Overview of Undergraduate Concentrations and Courses
The Department of Astronomy provides a range of courses and programs for students planning careers in astronomy, space science, or related fields as well as for those wishing a physical science degree while focusing on this exciting field of science. The department offers three concentrations: astronomy, astronomy and physics, and geophysics and planetary sciences. Students concentrating in any of these areas develop the necessary mathematical skills and physical insight to understand the nature of the universe from the modern scientific perspective. In addition to course work, most Astronomy Department students participate in research at the forefront of Astronomy and Planetary Science under the guidance of a faculty member . These concentrations prepare a student for graduate school and/or technical and scientific careers.
Our program brochure, What's it like to be an Astronomy Major at Boston University?, provides a full description of our program, faculty, and courses.
Concentration in Astronomy:
Students concentrating in astronomy begin by surveying the solar system and beyond (AS 202-203). As they advance their mathematical and physics understanding, they study Planetary Physics (AS 311) and Stellar and Galactic Astrophysics (AS 312) in more depth. As upperclassmen, astronomy concentrators select from a number of advanced astronomy classes (AS 413, AS 414 and/or AS 441). Astronomy concentrators often engage in directed research with a faculty advisor (CAS AS 491, 492). They also often complement their studies with computer science, math, physics and/or earth sciences classes.Concentration in Astronomy and Physics:
Our modern understanding of the Universe is built on a foundation of mathematics and physics. The astronomy and physics concentration is a joint program of the astronomy and physics departments designed to prepare students for entering a graduate program in astronomy, physics, astrophysics or other physical sciences. In addition to the classes required of an astronomy concentrator, astronomy and physics concentrators take a number of additional physics courses. This concentration is one of the more demanding and rigorous programs of study in the College of Arts and Sciences.Concentration in Geophysics and Planetary Sciences:
The space age sparked an age of discovery within the solar system, transforming the planets from distant objects studied with telescopes into other earths to be explored with the tools of earth science. This new knowledge transformed earth science and our understanding of how the solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago. Now over 300 more planets have been discovered orbiting other stars. The Geophysics and Planetary Sciences concentration, a joint program between the departments of astronomy and earth science, allows students to develop the skills needed to study the Earth and other planets using the tools of physics. Students obtain a broad foundation in the physical sciences by taking core courses in astronomy (AS 202, 311), earth science (ES 101, 360), chemistry (CH 101 or 131), physics 9PY 211, 212, 355, 405, or 408) and calculus (MA 123, 124, 225). students can then specialize by taking at least four elective courses from a list of astronomy, earth science and physics courses.
Requirements for graduation and course descriptions:
In order to obtain a BA in one of the astronomy concentrations, students must satisfy both the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the particular course requirements for their chosen concentration. The Boston University Undergraduate Bulletin contains the detailed definitive information about graduation requirements. The CAS degree requirements include writing, foreign language, mathematics and general education requirements, details of which can be found here. The Astronomy Department section in the bulletin contains details of the concentration requirements. They are summarized here.Students concentrating in astronomy, astronomy and physics or planetary and space sciences should meet once a semester with a faculty advisor as well as informal meetings with professors and the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Hughes.
Undergraduate Research
Almost all undergraduate majors participate in research with a faculty advisor. Faculty research interests include observational and theoretical studies in galactic and extragalactic astrophysics, magnetospheric and ionospheric physics, solar and heliosphere physics, planetary atmospheres, comets, solar system plasma physics, star formation and galactic structure, variable stars, active galaxies and quasars, high-energy astrophysics, cosmology, and relativity.
The department has a partnership with the Lowell Observatory and shares the operation and use of the 72" Perkins Telescope. The Perkins telescope has both visible light (PRISM) and infrared (MIMIR) detectors which were built at Boston University with undergraduate assistance. This telescope is used both for research and teaching.
Department members are also actively involved in research programs using space probes, airborne infrared telescopes, satellites, and sounding rockets.
More details on the research of astronomy faculty can be found at the sites of the research centers associated with the department:The Center for Space Physics, The Institute for Astrophysical Research, and the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling.
We have created a page containing many links to sites describing undergraduate research programs and opportunities here.
Undergraduate Observing
Many students enjoy observational astronomy outside of the classroom setting. Boston University provides many opportunities for observing. On the roof of the College of Arts and Sciences building, the Judson Boardman Coit Observatory deploys a 6" Schmidt telescope-camera, a 7" refractor, four portable 8" reflectors, a 12" reflector, a 14" Celestron telescope. Two floors below the observatory the department has a solar/siderostat spectroscopic telescope. Interested students will receive instruction in using these instruments and can obtain free access to these facilities.
The BU Astronomical Society (BUAS) sponsors a number of field trips each year to observatories in the area. A number of students have visited the Lowell Observatory near Flagstaff, Arizona to use the 72-inch Perkins Telescope for amateur observing. In addition, the department maintains a comprehensive astronomical research library that includes sky atlases and subscriptions to more than 50 scientific journals.
After Graduating:
A BA in astronomy, astronomy and physics, or planetary and space sciences prepares students for immediate employment or further study leading to research and teaching careers in astrophysics or space science or careers in science education, science management, scientific computing, or science writing. Our graduates have worked for institutions ranging from the Boston Museum of Science to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, on projects such as NASA's Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's X-ray Multi-Mirror satellite. Many of our graduates have gone on to graduate school to pursue advanced degrees at institutions including UCLA, Caltech, MIT, the University of Virginia, and the University of Arizona. Visit our careers page to learn about opportunities for graduates or our alumni page and click on individual names to see the career paths of some of our graduates.