Michigan Astronomy

Graduate Program

University of Michigan Astronomy and Astrophysics Graduate Program

A wide variety of research, outreach, teaching, and coursework opportunities are available to astronomy graduate students at the University of Michigan. World-class resources, including the twin Magellan 6.5-m telescopes, the 1.3 and 2.4-m telescopes at MDM Observatory, state-of-the-art instrumentation labs, and the 26-m radio telescope at Peach Mountain Observatory offer graduate students highly-valuable technical experience. The strengths of our research program span Star Formation, Extrasolar Planet Formation, Stellar Populations, Galactic, Extragalactic, and Theoretical Astrophysics. Approximately 25 faculty with diverse research interests are actively involved in topics on the forefront of the Astrophysical Sciences. For more details about the Astronomy research happening at the University of Michigan, please visit our research pages. In addition to research, graduate students often participate in outreach, running programs at our local facilities, and traveling to schools and other venues to teach the public about astronomical phenomena. All graduate students get the opportunity to teach discussion and laboratory sections for University of Michigan undergraduates, excellent preparation for a career as a professional astronomer. During the first two years of the graduate program, students take classes with faculty in a redesigned, modern graduate curriculum. In addition, first and second year students participate in our specially designed research program by completing one-year research projects in different astronomy subfields.

Helpful Links

Contact Information:

Jon Miller, Graduate Chair and Advisor
Oleg Gnedin, Graduate Recruiting and Admissions
Shannon Murphy, Lab and Classroom Services Technician