Undergraduate Academics

Astronomy & Astrophysics Major

Why Astronomy?

Astronomy Today

New technologies, both on the ground and in space, make astronomy one of the most exciting of the scientific fields. The old image of an astronomer squinting through a telescope with notebook in hand has been replaced by researchers who employ the very latest in electronic imaging devices, giant arrays of radio antennas spread over entire continents, space observatories and complex space probes. Now, we study astronomical objects not just with visible light, but with radio waves, infrared light, X-ray, and gamma-ray light. These new astronomical windows have led to such discoveries as spinning neutron stars (pulsars), quasars in the centers of galaxies, remnant radiation from the Big Bang, the gravitational lensing of objects, and the enigmatic gamma-ray bursters. The wealth of discoveries and the related vigorous research activities are the reasons that many believe that the field of astronomy is now in its "Golden Age"

What Do I Do With A Concentration In Astronomy?

We developed the curriculum with the dual goals of:
preparing students for the leading graduate schools in astronomy and astrophysics
teaching a variety of scientific and technical skills that permit students to obtain a rewarding job in the private sector
Many of our concentrators continue their study of the field in graduate school. For this reason, several parts of the curriculum are designed to prepare the student for an advanced degree. Graduate programs usually pay for the student's tuition as well as for a stipend to cover living expenses. Following a graduate degree (usually a PhD), employment in the field is found in national labs, such as Kitt Peak National Observatory or Space Telescope Science Institute, in colleges and universities, or at planetariums.

An education in astronomy and astrophysics provides a student with considerable knowledge and skills that can be carried outside of the field. Students have used this background to obtain jobs in computer programming, business consulting, the industrial space program, information processing, or patent law, which require a technical background. Also, teachers who are educated in the physical sciences are sought after since they are in short supply in high schools around the country.

The American Astronomical Society has resources and a more thorough discussion of some of the above items, ranging from preparing for a career in astronomy, to an analysis of where the jobs are. Take a look at http://www.aas.org/education/careers.html. There is also some good information scattered in their FAQ page, http://www.aas.org/education/students.htm#career

On Concentrating in Astronomy...

How Do I Declare A Concentration or a Minor?

If you are considering a concentration in Astronomy and Astrophysics or would like to know more about it, consult the concentration advisor:
Professor Joel N. Bregman
Room 821
Dennison Building
764-3440 or 764-3454
e-mail: jbregman@umich.edu

The concentration advisor will discuss the program with you, answer questions, and set up a tentative concentration plan that is suited to your particular interests. This will ensure that you fulfill all necessary requirements for the degree, but you may modify it at a later time if your interests change. You might find it helpful to consult with the concentration advisor before pre-registration each semester. At the time you decide to declare a concentration, you should fill out a "LSA Concentration/Minor Declaration Form". The concentration advisor has them, or they can be found at: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/UofM/Content/lsa/document/DeclarationForm.pdf

The name of the concentration is Astronomy and Astrophysics. During your last term of your senior year you must file a "Senior Concentration Release Form". The concentration advisor has them, or you can get one from the Academic Counseling Office, or download it: Concentration Release Form from LSA

The Minor Release Form can be found at: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/UofM/Content/lsa/document/MinorReleaseForm.pdf

In your next to last semester, you and your concentration advisor should review that you have all the necessary required courses.

Most of the information about graduation can be found at the LS&A site: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/students/gradprocedures/

The Academic Advising Center is in 1255 Angell Hall, phone number, 764-0332. For more information, see: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/students

There are a variety of summer programs for undergraduates (e.g., you must not have a diploma during the summer that you participate) at sites around the country. Generally, they pay a modest monthly salary and transportation to and from home. You work with a professional astronomer at a particular institution on a research project (like our Astronomy 399). There are typically ten institutions that offer the program, such as the national ground-based observatories (optical and radio), some universities (e.g., Cornell), and a few other "national labs" (e.g., the Space Telescope Science Institute). These are competitive programs, but you stand the best chance to get into them in the summer between the Junior and Senior years (you can also do it before your Junior year and can do it more than once). Applications are usually due by January or February.
A listing of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Education for Undergraduates (REU) can be found at http://www.aas.org/education/reu.htm

These are not the only source of summer opportunities outside the University. NASA also has a variety of programs and a more complete listing is usually kept up by the American Astronomical Society at http://www.aas.org/career/Summer.html.

Student Astronomical Society

This is the student club with about a dozen members. They use a room on the 10th floor of Dennison for studying, research, and meetings. They hold public nights at the on campus telescopes, among other activities and they have been very important in forming a peer group of undergraduate concentrators. Their web site is http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/sas/

Astronomy Courses

Courses In Astronomy

As a department, we offer a series of courses that provide insight into the variety of astrophysical phenomena. At the introductory level, we offer Astronomy 160 for those with some math or science background. This is a small class with about 20 students, which aside from the lectures, offers the student the opportunity to use telescopes. For students without a mathematical or science orientation (or for those students who cannot fit Astronomy 160 into their schedule), a few other introductory courses are given: Astronomy 101/111 (The Solar System) and Astronomy 102/112 (Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe; these classes are about 150 students in size), Astronomy 115 (Modern Planetary Astronomy), Astronomy 120 (Frontiers of Astronomy; 1st Year Seminar), Astronomy 122 (The Origin of the Elements and the History of Matter; 1st Year Seminar), Astronomy 125 (Observational Astronomy; 1st Year Seminar), Astronomy 127 (Naked Eye Astronomy; 1 credit mini-course), and Astronomy 130 (Explorations in Astronomy). Beyond the introductory courses, a more in-depth look at astronomy and astrophysics is provided by our topical courses on Stellar Astrophysics (Ast 402), Galaxies and Cosmology (Ast 404), Solar System Astrophysics (Ast 401), High Energy Astrophysics (Ast 405), and Interstellar Medium (Ast 403). All of these courses are small in size (less than 15) and students receive considerable personalized attention from the professor. These courses are accessible once General Physics I-III and Analytic Geometry and Calculus I-III have been taken, typically by the end of the Sophomore year.

Concentration Courses in Astronomy & Astrophysics (Division 326; Concentration Code 460)

Prerequisites to concentration: same as for either Physics concentration

Math 115	Analytic Geometry and Calculus I	4	FWSpS
Math 116	Analytic Geometry and Calculus II.	4	FWSpS
Math 215	Analytic Geometry and Calculus III.	4	FWSpS
Math 216	Introduction to Differential Equations	4	FWSpS
Physics 140/141	General Physics I.; Elementary Lab. I.	5	FW
Physics 240/241	General Physics II.; Elementary Lab. II.	5	FW
Physics 340/341	Waves, Heat, and Light	4	FW
One of the following introductory astronomy courses (Astr 160 is preferred)
Astronomy 160	Introduction to Astrophysics	4	FW
Astronomy 101/111	Introductory Astronomy: The Solar System	4	FWSpS
Astronomy 102/112	Introductory Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe	4	FWSpS
Astronomy 115	Modern Planetary Astronomy	4	FW
Astronomy 120	Frontiers of Astronomy	3	FW
Astronomy 122	The Origin of the Elements and the History of Matter	3	W
Astronomy 125	Observational Astronomy	4	FW
Astronomy 130	Explorations in Astronomy	3	FW
Requirements for the Concentration:
Astr 361	Astronomical Techniques	4	W
Astr 399	Introduction to Research	1-3	FWSpS
Astr 402	Stellar Astrophysics	3	F
Astr 404	Galaxies and Cosmology	3	W
Astr 429	Senior Seminar (satisfies the Sr. writing requirement)	2	F
(the courses below are also required for a Physics degree)
Physics 390	Introduction to Modern Physics	3	FW
Physics 401	Intermediate Mechanics	3	FW
Physics 405	Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism	3	FW
Physics 453	Quantum Mechanics	3	FW
One of the following math courses (Physics 451 or Math 454 is preferred)
Math 454	Boundary Value Problems for Partial Diff. Eq.	3	FW
Math 450	Advanced Mathematics For Engineers I.	4	FWSpS
Physics 451	Methods of Theoretical Physics	3	F

Introduction to Research (Ast 399) is generally taken in the Junior or Senior year, and Professor Bregman assigns students on the basis of interests and background to participating staff members. The number of credits is worked out between the staff member and student.

Electives: Elect one from below (one of the following courses is offered each semester, so an individual course is offered only in alternate years. Students may always substitute a graduate astronomy class for an elective.

Astr 401	Solar System Astrophysics	3	W07/alt
Astr 403	Interstellar Medium	3	F05/alt
Astr 405	High Energy Astrophysics	3	F06/alt
Astr 406	Computational Astrophysics(not usually offered)	3	W/alt

Honors Concentration

Students who are interested in scholarly research in astronomy and have a cumulative GPA above 3.5 are encouraged to consider honors concentration. Students with a lower GPA may be admitted to the program at the discretion of the concentration advisor. The program requires writing a senior honors thesis based on research done in collaboration with a faculty member. Interested students should consult the concentration advisor, Professor Bregman, by the beginning of the junior year. Students participating in the Honors Science Program may elect College Honors 291 and 292 through the Department of Astronomy during the sophomore year. Professor Bregman assigns students on the basis of interests and background to participating staff members.

Concentration Advisor: Professor Joel N. Bregman, Room 833, Dennison Building, phone 764-3454; e-mail jbregman@umich.edu

Additional Courses. Some optional but useful courses for those going onto graduate school are listed below. The single most important physics course is Physics 406, which should be taken if you plan to attend graduate school. Also essential is knowing a computer language, of which the most commonly used in the field are FORTRAN and C. This university features C++, of which C is a subset, so this is a good choice of a course. Another option is teaching yourself a language on a PC/Mac with one of the great packages, such as Borland's or Microsoft's version of C or C++ (many people teach themselves computer programming).

Physics 406	Statistical and Thermal Physics	3	FW
also, see the Physics listing for other valuable 400 level courses
Computer courses
Comp Sci 183	Elementary Programming Concepts (C++)	4	FW
Comp Sci 283	Programming and Computer Systems (after 183)	4	FW
In the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences (Eng. School):
AOSS 202	The Atmosphere	3
Ast/AOSS 204	Introduction to Planetary and Space Sciences	3
AOSS 480	The Planets: Composition, Structure, and Evolution	3

Physics Co-Concentration

Courses needed for the General Physics (B.S. or A.B.) Concentration from the Dept. of Physics.

A. Prerequisites to Physics concentration

Math 115	Analytic Geometry and Calculus I.	4	FWSpS
Math 116	Analytic Geometry and Calculus II.	4	FWSpS
Math 215	Analytic Geometry and Calculus III.	4	FWSpS
Math 216	Introduction to Differential Equations	4	FWSpS
Physics 140/141	General Physics I.; Elementary Lab. I.	5	FWSpS
Physics 240/241	General Physics II.; Elementary Lab. II.	5	FWSpS
Physics 340/341	Waves, Heat, and Light	4	FW
or the equivalent Honors sequence (160/141, 260/241, 360/341)

B. Core courses (must take all)

Physics 390	Introduction to Modern Physics	3	FW
Physics 401	Intermediate Mechanics	3	FW
Physics 405	Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism	3	FW
Physics 406	Statistical and Thermal Physics	3	FW
Physics 453	Quantum Mechanics	3	FW
Physics 451	Methods of Theoretical Physics (or equivalent)	3	F

C. Advanced Physics Courses: 6 credits from the following (check schedule)

Physics 402	Light	3
Physics 411	Intro. to Computational Physics	3
Physics 413	Physics of Complexities	3
Physics 419	Energy Demand	3
Physics 435	Gravitational Physics	3	W
Physics 452	Methods of Theoretical Physics	3	W
Physics 457	Subatomic Physics	3
Physics 460	Atomic Physics	3
Physics 463	Intro. to Solid State Physics	3
Physics 489	Physics of Music

Note that this degree requires 6 credits from a cognate department, automatically satisfied if you are doing a concentration in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Courses needed for the Physics (B.S.) Concentration offered by the Dept. of Physics.

Same as for the General Physics, except that you cannot use Physics 489, or Physics 419, but you can take

Physics 417	Dynamical Processes in Biophysics	3
Physics 455	Electronic Devices and Circuits	3

Also, you must take the following:

Physics 465 (you can probably substitute Ast 429 for it, but check first)	Senior Seminar	3	F
Physics 441	Advanced Laboratory I	4	F
Physics 442	Advanced Laboratory I	4	W

There is also an Honors Concentration, which is similar to the above program. A full discussion of programs can be found at http://www.physics.lsa.umich.edu/academics/undergrad/

A description of the classes are given at http://www.physics.lsa.umich.edu/academics/courses/

The general Physics web site is http://www.physics.lsa.umich.edu.

The Physics Concentration Advisors are posted in the Physics Student Services Office, 2061 Randall Lab. The general departmental number for Physics is 764-4437.

Brief Descriptions of the Core Courses in the Astronomy Concentration

Astronomy 160: Introduction to Astrophysics (recommended for concentration, but taking any of the other intro courses is fine)

In this survey of astronomy and astrophysics, which was developed for students with some science and math background, we explore several of the most exciting phenomenon in astrophysics. Fundamental astrophysical processes are explained as are the telescopes and instruments used for the observation of astronomical objects. A major theme of the course is stars, with emphasis on their structure, evolution, and the transfer of radiation. By understanding the spectra produced by stars, we show how the composition of the star can be measured as well as stellar motions, such as stellar oscillations and stellar winds. Basic physical laws lead to a model for the structure of the Sun, including the region of nuclear energy generation and a large convective zone. We will study the evolution of stars from their birth in giant molecular clouds through their death, which leads to the creation of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Galaxies and their distribution is the last main theme, with the Milky Way serving as our best understood example of a galaxy. Among the topics discussed are the missing or dark matter in galaxies, interactions between galaxies, and the large-scale distribution of galaxies in the Universe.

Astr 361: Astronomical Techniques (required for concentration)

This course is intended to introduce the student to a variety of observational techniques, including the use of state-of-the-art electronic devices on optical and radio telescopes. Broadly, the areas covered are stellar trigonometric distances (parallax), imaging and photometry with electronic detectors such as charge-coupled devices (CCDs), techniques of radio astronomy, including receiver operation and interferometry. Students will make observations with the telescopes and instrumentation on the roof of Angell Hall and at the University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory near Dexter. This course is usually taken during the Junior or Senior years.

Astr 399: Introduction to Research (required for concentration)

In this one-on-one seminar, the student will work with a faculty member on an on-going research project and gain direct experience in astrophysical research. The depth and breath of the project largely rests with the student, and several such projects have been written up and published in professional astrophysical journals.

Astronomy 401: Solar System Astrophysics (one of the electives)

The ability to send planetary probes to individual planets and moons throughout the solar system has permitted astronomer an unparalleled view of these astronomical bodies. This course focuses on the breakthroughs that have resulted from these efforts, including the structure and properties of the widely varied planets, moons, and asteroids. In addition, we examine the formation and evolution of the solar system.

Astronomy 402: Stellar Astrophysics (required for concentration)

This course examines the appearance, structure, and evolution of stars, the fundamental objects in astronomy. We will examine the basic physical processes that cause stars to have their observed structure. Included is a study of the energy generation through nucleosynthesis, which changes greatly for stars of different masses and evolutionary states. The basic physical laws that lead to the structure of stars are developed in order to understand why some stars are quiescent while others become giants or lose mass through superwinds. The transfer of radiation through the outer parts of the star is a central theme that is developed to show how spectroscopic information informs us as to the composition and motions of stars. We conclude with an in-depth look at the late stages of stellar evolution and stellar death, which leads to the formation of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.

Astronomy 403: Astrophysics of the Interstellar Medium (one of the electives)

The interstellar medium (the gas between stars) comprises a wide variety of material that interacts closely, and often violently, with individual stars and the host galaxy. First, the underlying atomic and molecular physics is developed and then we examine has gas is ionized by hot stars and by supernova remnants. We analyze the content of the cold pervasive atomic and molecular gas in the galaxy, how it often lies in spiral arms, and why giant molecular clouds are the most active sites of star formation. Finally, recent discoveries are highlighted, such as the presence of galactic "cirrus" as seen from the dust distribution.

Astronomy 404: Galaxies and the Universe (required for concentration)

For the advanced undergraduate with some background in physics and math, this course examines the properties of galaxies, large-scale structure in the universe, and cosmological models. The basic aspects of galaxies are explained and issues considered include orbit theory, spiral arms, the missing mass in galaxies, galaxy evolution and the starburst phenomenon. The course examines the clustering of galaxies, the hot intracluster medium and the dynamical evolution of clusters. Several of the leading topics in cosmology complete the course, with discussions of the expansion of the universe, the cosmic microwave background, the inflationary universe, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and the origin and growth of structure in the universe.

Astronomy 405: High Energy Astrophysics (one of the electives)

Astronomical phenomena are often violent, naturally producing energetic particles, often under exotic circumstances. This course examines the underlying astrophysics of such objects, beginning with accretion disks and jets of plasma around black holes and other compact objects. We will see how stellar-mass black holes form the rapidly variable X-ray binary sources and how black holes at the centers of galaxies produce quasars. The explosions of massive stars (supernovae) will be studied, which can leave behind a neutron star or black hole. Other topics that will be emphasized are the origin of the X-ray and gamma-ray background radiation fields, the origin of gamma-ray bursts, and the nature of cosmic rays.

Astronomy 406: Computational Astrophysics (one of the electives; not often offered)

Computational Astrophysics develops a practical working knowledge of the most widely used numerical methods in astrophysics. The theory underlying the methods is one important aspect of the course, but theory is put into practice by development and use of numerical routines (some already written) in the personal computer or workstation environment. With an emphasis on astrophysical issues, we first cover some of the most common scientific numerical methods, such as interpolation, curve fitting, root finding, quadrature, numerical integration of differential equations, and matrix solutions to sets of linear equations. Fourier methods are widely used throughout astrophysics, and both the basic theory and the most useful applications are presented. The last major topic is the numerical statistical analysis, with particular emphasis on the peculiarities and pitfalls associated with real astronomical data.

Astr 429: Senior Seminar (required for concentration)

This course satisfies the Junior/Senior writing requirement and provides the student with an in-depth look at a few of the exciting developments that are being reported upon in the current astronomical literature. The topics that will be discussed are often those that the faculty are engaged in for their own research.