Education

The Astronomy Department at the University of Florida offers a choice of bachelor's degrees. If you want to be a professional astronomer the Ph.D. is virtually a requirement. The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is the first step along that path. On the other hand, if you're interested in astronomy but don't desire to make it your profession, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) gives you the opportunity to pursue that interest in a serious way while adding to your skill set in mathematics and science and, if you wish, at the same time prepare yourself for a profession outside the sciences.

There's a group of students interested in astronomy and astrophysics sponsored by the department called the Undergraduate Astrophysics Society. It's a way for astronomy majors to share their interest as well as socialize. Talks are given by department faculty and graduate students as well as members on topics of current interest at meetings every two weeks during the fall and spring terms. The UAS also has a trip to Rosemary Hill Observatory from time to time, and it's closely involved with the department's outreach effort, for example at Public Nights at the Campus Teaching Observatory and the Museum Night programs at the Florida State Museum. While many of the members are astronomy majors, anyone else who likes astronomy is welcome.

Bachelor of Science

The B.S. is designed to prepare students for graduate study in astronomy or astrophysics, but it could also serve as a basis for graduate work in physics or planetary science. In addition to foundation courses in mathematics, physics, and astronomy it entails taking a variety of upper-level astronomy and physics courses. Advanced courses in mathematics and computer science are suggested but not required. The courses that are required of all B.S. students are:

In addition to the above the student is required to take five (5) 4000-level AST courses and one of the following physics courses: PHY 3513, Thermal Physics; PHY 4422, Optics; PHY 4523, Statistical Physics; or PHY 4604, Intro to Quantum Mechanics. The prerequisites for these courses may be found in the Undergraduate Catalog with the astronomy course descriptions, the physics course descriptions, or the mathematics course descriptions.

Some substitutions are routinely permitted or even encouraged. Students who are qualified to take the Honors accelerated general physics courses PHY 2060 and 2061 should do so. To find out if you're qualified, please discuss your background with either the Undergraduate Coordinator in Physics, Dr. Selman Hershfield, or the Undergraduate Coordinator in Astronomy. PHY 3063, Enriched Modern Physics, may be taken instead of PHY 3101. Also, PHZ 3113, Introduction to Theoretical Physics, may be substituted for PHY 3221 on a case-by-case basis

There's a very high degree of overlap between the astronomy B.S. and the physics B.A. at UF, and it isn't uncommon for astronomy students to double major with either the physics B.A. or the B.S. In that case the student will need to take the general chemistry courses CHM 2045 and 2046 and the lab CHM2045L together with a few other courses depending on whether the B.A. or B.S. is sought. For advising on the physics major you should consult Dr. Hershfield.

The order in which the required courses are taken depends partly on the prerequisites and partly on when the various courses are offered. Some information about course offerings and scheduling may be found at the Astronomy Courses Web page. A suggested semester plan for the B.S. degree can be found at the astronomy major section of the Undergraduate Catalog. The plan is not rigid; the only absolute requirement is that the student must satisfy the critical tracking criteria for each semester listed right above the semester plan. The "generic" designations such as GE-H, which stands for General Education -- Humanities, can be freely switched around among themselves.

It's highly recommended that students acquire some research experience before they enter graduate school. To do this they can take three or more credits of AST 4905, Individual Work, with one of the faculty. The course will involve working on a one-on-one basis with the faculty member and/or a graduate student supervised by the faculty member. Another way of gaining research experience is participation in one of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs around the US sponsored by the National Science Foundation; there's a comprehensive list of programs by discipline that you can look over, including not only astronomy but also atmospheric sciences, mathematics, and physics. NASA has an internship program, the Undergraduate Student Research Project, which involves working at one of the NASA centers for a semester. The Nucleus, a clearing site for information for physics and astronomy students, has a comprehensive list of opportunities for summer research. UF's physics department also has research opportunities. The Honors Office maintains a university-wide database of undergraduate research opportunities, and a particular part of that is for research in agricultural, engineering, mathematical, and physical sciences. You can call the Honors Office at 392-1519 or email them at research@honors.ufl.edu if you have any questions. Ideally you shouldn't start research until you've had AST 3018 and 3019, and some of these programs require junior or senior standing.

Bachelor of Arts

The B.A. is broader and less specialized than the B.S., with much greater choice in course selection. It has the aim, like the B.S., of developing and sharpening analytical and quantitative reasoning, yet it allows cultivation of a broader range of knowledge than with the B.S., one that can be applied to a variety of career options. This greater flexibility was mainly obtained by dropping 12 credits of physics courses from the list of requirements.

The B.A. can be simply a terminal liberal degree, much like any liberal arts degree such as philosophy or English but with a much stronger quantitative background. On the other hand, it can serve as a foundation for pursuit of a career in business, law or medicine, or education when combined with appropriate courses. For example, to prepare for medical school the student would take the usual premed courses in chemistry, biology, organic chemistry and biochemistry in addition to the astronomy, physics and math as required by the major. The required courses for astronomy, which are to be understood as comprising merely the minimum, are listed in the following table.

In addition to the above the student is required to take at least three (3) more 3000- and 4000-level AST courses and an additional course at the same level that is either AST or PHY or PHY 2464, The Physical Basis of Music. While MAP 2302, Elementary Differential Equations, is not required the student is recommended to take STA 2023, Intro to Statistics 1. With the exception of AST 3043 these courses have prerequisites; to determine those, please consult the astronomy course descriptions, the physics course descriptions, or the mathematics course descriptions from the Undergraduate Catalog.

A suggested semester plan for the B.A. may be found at the astronomy major section of the catalog. Information about scheduling is at the Astronomy Courses Web page, in the section on courses for the major.

For those of you who intend the B.A. to be simply a liberal degree rather than preprofessional the following courses are proposed for your consideration:

These are merely suggestions, however.

If you have any questions about the astronomy program, including anything about scheduling for an upcoming term or applying for graduation, please contact the Undergraduate Coordinator for Astronomy at hsmith @ astro.ufl.edu. (Questions about financial aid should be addressed to the University's Student Financial Affairs Office.)

Academic Learning Compact for Astronomy