Astronomy and Astrophysics

Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
A&A Student Affairs Office
SERF 3rd Floor, Suite 322
https://astro.ucsd.edu/

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Graduate Program

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics offers curricula leading to the following degrees:

MS, Astronomy

PhD, Astronomy

The Astronomy PhD program is designed for students interested in specialized advanced training in topics of astronomy. Graduate students have the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge astronomical and astrophysical research while training at UC San Diego. Research in astronomy spans practice in experimentation, computation, observation, and theory, and includes research in star and planet formation and evolution, galaxy formation and evolution, plasma astrophysics, general relativity, nuclear and particle astrophysics, cosmology, astrobiology, and astronomical instrumentation. UC San Diego has access to a number of prime astronomy research facilities, including the W.M. Keck Observatory, Lick Observatory, and the Simons Observatory, as well as all U.S. national facilities. Graduate students will also have the opportunity to take courses aimed at preparing them for a successful career in astronomy and astrophysics or related fields. The program is structured to get students involved in research as early as possible in their career, while also offering additional opportunities in teaching and professional development.

Entering graduate students are recommended to have a sound knowledge of undergraduate mechanics, electricity, and magnetism; to have had senior courses or their equivalent in atomic and quantum physics, nuclear physics, and thermodynamics; to have taken upper-division laboratory work; and to have taken course instruction in astrophysics.

Doctoral Degree Program in Astronomy

The Astronomy PhD program is designed for students interested in specialized advanced training in topics of astronomy. Research in astronomy spans practice in experimentation, computation, observation, and theory, and includes research in astrobiology, solar system, star and planet formation and evolution, galaxy formation and evolution, interstellar medium, stellar remnants, plasma astrophysics, general relativity, nuclear and particle astrophysics, cosmology, and astronomical instrumentation.

The graduate advisory committee is responsible for student progress tracking, review of remedial/terminal degree plans, assigning qualification committees, and coordinating course teaching assignments. First-year students will be assigned an academic mentor upon matriculation into the program. This adviser will be primarily responsible for tracking the progress of the student and completing an annual progress review. Once the student selects a research/dissertation supervisor, the research adviser will have primary responsibility for completion of annual reviews. There is no foreign language requirement.

Entrance Testing

There is no entrance exam for the astronomy PhD program.

Requirements for the PhD

Students are required to pass core courses, advanced graduate courses, teaching requirements (completion of at least one quarter or equivalent as a teaching assistant), the PhD candidacy examination, and a final defense of the dissertation as described below.

1. Core Courses and Electives for Qualification

Unit requirements for completion of the PhD degree encompasses a total of ten graduate courses (thirty-eight units total): seven core courses (including teaching instruction), three elective courses, and one teaching instruction course. In addition, students must complete two quarters (eight units) of Directed Studies in Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASTR 298) prior to their qualification exam. These course requirements must be completed by the end of the second year, unless an approved exception is made by the graduate advisory committee. Students must achieve a GPA ≥ 3.0 in required course work.

2. Advanced Graduate Courses

The Astronomy PhD curriculum has been designed to provide students with broad intellectual and skills training necessary for research and careers in both astronomy and related fields.

Core A (fourteen units): Students will be required to complete each of the following four courses for a letter grade, with the exception of PHYS 500 for which a passing grade is required (S):

ASTR 200. Survey of Astronomy (four units)
ASTR 201. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics (four units)
ASTR 202. Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics (four units)
ASTR 500. Astronomical Teaching Training (two units)

Core B (twelve units): Students will be required to complete three of the following five courses for a letter grade:

ASTR 210. Planets and Exoplanets (four units)
ASTR 211. Stellar Structure and Evolution (four units)
ASTR 212. Physics of the Interstellar Medium (four units)
ASTR 213. Galaxies and Galactic Dynamics (four units)
PHYS 227. Cosmology (four units)

Electives (twelve units): Students will also be required to complete three courses (not overlapping with those listed above) among the following courses for a letter grade:

ASTR 210. Planets and Exoplanets (four units)
ASTR 211. Stellar Structure and Evolution (four units)
ASTR 212. Physics of the Interstellar Medium (four units)
ASTR 213. Galaxies and Galactic Dynamics (four units)
ASTR 214. Physical Cosmology (four units)
ASTR 215. Stellar Remnants (four units)
ASTR 220. Astronomical Instrumentation and Observational Techniques (four units)
ASTR 221. Computational Astrophysics (four units)
ASTR 222. Astrophysical Kinetics (four units)
ASTR 223. Astrostatistics (four units)
ASTR 224. Astrophysical Dynamics (four units)
ASTR 225. Astrophysical Plasmas (four units)
ASTR 226. Observational Astrophysics Lab (four units)
ASTR 227. Parallel Computing Techniques (four units)
ASTR 230. Special Topics (four units)
Any one (four unit) graduate-level course in PHYS, CSE, MAE, SIO, CHEM, and DSE, subject to approval by the vice chair of graduate studies and graduate advisory committee.

Students are required to participate in six quarters of Astronomy and Astrophysics Colloquium (ASTR 250; two units per quarter) and six quarters of Astronomy of Astrophysics Journal Club (ASTR 251; one unit per quarter).

Students are required to complete two quarters of Directed Studies in Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASTR 298) with at least four units per quarter with a Satisfactory (S) grade in preparation for the qualifying examination.

3. Qualifying Examination

Students will be required to complete a research-based written report and oral qualifying exam before the end of their second year. Both the written report and oral presentation will focus on novel research completed by the student advised by a participating faculty member as part of the Directed Studies in Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASTR 298) requirement. The written report will be submitted in advance of the oral exam and is expected to be in the style of a published peer-review journal article. The oral presentation will be approximately thirty minutes in length and will focus primarily on the context, methods, results, and implications of the research study. The oral presentation will be followed by questions on the specific research project and astronomical fundamentals covered in the required core courses. Standardized assessment criteria will be used to gauge the depth of knowledge within the student’s planned area of research, and the breadth of knowledge of astronomical fundamentals more generally.

The qualifying exam will be administered by a committee of three faculty members who have taught one or more Core A or Core B courses in the previous two years. The research adviser will not be eligible to serve as one of the three committee members but may serve in an ex-officio capacity. Feedback will also be provided on written and oral presentation quality in preparation for the candidacy examination.

In the case where the student does not pass the exam by consensus of the three committee members, the research adviser for the second-year project and the student’s academic adviser will be asked to provide input on the qualification and to develop either a remediation or a terminal degree plan. The remediation plan may include additional course requirements, a second qualifying exam, or an alternate evaluation to be completed before the end of the third year. A terminal degree plan must specify remaining course and/or research requirements to be completed before the end of the third year. The recommended plan must be reviewed by the graduate advisory committee and submitted to the vice chair of graduate studies for final approval.

4. PhD Candidacy Examination

Qualified students will be required to constitute a dissertation committee prior to their advancement to candidacy, which is expected by the end of the third year. The dissertation committee will consist of five faculty members: the student’s dissertation adviser, three faculty members from the astronomy program, and one external faculty member from another department. Candidates will be required to submit a written research proposal and make an oral presentation to the dissertation committee. The committee may follow the oral presentation with additional questions to assess the candidate’s preparation for dissertation research.

The proposal and presentation should address the following elements:

The scientific context of the proposed research
Evidence of research preparation (related research up to this point)
A research plan, including methodologies and required resources
A dissertation timeline, including submission of publications, completion of dissertation, dissertation defense, and other relevant research activities (e.g., proposals, relevant training, instrument development/installation, conferences/talks, etc.)

Standardized criteria will be used to assess the preparation of the candidate for their dissertation research.

In adherence with Graduate Division requirements, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 will be required for advancement to candidacy.

In the case that the dissertation committee unanimously determines that the student cannot continue to candidacy, they will be charged to develop either a remediation or a terminal degree plan. The remediation plan must include a second candidacy exam to be completed within the following year. A terminal degree plan must specify remaining course and/or research requirements to be completed within the following year. Both remediation and terminal degree plans must be approved by the graduate advisory committee.

If the committee does not issue a unanimous report to the qualifying examination, the dean of the Graduate Division shall be called upon to review and present the case for resolution to the graduate advisory committee, which shall determine appropriate action.

After advancing to candidacy, the student will be required to provide a written yearly update on progress to the dissertation committee. The student will be encouraged to make at least yearly presentations on their work in various seminars in the astronomy group.

5. Dissertation and Examination

The dissertation will be a written exposition of the student’s research work. It will be reviewed by the members of the dissertation committee, who are typically the same as the members of the candidacy exam committee.

At the completion of their dissertation research, students will be required to defend their dissertation before a dissertation committee. This defense is expected to occur before the end of the student’s sixth year, with a formal limit of the end of the seventh year. A final dissertation draft must be submitted to the committee no less than four weeks prior to the defense date. The form of the final draft must conform to procedures outlined in the Publication, Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses “Bluebook”.

The defense will consist of a public presentation, followed by a closed-door examination by the dissertation committee.

If corrections to the dissertation are mandated by the dissertation committee, this should be completed within four weeks of the defense, or before the final submission date of dissertation materials to the Graduate Division, whichever comes first.

If the committee unanimously declines to pass a candidate following the defense, they will be charged to develop either a remediation or a terminal degree plan. Either plan must detail the specific deficiencies of the dissertation, and in the case of remediation what specific steps must be undertaken within the following year to conduct a second defense. In the case of a terminal degree, the plan must specify what remaining course and/or research requirements are to be completed within the following year. Both remediation and terminal degree plans must be approved by the Astronomy Degree Program committee.

If the committee does not issue a unanimous report on the defense, the dean of the Graduate Division shall be called upon to review and present the case for resolution to the graduate advisory committee, which shall determine appropriate action.

6. Master’s Degree in Astronomy

There is no separate master’s program associated with this program. Students may choose to pursue a master’s degree en route to the PhD. If a student is unable to complete the full degree requirements, or decides to leave the program without a PhD degree, they may be eligible for a terminal master’s degree in astronomy provided that the following requirements are met:

Completion of the course requirements (Core A, Core B, and electives)
GPA in good standing (≥ 3.0)
Successful completion of a master’s thesis, which may include the written component of the qualifying exam

Recommendation and plan for a terminal master’s degree is made by either the qualifying review committee or thesis committee, depending on stage of progression. This recommendation will be reviewed by the graduate advisory committee and final approval made by the vice chair of graduate studies.