BS in Astronomy And Astrophysics
Melbourne, USA
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 21,173 / per semester
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
What is an Astronomy and Astrophysics Degree?
Space sciences at Florida Tech have set the standard since 1958, successfully preparing students for high-tech careers at top space agencies and research firms. The astronomy and astrophysics degree option, which is focused on the study of celestial bodies beyond the Earth's solar system, is designed to meet the needs of students intending to pursue graduate education and a career in astronomical sciences.
Whether you want to study the mysteries of black holes, examine the physical behavior of stars, or determine the origins of the universe, the Astronomy and Astrophysics degree from Florida Tech gives you a strong background in physics and hands-on experience with high-tech observational instrumentation.
Gain Practical Experience
Astronomy and astrophysics at Florida Tech isn't just something you study–it's something you go into the lab or onto the roof (where the telescopes are) and do! Florida Tech students gain scientific skills through hands-on experience in small classes with intensive faculty-student interaction.
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Group at Florida Tech is concerned primarily with observational and theoretical studies of white dwarf stars, M dwarf stars, and cataclysmic variable systems. During your study at Florida Tech, you have an opportunity to undertake exciting collaborative research with a peer or professor or work independently on a topic of your choosing, gaining practical experience for an enhanced job search portfolio and the perfect preparation for graduate and professional school and employment.
Earn an Advanced Degree
After receiving their astrobiology degree, many of our students go on to master's and doctoral programs at Florida Tech and other prestigious universities, including Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, and Yale.
Peerless Internship Opportunities
Because of Florida Tech's location at the heart of the Space Coast, there are a plethora of opportunities for our students to obtain both astronomy and astrophysics internships during their studies. Some of the organizations that provide astronomy and astrophysics internships include:
- NASA
- Leonardo DRS
- Lockheed-Martin
- Harris
- Northrop Grumman
Students participating in astrophysics and astronomy internships have monitored the Deep Impact Mission’s collision at Kitt Peak National Observatory, worked with the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and helped develop and test new night-vision optics used by the US Army.
Stunning Undergraduate Research Opportunities
In addition to astrophysics or astronomy internships, astronomy and astrophysics students are encouraged to utilize Florida Tech’s F.W. Olin Observatory, which houses the Ortega telescope to take part in research projects. These projects may entail hands-on observations with our telescopes or work with data from space-based observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, or the Kepler Observatory.
SARA also sponsors an NSF-funded summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program that provides 10–12 students from around the US the opportunity to work with scientists at SARA institutions.
Department faculty operates the world's largest X-ray array for measuring lightning. Faculty also co-operate (with UCLA) a chain of ten geomagnetic field observatories from Central Florida to Maine, and maintain a NASA-qualified clean room.
Valuable astrophysics and astronomy internships and research give students real-world experience and learning opportunities.
Curriculum
Curriculum
The undergraduate space sciences program for the astronomy and astrophysics major is designed for students interested in pursuing a broad range of space-related careers, either upon completion of the bachelor’s degree program or after completing graduate studies. The emphasis in the curriculum for the astronomy and astrophysics majors is on achieving a broad yet rigorous education in the basic physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as a foundation for successful entry into any of the many subfields of modern space science activity.
This program is designed to meet the needs of students intending to pursue graduate education and a career in the astronomical sciences.
Candidates for the degree must successfully complete the following curriculum.
Freshman Year
Fall (16 credit hours)
- CHM 1101 General Chemistry 1
- COM 1101 Composition and Rhetoric
- FYE 1000 University Experience
- MTH 1001 Calculus 1 * or MTH 1010 Honors Calculus 1
- PHY 1050 Physics and Space Science Seminar
- SPS 1020 Introduction to Space Sciences *
Spring (16 credit hours)
- CHM 1102 General Chemistry 2
- COM 1102 Writing About Literature
- MTH 1002 Calculus 2 or MTH 1020 Honors Calculus 2
- PHY 1001 Physics 1
- PHY 2091 Physics Laboratory 1
Sophomore Year
Fall (15 credit hours)
- MTH 2001 Calculus 3 or MTH 2010 Honors Calculus 3
- PHY 2002 Physics 2
- PHY 2092 Physics Laboratory 2
- Restricted Elective (CSE 15xx) Credit Hours: 3
Select the first HUM Core Course:
- HUM 2051 Civilization 1: Ancient Through Medieval
- HUM 2141 World Art History 1: Pre-History to Early Global Awareness
- HUM 2211 British Literature and Culture
- HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1
- HUM 2331 American History: Pre-Columbian to Civil War Era
- HUM 2551 Survey of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Spring (16 credit hours)
- COM 2223 Scientific and Technical Communication
- MTH 2201 Differential Equations/Linear Algebra or MTH 3200 Honors Differential Equations
- PHY 2003 Modern Physics
- SPS 2010 Observational Astronomy
Select the second HUM Core Course:
- HUM 2052 Civilization 2: Renaissance Through Modern
- HUM 2142 World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial
- HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1 (may not be repeated for credit)
- HUM 2213 British and American Literature 2
- HUM 2332 American History: From Reconstruction to the Present
- HUM 2552 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
Junior Year
Fall (17 credit hours)
- PHY 3011 Physical Mechanics
- PHY 3060 Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Mechanics
- SPS 3020 Methods and Instrumentation
- Restricted Elective (MTH 3000-level or higher) Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Spring (16 credit hours)
- MTH 3210 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations and Applications
- PHY 3035 Quantum Mechanics
- PHY 3440 Electromagnetic Theory
- SPS 3030 Orbital Mechanics
- Humanities Elective (HU) 3000-level or higher recommended Credit Hours: 3
Senior Year
Fall (17 credit hours)
- AEE 3161 Fluid Mechanics or OCE 3030 Fluid Mechanics
- PHY 4020 Optics
- PHY 4021 Experiments in Optics
- SPS 4010 Astrophysics 1: Introduction to Stellar Structure and Evolution
- SPS 4050 Advanced Research Techniques and Data Analysis
- SPS 4200 Senior Seminar 1 (Q)
- Technical Elective or Undergraduate Research Credit Hours: 3
Spring (15 credit hours)
- SPS 4020 Astrophysics 2: Galactic Structure and Cosmology
- SPS 4025 Introduction to Space Plasma Physics or SPS 4035 Comparative Planetology
- SPS 4110 Senior Laboratory
- SPS 4210 Senior Seminar 2 (Q)
- Social Science Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Technical Elective or Undergraduate Research Credit Hours: 3
Total Credits Required: 128
*Students should register for SPS 1020 Introduction to Space Sciences. If a student places into MTH 1002 Calculus 2 or MTH 1020 Honors Calculus 2, the student is encouraged to take PHY 1001 Physics 1 in the first semester and SPS 1020 Introduction to Space Sciences later in the program.
**Students are encouraged to choose PHY 3152 Electronic Measurement Techniques, PHY 4030 Introduction to Subatomic Physics, PHY 4033 Introduction to Solid State Physics, SPS 3010 Geophysics, SPS 4030 Physics of the Atmosphere, SPS 4035 Comparative Planetology, or SPS 4039 Astrobiology.
***Courses taught on an alternate year basis.
Career Opportunities
Career Outlook
Employers seek out graduates with an astronomy and astrophysics degree from Florida Tech. Companies that recruit our students for internships and careers include:
- JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
- Harris Corporation
- Lockheed-Martin
- Boeing
- DRS Optronics
- Kennedy Space Center
- NASA
- Goddard
- The Space Telescopic Science Institute
- Northrop Grumman
- US Army
- Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- Museum of Natural History in New York City
- Kitt Peak National Observatory
What astronomy careers are available? The US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a resource called the Occupational Outlook Handbook that provides detailed information about hundreds of jobs, including data about median pay, projected growth in employment, and specifics about what the jobs entail and prerequisites.
According to the Bureau, physics, and astronomy careers are expected to increase by 14% through 2020. This growth is expected to come in the federal government in national laboratories as the study continues to energy and science research, as well as in university-based research and teaching.
Career Options
Undergraduates and graduate students with a BS in Astronomy and Astrophysics can look forward to a career in such fields as:
- Physics and Biophysics
- Astronomy
- Aerospace engineering
- Nuclear engineering
- Medical research
- Energy research
- Postsecondary education
- Materials science
- Geology and geoscience
- Biomedical research
- Environmental research
English Language Requirements
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