At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The minor in Astronomy and Astrophysics, available at the University Park campus, provides educational options to students with interest in astronomy but with principal commitments to an allied field. It is designed principally for majors in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Geosciences, Meteorology, and Physics. The educational objectives are to provide students with a profound understanding of the large-scale properties and processes in our Universe including planets and solar systems, our Sun and other stars, our Galaxy and other galaxies; and cosmology. Students in the minor survey the field in the 200-level sequence and then select from a choice of advanced astronomy and allied courses. Minors will be encouraged to take advantage of the many undergraduate research opportunities in the department, often using space-based observatories.
What is Astronomy and Astrophysics?
Astronomy and Astrophysics is the study of the fundamental problems of the nature and evolution of our Universe. Astronomy and Astrophysics includes topics ranging from the most distant and powerful objects in the universe, quasars and gamma ray bursts, to the origins of chemical elements in stars, to planets, both in our solar system and in orbit around other stars.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You enjoy applying the ideas of physics to the study of complex systems and phenomena found beyond the Earth.
- You want to study the answers to big questions relating to astronomy, such as ‘how was the universe created?’ and ‘how likely is it that life exists outside the Earth?’
- You enjoy writing computer software to solve problems.
- You are interested in a minor astronomy and astrophysics to complement your major.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 22-23 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| ASTRO 291 | Astronomical Methods and the Solar System  | 3 |
| ASTRO 292 | Astronomy of the Distant Universe | 3 |
| PHYS 211 | General Physics: Mechanics | 4 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 6-7 credits of the following: | 6-7 | |
Additional ASTRO 400-level courses | ||
| Mechanics of Fluids | ||
| Aerodynamics II | ||
| Space Astronomy and Introduction to Space Science | ||
| Astrobiology | ||
| Planetary Atmospheres | ||
| Intermediate Optics | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 6 credits from 400-level ASTRO courses (except ASTRO 496) | 6 | |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Robert Morehead
Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Head, Undergraduate Programs
507 Davey Lab
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-9684
rcm242@psu.edu
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
525 Davey Lab
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-0418
rcm242@psu.edu