The B.A. degree is designed for students seeking careers in teaching, museum work, science writing, pre-med, etc.
Astronomy Courses:
ASTRON 191A: First Year Seminar (1 credit, Fall semester only)
ASTRON 228: Astrophysics I: Stars and Galaxies (3 credits, Spring semester only)
JUNIOR YEAR WRITING: Students whose primary major is astronomy should take ASTRON 301: Writing in Astronomy (3 credits, Fall semester only) to satisfy the Junior Year Writing requirement. Students whose primary major is not astronomy, only need take the junior year writing course offered in their primary major.
INTEGRATIVE EXPERIENCE: Students whose primary major is astronomy can take ASTRON 339: Astronomy in a Global Context (3 credits, Spring semester only) to satisfy the Integrative Experience requirement. Students whose primary major is not astronomy, only need to take the integrative experience course offered in their primary major.
ASTRON 335: Astrophysics II: Stellar Structure and Evolution (4 credits, Fall semester only) or ASTRON 452: Astrophysics III: Galaxies and the Universe (4 credits, Spring semester only)
Three additional astronomy courses (at least 3 credits each) and one of these three additional course must be at the 300 level or higher. The 300+ level course can also be in closely related subjects such as Geoscience or Physics, but need approval by Department Advisor. Some options for 200+ and 300+ level astronomy courses:
ASTRON 220: Special Topics in Astronomy (3 credits)
ASTRON 223: Planetary Science (3 credits, usually in spring semester)
ASTRON 330: Topics in Astrophysics (3 credits.)
ASTRON 337: Techniques of Optical and Infrared Astronomy (4 credits, fall semester)
Physics Courses:
PHYSIC 181: Physics I – Mechanics ( 4 credits with lab, Fall semester only)
PHYSICS 182: Physics II – Electricity and Magnetics (4 credits with lab, Spring semester only)
PHYSICS 272: Physics III: Thermodynamics, Optics and Special Relativity (3 credits, Fall semester only)
PHYSICS 273: Sophomore Lab I (2 credits, Fall semester only)
PHYSICS 276: Physics IV: Introduction to Waves and Quantum Mechanics (3 credits, Spring semester only)
PHYSICS 277: Sophomore Lab II (2 credits, Spring semester only)
PHYSICS 281: Computational Physics (3 credits, Fall semester only)
Math Courses:
MATH 131: Calculus I (4 credits, Fall or Spring semesters)
MATH 132: Calculus II (4 credits, Fall or Spring semesters)
MATH 233: Multivariate Calculus (3 credits, Fall or Spring semesters)
Suggested Course Schedule:
Freshman Year:
Fall: ASTRON 191A, PHYSICS 181, MATH 131
Spring: PHYSICS 182, MATH 132
Sophomore Year:
Fall: PHYSICS 272/273, MATH 233
Spring: ASTRON 228, PHYSICS 281, PHYSICS 276/277
Fall or Spring: ASTRON Elective (one 200+ level astronomy class)
Junior/Senior Years:
Fall: ASTRON 301
Spring: ASTRON 339
Fall or Spring: Either ASTRON 335 (fall) or ASTRON 452 (Spring), ASTRON electives (one additional 200+ level astronomy class and additional 300+ level astronomy class)