Department of Astronomy
Undergraduate Degree Programs
OVERVIEW
Although the study of astronomy has ancient roots, it is now one of the most rapidly developing and exciting subjects in modern science. Astronomy is the study of the Universe and its contents: planets, stars, black holes, galaxies, and quasars. Each of these is a fascinating topic in its own right. But perhaps the greatest achievement of modern astronomy has been to gather them all into a rich and coherent picture, one which depicts the origin and evolution of all things from the Big Bang to the development of living organisms.
Recent advances in astronomy have derived from new technologies that have yielded instruments of unprecedented power: telescopes with 10-meter mirrors, orbiting satellite observatories for all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, deep space missions to sample planetary atmospheres and surfaces, and huge laboratories for detection of elusive cosmic neutrinos and gravity waves.
The excitement and accessibility of astronomy are featured in frequent press coverage of major new discoveries, including in recent years the discovery of planets orbiting other stars, the comet crash onto Jupiter, the discovery of very young galaxies in the distant universe, the possibility of life on Mars, the threat of asteroid collisions with the Earth, and the detection of primordial ripples in the cosmic background radiation. Astronomy draws from, and contributes to, many other subjects: primarily physics but also geology, atmospheric and environmental science, biology, and even philosophy.
The two Astronomy majors programs offer students the opportunity to explore these frontier discoveries while simultaneously developing fundamental analytical and quantitative skills useful in many different careers. A total of thirty Astronomy courses are open to majors. The Astronomy major offers a concentration on science in the context of a liberal arts degree for students who do not intend to pursue graduate training in physical science. The Astronomy-Physics major provides more rigorous preparation for graduate work in astronomy, physics, computer science, or related fields.
For more information, please see our "Why Study Astronomy?" page.
FACULTY
The University has the largest astronomy department in the Southeastern United States. The department‘s seventeen professors are committed to strong undergraduate teaching as well as to conducting astronomical research. As one of the top fifteen research departments in the country, faculty expertise spans a wide range of subjects from star clusters, to the evolution of our Galaxy, to black holes, to distant galaxies. Active faculty research programs keep classroom teaching up-to-date and are an integral part of tutorial and senior thesis projects. Faculty research is well supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other agencies.
STUDENTS
There are typically 15-25 declared majors at any given time. Students get to know each other well and often work together. Close contact with the faculty is part of the learning environment. Many students work one-on-one with faculty in tutorials or senior theses, and this work can be published in major research journals and presented at national meetings. Students can also work at the Department’s observatories or on summer research projects supported by grants. Advanced students can enroll in graduate courses.
Most students who complete our Astronomy-Physics degree go on to graduate programs in astronomy or physics, frequently at the best schools in the country. Students who complete the Astronomy degree are well prepared for a wide range of careers. Our graduates are employed by universities, NASA, federal observatories and laboratories, planetariums, and aerospace and computer corporations, or have gone into professions such as medicine, law, the military, business, science writing, and science education.
SPECIAL RESOURCES AND STUDENT RESEARCH
The department is very well equipped to support its students. There is an excellent collection of journals, monographs, catalogs, and atlases in the Astronomy Library as well as in the library of the nearby National Radio Astronomy Observatory. We have a wide variety of telescopes available on the Grounds: 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch aperture instruments as well as the historic 26-inch Clark refractor at Leander McCormick Observatory. At Fan Mountain Observatory, or local research observatory, located 15 miles south of Charlottesville, we have 40-inch and 31-inch reflecting telescopes. All of these are equipped with digital CCD cameras, spectrographs, and other specialized instruments. Two radio telescopes are also available on the Grounds. UVa is one of only three universities in the country to offer undergraduates access to radio astronomy instrumentation.
We offer excellent computing facilities to our students, based on a network of Linux workstations, all of which run sophisticated data analysis, numerical simulation, image processing, and display software.
As soon as a student declares the major, he or she is assigned an account on our computers and has 24 hour access to our library and other facilities.
One of the important features of the majors programs is the opportunity to participate in ASTR 4993 tutorials, in which the student studies some area of particular interest to him/her under the individual guidance of a faculty member. Any subject in the area of competence of the faculty can be examined in depth. These tutorials are distinct from ASTR 4998 (Senior Thesis), although we expect that many students may choose to do thesis research on a problem growing out of a tutorial. ASTR 4993 may be repeated once for credit.
As part of tutorials and thesis research, our students regularly work on observations obtained by faculty at leading worldwide facilities, including 4 to 10-m class optical telescopes, the Very Large Array, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the 2MASS infrared all-sky survey. Students can also participate with faculty and staff in projects using national supercomputing facilities for theoretical computational simulations. The headquarters of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the North American ALMA Science Center are located on Grounds, and students can be supervised by NRAO scientists or engineers.
COURSE TITLES IN ASTRONOMY
| Course No. | Titles | Credit | Times | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | Offered* | |||
| Undergraduate | ||||
| ASTR 1210 | Introduction to the Sky and the Solar System | 3 | S | |
| ASTR 1220 | Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe | 3 | S | |
| ASTR 1230 | Introduction to Astronomical Observation | 3 | S | |
| ASTR 1270 | Unsolved Mysteries in the Universe | 3 | Y | Spring |
| ASTR 1740 | Major’s Seminar | 1 | Y | Spring |
| ASTR 2110, 2120 | General Astronomy (for Science Majors) | 3, 3 | Y | Fall, Spring |
| ASTR 3130 | Observational Astronomy | 4 | Y | Spring |
| ASTR 3140 | Introduction to Observational Radio Astronomy | 4 | Y | Spring |
| ASTR 3410 | Archaeo-Astronomy | 3 | Y | Fall |
| ASTR 3420 | Life Beyond the Earth | 3 | Y | Spring |
| ASTR 3470 | Science and Controversy in Astronomy | 3 | Y | Fall |
| ASTR 3480 | Introduction to Cosmology | 3 | Y | Spring |
| ASTR 3510 | Planetary Astronomy | 3 | SI | |
| ASTR 4440 | The Nature of Discovery in Astronomy | 3 | SI | |
| ASTR 4810 | Introduction to Astrophysics | 3 | Y | Fall |
| ASTR 4993 | Tutorial | 3 | S | |
| ASTR 4998 | Senior Thesis | 3 | S | |
Graduate |
||||
| ASTR 5110 | Astronomical Techniques | 3 | O | Fall |
| ASTR 5340 | Introductory Radio Astronomy | 3 | E | Fall |
| ASTR 5350 | Radio Astronomy Instrumentation | 3 | E | Spring |
| ASTR 5420 | The Interstellar Medium | 3 | E | Spring |
| ASTR 5430, 5440 | Stellar Astrophysics I, II | 3, 3 | O | Fall, Spring |
| ASTR 5450 | High Energy Astrophysics | 3 | E | Fall |
| ASTR 5460 | Binary Stars | 3 | SI | |
| ASTR 5480 | Evolution of the Universe | 3 | O | Spring |
| ASTR 5500, 5510 | Topical Seminar | 3 | IR | |
| ASTR 5610 | Galactic Structure and Stellar Populations | 3 | E | Spring |
| ASTR 5630 | Extragalactic Astronomy | 3 | O | Spring |
*Code:
S - every semester (Fall, Spring)Y - every year (one semester)
O - every other year with Fall semester in odd year
E - every other year with Fall semester in even year
SI - offered upon sufficient student interest
IR - offered irregularly
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
ASTRONOMY MAJOR
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Astronomy, not intended as preparation for graduate study in science, provides a firm grounding in basic astronomy, mathematics, physics, and computer science. A listing of course requirements is given below. A senior thesis is required.
This program offers considerable latitude for the student to pursue interests in other subjects and is well suited for inclusion in a double major.
Arts & Sciences Area Requirements:
- Students in the College of Arts and Sciences must, of course, complete the regular College area requirements. Note that the Astronomy Major satisfies the Natural Science & Mathematics requirements.
Lower division courses:
- ASTR 1210, 1220 or ASTR 2110, 2120 (ASTR 1740 recommended but not required)
- PHYS 1610, 1620, 2610, 2620 or PHYS 1425, 2415
- MATH 1210, 1220 or MATH 1310, 1320 (the introductory calculus sequences)
- PHYS 2660 (Fundamentals of Scientific Computing) or CS 1110
Upper division courses:
- Third year: ASTR 3130 and any two other 3000-5000 level Astronomy courses (ASTR 4993 recommended)
- Fourth year: ASTR 4998 and any two other 3000-5000 level Astronomy courses (ASTR 4810 recommended)
Courses recommended for students with a stronger interest in mathematics and/or physics:
- MATH 2310: Calculus III (highly recommended)
- MATH 3255: Differential Equations
- PHYS 2630, 2640: Physics Laboratory
- PHYS 3210: Classical Mechanics
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
ASTRONOMY-PHYSICS MAJOR
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Astronomy-Physics is a program offered jointly by the Astronomy and Physics Departments. This major prepares the student for graduate study in astronomy, physics, computer science, and related fields. The curriculum is listed in the tabulation below. A senior thesis is required.
Prospective Astronomy-Physics Majors are strongly urged to consult with the Astronomy Pre-Majors Advisor during registration week of their first semester at the University.
| Year | Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST | ENWR 1510 (if required) | 3 | ASTR 1740¹ | 1 |
| MATH 1310 Calc. I | 4 | MATH 1320 Calc. II | 4 | |
| PHYS 1610 Intro. Phys. I | 4 | PHYS 1620 Intro. Phys. II | 4 | |
| LANGUAGE 1010 | 4 | LANGUAGE 1020 | 4 | |
| ELECTIVE | 3 | |||
| 15 | 16 | |||
| SECOND | ASTR 2110 General Astro. | 3 | ASTR 2120 General Astro. | 3 |
| MATH 2310 Calc. III | 4 | MATH 3255 ODEs | 4 | |
| PHYS 2610 Intro. Phys. III | 4 | PHYS 2620 Intro. Phys. IV | 4 | |
| PHYS 2630 Lab. I | 3 | PHYS 2640 Lab. II | 3 | |
| LANGUAGE 2010 | 3 | LANGUAGE 2020 | 3 | |
| 17 | 17 | |||
| THIRD | ASTR 4993 Tutorial | 3 | ASTR 3130 Observational Astro. | 4 |
| MATH 5210 Adv. Calc. | 3 | MATH 5220 PDEs | 3 | |
| PHYS 3210 Mechanics | 3 | PHYS 2660 Sci. Computing (or CS 1110) | 3 | |
| PHYS 3650 Quantum Phys. I | 3 | PHYS 3420 E&M I | 3 | |
| ELECTIVE | 3 | ELECTIVE | 3 | |
| 15 | 16 | |||
| FOURTH | ASTR 4810 Intro Astrophys. | 3 | 3000-5000 level ASTR | 3 |
| (or 3000-5000 level ASTR) | ASTR 4998 Thesis | 3 | ||
| PHYS 3310 Statistical Physics | 3 | ELECTIVE (x3) | 9 | |
| PHYS 3430 E&M II | 3 | |||
| ELECTIVE (x2) | 6 | |||
| 15 | 15 | |||
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
"DISTINGUISHED" ASTRONOMY-PHYSICS MAJOR Students must maintain a GPA of 3.4 or better. For the Distinguished Major, students must meet the requirements of the Astronomy-Physics major described above and must also take PHYS 3660 (Quantum Phys. II) and a two-semester Senior Thesis (ASTR 4998). The six hours of elective Astronomy courses must consist of ASTR 4810 and a 5000-level course. This program leads to the award of degrees with Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
ASTRONOMY MINOR
The Minor Program in Astronomy is intended mainly for students with a strong interest in the subject who do not have the time to commit to the mathematics and physics courses required for the majors programs. Requirements for the Minor can be completed in either of two ways. The student can take:
- Astronomy 1210 and 1220 and nine additional hours chosen from 3000-level and above² courses (ASTR 1270 may be substituted for ASTR 1220), OR
- Astronomy 2110 and 2120 and nine additional hours chosen from 3000-level and above² courses.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For more information, students who have not yet declared a major, who are transferring, or who are in the Echols Program should contact the Pre-Majors Advisor Craig Sarazin.
Declared majors should contact the Majors Advisor, Craig Sarazin.
Minors should contact the Minors Advisor, Bob O’Connell.
For general information, contact the secretary in
Departmental Secretary
Department of Astronomy
Astronomy Building, Room 204
PO Box 400325
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325
voice: (434)924-7494
FAX: (434) 924-3104
email: dept@mail.astro.virginia.edu
Much of the above information can also be found in the Undergraduate Record listing for Astronomy.
