Semester Course	Semester Hrs	Quarter Equivalent	Qtr Hrs
Astron 2291 Basic Astrophysics and Planetary Astronomy	3	Astron 291	5
Astron 2292 Stellar, Galactic, and Extragalactic Astronomy & Astrophysics	3	Astron 292	5
Astron 3350 Methods of Astronomical Observation and Data Analysis	3	Astron 350	5
Astron 5681 Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis1	3	Astron 681	5
Astron 5682 Introduction to Cosmology1	3	Astron 682	5
Physics 2300 Dynamics of Particles and Waves I1	4	Physics 261	4

Notes:

1) Only one of Astron 5681, Astron 5682, or Phys 2300 will be required.

For More Information

Please see the Physics Semester Conversion web page and the Math Semester Conversion web page for for more information about how their courses will change. General information is available at the website for Semester Conversion at the Office of Academic Affairs.

Current and potential astronomy and astrophysics majors and minors are encouraged to contact the Astronomy Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies for help with their transition plans:

Professor Paul Martini
Department of Astronomy
4021 McPherson Lab
140 West 18th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1173
Phone: +1 614 292-8632
Email: martini.10@osu.edu