Admission Eligibility
In order to be eligible for transfer into the University of Florida as an astronomy major, the prospective student must satisfy the transfer admission requirements of the University of Florida. Information for transfer students, provided by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, should also be sought. Note that the requirements are different depending on whether the student has an Associate of Arts from a Florida community college or state university other than UF and is thus covered by the state’s articulation agreement. Astronomy is technically a limited admission program, and therefore admissions to the major may be competitive; however, this depends on the space available and is usually not a problem.
Astronomy Program Preparation
Transfer students seeking admissions for the astronomy program should take the Analytic Geometry and Calculus series, MAC 2311, 2312, and 2313, and the General Physics with Calculus 1-2 series, PHY 2048 and 2049, along with their respective lab courses, PHY 2048L and 2049L; General Physics 1 Lab and General Physics 2 Lab. The course equivalency rule for the statewide-common-course numbering system applies; for example, PHY 1048 is considered equivalent to PHY 2048. If the student is enrolled in a private college or in an out-of-state college, they should take the nearest equivalent courses to these. The grades in these courses are a major determinant for acceptance at UF, and they are also a fairly strong indicator of your prospects for success in the astronomy program.
Students expressing having an interest in having some astronomy coursework done prior to UF should be aware that there are currently no institutions in the state of Florida that offer AST 3018 and 3019, Astronomy and Astrophysics 1-2; the introductory astronomy courses for the major. Some private colleges in Florida may have approximately equivalent courses, and some out-of-state universities do have such courses, but they’re quite rare. It is not recommended that you take courses for non-science majors such as AST 1002, Discovering the Universe; AST 2007, Solar System; or AST 2008, Stars and Galaxies; before coming to UF. Such courses do not count towards the major and do little to prepare one for the major courses. If the prospective student wishes to take one or two of those courses to aid in making the decision whether to pursue an astronomy major as a matter of interest in the subject there’s no penalty for doing so. A grade of less than B in such a course is not of itself a disqualification but is at least a serious red flag that you may not be successful in the major. A grade of C+ or lower along with other negative factors might adversely impact your chances of admission.
Astronomy Major for Transfer Students
The coursework required for the astronomy major depends on which degree the student is seeks to purse; the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) or the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). The math and physics courses required for the B.Sc. closely parallel those required for the physics major; one of the principal differences is the general chemistry requirement (CHM 2045, 2045L, 2046), but there are a few others also. Because of this similarity some astronomy students opt to double major in physics. If one would like to double major in astronomy and physics, they should consult with Dr. Amlan Biswas, Undergraduate Coordinator in Physics.
The suggested semester plans for astronomy majors entering as freshmen both include taking AST 3018 and 3019 in the second year. Obviously this isn’t possible for a junior transfer student except in those extremely rare cases noted above when the prior school has equivalent courses to those. Because those courses must be completed before any of the 4000-level courses are taken, and the 4000-level courses are normally offered only one per semester, the practical effect is to shift the program for such students by one year. The required course offerings for the major beyond the 3000 level are prescribed according to a two-year cycle, as laid out in the offered undergraduate astronomy courses.
Following either semester plan, a transfer student would expect to take three years or six semesters to finish. However, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ordinarily expects junior transfer students to finish in five semesters, with no more than 137 total credits including those transferred in. With the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in particular this restriction requires some care in course planning.
It’s strongly recommended that the student plan on entering UF in the fall term. A student who starts in the spring can’t start AST 3018 because it’s only offered in the fall term, and she or he can’t take AST 3019 (which is only offered in the spring) because AST 3018 is a prerequisite for it. He or she can start on the physics courses required (assuming that PHY 2048 and 2049 have already been completed), but because of the restriction above and the fact that the first whole year none of the 4000-level courses can be taken (because 3018 and 3019 both are prerequisites) there’s only one year left to finish those courses, which is extremely difficult because of the one-course-per-term cycle.
The problem transfer B.Sc. students face with the 4000-level courses can be mitigated in two ways. First, there’s an “extra” course beyond the one per term, namely AST 4723C, Observational Techniques 2. Like the others, it’s normally offered once every two years. However, the timing of that may not work out for every student. Second, the B.S. students in particular are encouraged to sign up for AST 4905, Individual Study, to gain research experience, as is discussed in the last paragraph of the B. S. part of the astronomy major writeup. Ordinarily a student signs up for three credits of 4905 at a time. As many as six credits can be used towards the four-course requirement, but no more than that. By this means two of the five 4000-level lecture courses can be replaced, and research can be taken in the same term as a lecture course, which can reduce the length of time to the degree as much as a year.
Transfer students pursuing the B.A. are not impacted as heavily by the time constraint because they aren’t required to take the four 4000-level courses but at most four and possibly even fewer. They can even take AST 3043, History of Astronomy through Newton, without having to complete AST 3018 and 3019 first.