Program Requirements

The requirements for the graduate program in astronomy were most recently formulated and approved by the astronomy faculty in 2020. This “new” program adds a new mentoring component, a new academic schedule, a new qualification exam, and a reworking of the initial research projects. All changes are designed to shorten the time to PhD and improve the overall experience of graduate education for our students.

General Description

Our graduate program requirements are designed to guide the average student from their bachelor’s degree to a PhD within six years. The initial two years, or pre-candidacy period, encompass the majority of the course work and an initial research project. The following four years are devoted to dissertation research focused on a particular topic. This process culminates in a public thesis presentation followed by a dissertation defense with the thesis committee. The following sections describe the formal requirements and milestones along this path.

Before Admission to PhD Candidacy

Academic Coursework

During the first two years in the program, students learn a broad background of physical principles and astronomy knowledge as well as useful analytical and computational techniques, and gain experience in applying the physical principles to known and current astronomical phenomena. The base coursework consists of: Computational Methods, Radiative Processes, the Astrophysics of Stars and Galaxies, the Astrophysics of Fluids and Spacetime, the Interstellar Medium, Stars and Compact objects, and Cosmology. In addition, we offer a suite of elective courses—any two of which are required—that include Radio Astronomy, Galaxy Formation, Computational Galactic Dynamics, and High Energy Astrophysics. The two elective courses can be taken any time before graduation. Courses from other departments can count as electives, with prior approval from the Graduate Program Committee.

Students who enter with an MS degree in astronomy may petition the Graduate Program Committee for a change in course requirements commensurate with their previous academic experience. These students will still be subject to all other program requirements listed below.

In addition to the courses listed above, every student is required to participate in Journal Club each semester to broaden their knowledge base, keep informed on new discoveries and ideas, and hone analytical thinking and oral communication skills. Students continue to take Journal Club every semester until they graduate, but after four years they only have to give a talk once per year.

Since our courses alternate on a two-year cycle, a student’s academic schedule will depend on their entry year into the program.

Even-year Course Schedule—Year One

Fall Semester:

• Astrophysics of Stars and Galaxies
• Astrophysics of Fluids and Spacetime
• Independent Study
• Journal Club

Spring Semester:

• Computational Techniques
• Cosmology
• IRP Independent Study
• Journal Club

Even-year Course Schedule—Year Two

Fall Semester:

• Radiative Processes
• IRP Independent Study
• Journal Club

Spring Semester:

• Interstellar Media
• Stars and Stellar Populations
• IRP Independent Study
• Journal Club

Odd-year Course Schedule—Year One

Fall Semester:

• Astrophysics of Stars and Galaxies
• Astrophysics of Fluids and Spacetime
• Independent Study
• Journal Club

Spring Semester:

• Interstellar Media
• Stars and Stellar Populations
• IRP Independent Study
• Journal Club

Odd-year Course Schedule—Year Two

Fall Semester:

• Astrophysics of Stars and Galaxies
• Astrophysics of Fluids and Spacetime
• Independent Study
• Journal Club

Spring Semester:

• Cosmology
• IRP Independent Study
• Journal Club

The Written Exam

The assessment of a student’s academic coursework is made via both the course grades and a Written Exam (the Quals) that is taken in the spring semester of the student’s second year in the program. The Quals will cover all aspects of astronomy covered in the courses to that point.

Students must pass the Quals in order to advance to candidacy. A student who fails the exam may attempt the exam again in September of their third year in the program. In the event the student fails the Written Exam twice, they will leave the program at the end of the fall semester of their third year in the program.

The process of the exam is as follows:

• Early in the spring semester, the Written Exam Committee will solicit questions from faculty

  members. Each faculty member will submit two short-form questions and one long-form question (see below). Every submitted question will include a solution set with an associated grading rubric. The Written Exam Committee will choose from this body of questions to generate the exam.

• Part 1 of the exam will be made up of 16–20 short-form questions, at the discretion of the exam committee. Students must answer 80 percent of the questions. Short form questions are worth 5 points each and partial credit is assigned according to the grading rubric. Students will have 3 hours to complete Part 1 of the exam.

• Part 2 of the exam will be made up of 5–7 long-form questions from which the student must choose 3–5 to answer – the exact numbers being at the discretion of the exam committee. Long-form questions are worth 20 points each in the grading of Part 2. Partial credit will be given according to the associated grading rubric. Students will have 3 hours to complete Part 2 of the exam.

• Parts 1 and Parts 2 of the exam will be averaged with equal weight to determine the student’s final score. A minimum score, chosen before the exam is given by the Written Exam committee, will be the threshold for passing.

Initial Research Project

To engage our students rapidly into astronomy research, we require all students to take part in a two-year long Initial Research Project (IRP) that spans their first and second years in the program. Students will select from a set of projects that are advertised to them soon after they accept a position in the program, prior to their matriculation. During the summer leading up to their first year they will connect with potential scientific advisors and choose a project to work on. Once they arrive, they start their project immediately.

A novel aspect of the IRP is that all projects will be supervised by two faculty members. This increases the access of the students to varying points of view, methodological approaches, mentoring styles, and personality types.

The assessment of the IRP will be based on three outcomes: an IRP report covering the full extent of the project, a scientific presentation to the Astronomy Department on the IRP, and a one-hour oral exam administered the IRP assessment committee. The oral exam is pass/fail and a student may choose to retake it if they fail the exam on the first attempt. All three of these assessments will take place early in the Fall semester of the student’s third year in the program.

Student Mentoring

The Program’s mentoring structure is intended to provide students with an accessible network of advisors that can develop supportive relationships with the student in different aspects of the student’s academic experience. In addition, access to independent advisors that do not have vested interests, e.g., in a particular research project, provides the student with a place to turn in case of concerns or conflicts.

Scientific Research Advising

In accordance with the IRP Process, incoming students will start the program with two scientific project advisors. These advisors will fill the role of scientific mentorship throughout the 2- year IRP. Following the IRP, the role of scientific advising will be borne by the thesis advisor and the thesis committee. All research advising groups will submit a short report to the Graduate Program Director (GPD) each semester on the progress/performance of their advisee.

General Advising

Incoming students to the program will also be assigned two faculty members who will serve on the student’s Mentoring Committee. The Mentoring Committee is tasked with periodically checking in with the student in terms of their overall well-being and status in the program. If one or more of the Mentoring Committee members becomes a student’s research advisor, that member will be replaced with another member of the faculty. The Mentoring Committee will provide a brief written report to the GPD each semester on any non-confidential issues that may arise for the student. The Mentoring Committee will follow the student through to the completion of their PhD

Peer Advising

Incoming students to the program will be assigned a volunteer from the graduate student population (pending availability of volunteers) to act as a peer advisor to that student until they reach candidacy. Formal assignment of a fellow graduate student mentor will bridge the necessary gap of power-hierarchy for mentoring and provide an additional safety net to manage issues of well-being that may not be presented to the Mentoring Committee. Additionally, graduate student mentors may serve as an ally to encourage younger students to utilize support from faculty mentors and uphold the structure of the mentoring program as a whole.

Admission to PhD Candidacy

Decision on admission of the student to PhD candidacy is made by the Graduate Faculty based on their appraisal of: the student's performances in base and core courses, where a minimum of a B average is expected, the IRP oral presentation and written report, and written reports by the students’ IRP advisors and the IRP exam committee. Passing the Written Exam is required for advancement to PhD candidacy. Students who follow the standard Program schedule will be notified of their admission status to PhD candidacy during the Fall semester of their third year in the program.

If a student is not admitted to PhD candidacy, they will receive a Masters Degree in Astronomy, assuming they have accumulated a minimum total of 32 credits between courses and independent studies. A student following the standard curriculum will be generally eligible for a Masters Degree by the middle of their third year. For additional requirements, please see:https://www.umass.edu/gradschool/sites/default/files/checklist_for_masters_degrees.pdf

After Admission to PhD Candidacy

A student admitted to PhD candidacy has until the end of the fall semester of their third year in the program to find a PhD thesis advisor and identify a Dissertation Thesis Committee. The student has until the end of the spring semester of their third year in the program to formulate and present a thesis proposal to their Thesis Committee. Work towards the PhD dissertation typically begins as soon as possible after the student has identified an advisor and thesis committee.

In order to identify a PhD Thesis Advisor, a student will typically be talking with several faculty members, inquiring about available thesis projects.

A Dissertation Thesis Committee includes at least four members: the Chair (the PhD Thesis Advisor), two Faculty Members from the Department of Astronomy, and one Faculty Members from another Department at the University of Massachusetts. Faculty members from the Departments of Physics, Mathematics, Computer Sciences, Geology, and Engineering have traditionally served on our Thesis Committees, but the candidate is free to choose from other Departments as well, as appropriate for the successful evaluation of their dissertation progress and outcome.

Faculty members from outside the University of Massachusetts can be added as extra members to the Committee, in addition to the four above. These external faculty members will need to be temporarily added to our Graduate Faculty; in order to do that, they will need to send their CV to the Graduate Program Director, who will forward the CV and request to the Graduate School. Students who wish to have non-UMass faculty on their Thesis Committee should contact the Graduate Program Director who will help facilitate their formal inclusion.

Once a Dissertation Thesis Committee is formed, the candidate will formulate a thesis proposal. This will consist of a 10-15 page written document, that explains the research plan in detail. The thesis proposal must also provide a reasonable timeline of activities required for completion. The candidate will present the thesis proposal to the Thesis Committee; this will consist of a one-hour meeting, 45 minutes of which will be taken by the candidate’s presentation. The presentation will be done before the end of the spring semester of the student’s third year in the program. Appendix B provides additional information about the Thesis Proposal Meeting.

After approval of the thesis proposal, the candidate will continue work on the thesis research. The candidate will meet with the Thesis Committee once per year to update the entire Committee on progress and discuss any potential issues that may have arisen in the meantime.

Minimum requirements for successful completion of graduate studies are detailed on the website of the University of Massachusetts Graduate School: https://www.umass.edu/gradschool/current-students/doctoral-degree-requirements-and- dissertation-information

Residency Requirement

The Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts has a Residency Requirement. This consists of two consecutive semesters (Fall/Spring or Spring/Fall) in which the student is enrolled with full time status and earning at least 9 credits each semester. Graduate students are responsible for verifying that they satisfy this requirement before submitting the paperwork for the Final Doctoral Examination. 

Step-by-Step Curriculum & Milestones

This section includes a step-by-step list of courses and milestones listed by year and semester in the Graduate Program.

Year 1

Fall Semester:

• Two academic courses (3 credits each)
• AST 791A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• IRP Independent Study (3 credits)

Spring Semester:

• One (even years) or two (odd years) academic courses (3 credits each)
• AST 792A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• IRP Independent Study (3 credits)

Year 2

Fall Semester:

• Two academic courses (3 credits each)
• AST 791A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• IRP Independent Study (3 credits)

Spring Semester:

• One (even years) or two (odd years) academic courses (3 credits each)
• AST 792A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• IRP Independent Study (3 credits)
• Written Exam (Quals)

Year 3

Fall Semester:

• Written Exam 2nd Attempt (if needed)
• IRP Presentation to Department
• IRP Oral Exam
• IRP Oral Exam 2nd Attempt (if needed)
• AST 791A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• IRP Independent Study (3 credits)
• Candidacy Vote by Faculty
• Identify Thesis Advisor and Thesis Committee

Spring Semester:

• AST 792A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• AST 899 – PhD Dissertation (3 credits)
• Thesis Proposal

Year 4 onward:

Fall Semester:

• AST 791A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• AST 899 – PhD Dissertation (3 credits)

Spring Semester:

• AST 792A - Journal Club (1 credit)
• AST 899 – PhD Dissertation (3 credits)

Dissertation Defense:

• Announce Date of Dissertation Defense (> 3 months prior)
• Submit Dissertation to Committee (> several weeks prior)
• Public Dissertation Lecture
• Dissertation Defense
• Final edits and signing of paperwork.
• Add “PhD” to your business card.