Graduate Program Overview

This statement summarizes the curriculum, the procedures, and the regulations that make up the graduate program in Astronomy and Astrophysics; it is intended to serve as a guide to both students and faculty members. Not included here are the general regulations of the University and of the Division of the Physical Sciences; for these the quarterly Time Schedules and the Graduate Announcements should be consulted.

The Chairman of the Student Committee is the Academic Advisor to graduate students. Students should consult regularly with the academic advisor concerning their programs and progress, and questions concerning the graduate program or its administration should be directed to the academic advisor. In the period before the student has a thesis committee, the academic advisor has the authority to approve substitutions to the standard list of courses where appropriate. Graduate students are under the general supervision of the Chair of the Student Committee, the Chair of the Department, and of the Dean of Students of the Division of the Physical Sciences. For some purposes, it is appropriate for students to consult with the Chairman or with the Dean of Students.

As students enter the program they will be assigned a faculty member as their initial advisor and will generally discuss their course selections and other matters with this advisor as well as with the Chairman of the Student Committee. Students will be encouraged to participate to whatever extent they wish in the activities of this advisor's research group. If (as is common) students have or develop research interests different from those of this initial advisor they will be free to change advisors to someone whose interests are close to their own.

Outline of the Program
Course Requirements for the Ph.D.
Research Project Requirement for the Ph.D.
Teaching Requirement for the Ph.D.
Grades
Registration
Candidacy Examination
The Degree of Master of Science
The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Appendix A: Dissertations Based on Research that is Published Under Multiple Authorship
Appendix B: Astronomy and Astrophysics Course Outlines

Outline of the Program

A student normally enters graduate study in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics with an undergraduate degree in physics or in another physical science. During the first academic year, a student concentrates on basic graduate courses in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Department of Physics or Chemistry. The candidacy examination for admission to doctoral research is taken just prior to the beginning of a student's second academic year. During the second year of the program, a student is expected to concentrate on research and, in particular, to declare candidacy by making formal arrangements to obtain a faculty sponsor who will supervise the research for the dissertation. A research project must also be completed during the second year. An advanced student is also expected to fulfill the remaining course requirements. It should normally require four to five years to complete the doctoral program.

Course Requirements for the Ph.D.

First-Year Students
Advanced Students

First-Year Students

The normal program of courses in the first three quarters of graduate study in Astronomy and Astrophysics consists of nine required courses. These courses are scheduled as follows:

Autumn Quarter:

Astronomy 30100: Astrophysics I
Astronomy 30500: Radiative Processes in Astrophysics
Physics 33000: Mathematical Methods of Physics OR
Physics 34100 or Chemistry 36100: Quantum Mechanics I

Winter Quarter:

Astronomy 30200: Astrophysics II
Astronomy 30600: Radiation Measurements in Astrophysics
Physics 32200: Electrodynamics and Optics I OR
Physics 34200 or Chemistry 36200: Quantum Mechanics II

Spring Quarter:

Astronomy 30300: Astrophysics III
Astronomy 30400: Astrophysics IV
Astronomy 30700: Preparation for Summer Research Project

An unusually well-prepared student may, subject to the approval of the academic advisor and consent of the course instructor, omit courses from the program or substitute other courses. If omission of courses is approved, the total number of courses required will generally be reduced correspondingly.

In addition to the required courses, first-year students are required to attend a weekly program of Faculty Research Seminars. These Seminars provide an introduction to the research programs in the Department, and they serve to inform students about the opportunities for dissertation research and other projects.

Advanced Students

Required Course: The following course is required, and is normally taken in the second year.

Astronomy 30900: Research Project Seminar

In addition to the nine required first-year courses and the one required second-year course listed above, a student must complete eight additional lecture courses, with at least four chosen from this list of directed electives:

Astronomy 31300: Extragalactic Studies
Astronomy 31500: Dynamics I (Fluids)
Astronomy 31600: Dynamics II (Particles)
Astronomy 32000: Relativistic Astrophysics
Astronomy 32100: Cosmology
Astronomy 33000: Computational Astrophysics
Astronomy 34000: Statistical Methods in Astrophysics
Astronomy 36100: Interstellar Matter
Astronomy 38x00: History of Astronomy
The Physics or Chemistry sequence not taken in year 1
Physics 33400: Advanced Experimental Physics
Physics 35200: Statistical Mechanics
Physics 36300: Particle Physics
Physics 36400: General Relativity
Physics 44300/44400: Quantum Field Theory

Directed electives are offered in alternate years or more often if deemed necessary. Offerings during the current academic year are posted on the Departmental bulletin board.

A student may petition his or her Dissertation Committee (or the academic advisor if a committee has not yet been appointed) to substitute courses from outside the above list for some of the directed electives. In the petition, the student will propose a coherent program of at least five graduate-level lecture courses, and the Committee (or Advisor) will base its decision on both the student's specific research needs and the general goal of acquiring a broad background in astronomy and astrophysics.

Free Electives: Up to four courses chosen from the list of 400-level lecture courses in Astronomy and Astrophysics may count toward the total of eight elective courses. Subject to the approval of the Advisor, other graduate level courses in Astronomy and Astrophysics or in another Department in the Division of the Physical Sciences may be substituted.

Electives should reflect a logical sequence for the research track chosen by the student. In order to maintain breadth, at least two of the directed electives should be outside of a student's chosen sub-field.

Course descriptions in Astronomy and Astrophysics are contained in Appendix B; course descriptions in other departments may be obtained from the appropriate departmental offices.

In addition to fulfilling the course requirements described above, a student will register for research courses and/or additional lecture courses in accordance with University regulations. A student may also audit lecture courses.

Research Project Requirement for the Ph.D.

By spring quarter of their first year in the graduate program, students should have decided which faculty member they wish to work with on a research project for a few months. (This is NOT a commitment to do thesis research with this faculty member.) In spring quarter, students will begin this research project and will take a seminar course (Astro. 30700) in which they present a talk discussing the background for the project. Over the summer, they will do most of the work on the project. Those students who are required to register for the summer quarter will register for Astronomy 30800 (Summer Research Project). In fall quarter of their second year students will take another seminar course (Astro. 30900) in which they will present the results of these research projects. The project is carried out under the supervision of a faculty sponsor who must report to the Department on the student's fulfillment of this requirement. In some instances, students may collaborate on a project. Summer assistantships at national observatories and laboratories can provide particularly good opportunities for carrying out suitable projects off campus.

Teaching Requirement for the Ph.D.

A further requirement for the Ph.D. is that a student must fulfill a practicum in teaching for a minimum of two quarters. This teaching program need not be accomplished during consecutive quarters nor in a single year, but it must involve the following:

Participation in a training program in teaching techniques which may take the form of a workshop, a series of seminars, or practice lectures in the presence of a faculty member; OR
Service as a teaching assistant or lecturer, participation in curriculum development, grading, or tutoring, or any combination of the above.

Teaching experience obtained while an undergraduate is not acceptable in satisfying this requirement.

Teaching at Chicago: A Collection of Readings and Practical Advice for Beginning Teachers (provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning here at the University of Chicago).

Grades

The system of grades in the University is described in the quarterly Time Schedules. A graduate student is expected to maintain an average grade of B (3.00 on a scale of 4) or better in his course work at the 3x- level. If a student falls below this average, his progress is reviewed by the Department, and he is advised by the Advisor concerning his future work in the Department.

The grade of I (Incomplete) will be given only in truly exceptional situations. In order to receive a grade of I, a student must submit to the Chairman a letter signed by the student and the instructor stating the work that must be completed, the deadline for the completion of that work, and the grade that will be awarded automatically if the work is not completed by the specified deadline. The deadline for the completion of a course must be within one month of the regular end of the course unless the Chairman approves a later deadline.

Registration

Registration procedures are administered by the Office of the Dean of Students. Students should consult the Departmental bulletin board for information concerning the procedures and schedule. Students are normally expected to register for three courses per quarter, the program of courses being subject to the approval of the academic advisor.

Candidacy Examination

The Candidacy Examination is to be taken just prior to the Autumn Quarter of a student's second year of graduate work. The Examination is conducted by a committee of at least four faculty members appointed by the Chairman of the Department. The format of the Examination is determined each year by the committee. In recent years the Examination has consisted of a written part of approximately six hours and an oral part of approximately one hour. Copies of old Examinations are on file in the Crerar and Yerkes Libraries. The Candidacy Examination covers three areas:

The first-year program of 3x-level courses in Astronomy and Astrophysics and in Physics or Chemistry.
Topics in elementary astronomy. The student is expected to acquire a knowledge of elementary astronomy through independent study. The student can prepare systematically in this area by studying such texts as Abell's Exploration of the Universe or Shu's The Physical Universe.
Current developments in astronomy. From the beginning of their graduate work, students should seek to become familiar with the current astronomical literature and to acquire a general understanding of the subject. Regular attendance at Departmental Colloquia and Seminars is expected, because it is of considerable value in this connection.

There are three possible grades on the Candidacy Examination:

The grade P indicates that the student will be admitted to research for the Ph.D. This grade also indicates that the student's performance qualifies for the award of the Master's Degree.
The grade M indicates that the performance qualifies for the award of the Master's Degree but not for admission to research.
The grade F indicates the performance does not qualify for the award of the Master's Degree or for admission to research.

A student who receives the grade M or F on his first attempt will be permitted one additional attempt to pass the Candidacy Examination at a time to be set by the Chairman of the Department on the recommendation of the Examination Committee. A student who does not receive the grade P on his second attempt will not be permitted to continue work toward the Ph.D.

The Degree of Master of Science

The Divisional requirement for the degree of Master of Science is full-time registration in the Division for a minimum of three quarters (nine courses) or the equivalent in part-time registration.

In addition to the Divisional requirement, the Departmental requirements for this degree are:

completion of at least nine lecture courses in the Division of the Physical Sciences, including Astronomy 30100, 30200, 30300, 30400, 30500, and 30600, with a minimum grade of C in each course and a minimum grade-point average of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0; AND EITHER
the grade P or M on the Candidacy Examination; OR
conduct of a research project sponsored by a member of the faculty, submission to the Department of an account of that research in a paper or essay which has been approved by a Departmental committee chaired by the faculty sponsor, and a presentation in the Department of a seminar based on the research.

A student with an unusual academic background and/or need may substitute courses in other Divisions of the University for courses in the Division of the Physical Sciences and/or substitute more advanced graduate courses in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the courses listed above. Such exceptions to the normal course requirements require Departmental approval, and a student's program must in any case include at least four graduate courses in the Department.

The Department approves the award of the degree after the student arranges for the submission of a report to the Divisional Dean of Students that the requirements for the degree have been satisfied. The formal application for the degree must be signed by the Advisor.

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

The requirements for this degree are satisfied in several stages:

Course requirements. - These are described above.
Language requirements. - The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics has no formal language requirements. However, students are expected to make use of the literature in foreign languages as the need arises in their work.
Admission to research - A student is officially admitted to research on the basis of a satisfactory performance on the Candidacy Examination.
The Sponsor - Upon passing the Candidacy Examination, the student should arrange with a faculty member to have that faculty member serve as Sponsor for the student's research. The Sponsor supervises the research and generally acts as the student's Advisor. The use of equipment and/or facilities required for the research should be arranged through the Sponsor.
Candidacy - In order to establish formal candidacy for the degree, a student must:
1. be admitted to research;
2. obtain a Sponsor; and
3. submit to the Chairman of the Department a title, approved by the Sponsor, for his research project.
Candidacy forms, which may be obtained from the Departmental Office, are completed and submitted to the Chairman of the Department. According to University regulations, formal candidacy must be established at least eight months before the final examination for the degree. The Department expects that a student will establish formal candidacy within two academic quarters following his admission to research. The continued registration of a student who does not establish candidacy within this time limit requires Departmental approval.
The Dissertation Committee. - When formal candidacy is established, a Dissertation Committee consisting of the Sponsor and at least three other faculty members is appointed by the Chairman of the Department. It is the responsibility of the Dissertation Committee to conduct a final oral examination. At the conclusion of the examination, the Committee will (1) accept or reject the defense of the dissertation and (2) accept the dissertation or specify the further work that will be required in order to make it acceptable. Each student shall arrange to have his or her Dissertation Committee meet at least once each year, generally during the Spring Quarter. The purpose of this yearly meeting is to review with the student his/her progress toward the completion of the course requirements, selection of a thesis topic, and progress on the thesis project. A student whose committee has not met before the date of registration for Autumn Quarter will not be allowed to register.
The Dissertation - The principal requirement for the Ph.D. Degree is the presentation and defense of a dissertation describing an original piece of research that has been performed independently by the student. The general regulations governing the acceptability of a dissertation are the following:
1. The dissertation shall consist of a paper or of papers submitted for publication in a recognized scientific journal, and the student shall be the sole author of the published dissertation.
2. A dissertation shall be accepted as satisfying the requirements of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics only if it has been approved by the Dissertation Committee and has been submitted for publication in a recognized scientific journal.
3. Each published paper that is submitted as (part of) a dissertation shall carry a notation, preferably on the first page, as follows: "Presented as (part of) a dissertation to the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree." The published dissertation shall also contain acknowledgments to fellowships or traineeships held during the research period as well as to research grants and other sources of support.
Any exceptions to the preceding rules require prior approval (at least six months before the final exam is scheduled) by an ad hoc committee appointed by the Chairman of the Department. The procedures and regulations governing a dissertation that is based on a paper or papers published under multiple authorship are given in Appendix A.
The final examination - It is the responsibility of the student to arrange with the Dissertation Committee for the final oral examination. The examination covers the subject matter of the dissertation and related subjects. Copies of the dissertation, normally in the form of preprints or reprints of the published version, are to be distributed to the Committee at least two weeks before the examination. A report on the final examination must be sent to the Dean of Students of the Division of the Physical Sciences; the student must arrange for this with the Sponsor and the Advisor. After the Committee approves the dissertation, the Advisor will release it for submission to the Office of Academic Publications.
The Office of Academic Publications - After the final examination, the student must arrange with the Office of Academic Publications for the submission and final acceptance of the dissertation before the degree can be awarded. That Office will advise students of the format in which the dissertation must be submitted. The student must also pay a charge for the microfilming of the dissertation.
Submission to a Journal - The Department requires that at least one major single-authored paper based on the dissertation be submitted to an appropriate refereed journal. The student must show an acknowledgment of receipt of the paper from a journal before the Department will approve the award of the degree.
Application for the Degree - The application for the degree is submitted on a form provided by the Office of the Registrar. The application form must be signed by the Departmental Advisor.
Other regulations - Regulations pertaining to the application for the degree, deadlines, and other matters will be found in the quarterly Time Schedules and the graduate Announcements.

Appendix A: Dissertations Based on Research that is Published Under Multiple Authorship

In view of the importance of independent research as the basis for a Ph.D. dissertation in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the possibility of basing a dissertation on research published under multiple authorship poses a question of prime concern. As put forth in the body of these regulations, it is expected that the degree candidate will be the sole author of the published paper or papers representing the dissertation. However, if there is some special circumstance that cannot be avoided with advanced planning of the research and that requires publication in a scientific journal under multiple authorship, then the student and sponsor shall initiate the following procedures:

At least six months before a final examination can be scheduled, the student and sponsor shall inform the Chairman of the Department of the circumstances that might require the use of a paper or papers published under multiple authorship as the published account of the dissertation research. The student and sponsor shall submit a written request for Departmental approval for the use of a joint paper or joint papers as the basis for the dissertation, and they shall support their request with a written explanation of the need for joint publication of the dissertation work.
Upon receiving the request for Departmental approval, the Chairman of the Department shall appoint an Ad Hoc Committee to consider the matter. The Ad Hoc Committee shall consist of the members of the Dissertation Committee plus one additional faculty member appointed to replace the sponsor, who will normally act as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee.
The Ad Hoc Committee shall consider the written statements from the student and the sponsor and, if necessary, carry on further discussions with the student and the sponsor. It shall be necessary for the candidate and his sponsor to establish that the candidate expects to carry out suitable independent scientific research so as to qualify for the Ph.D. degree. Then it must be established that joint authorship is necessary as a consequence of some special circumstance under which the research is to be carried out.
The considerations and final decision of the Ad Hoc Committee shall be communicated to the Chairman of the Department within three weeks of the proposal for joint authorship. The written report of the Committee shall include: (a) a specific decision approving or disapproving the use of a joint paper or joint papers as the published account of the dissertation work; and (b) a specification of the grounds for the Committee's decision.
If the decision of the Committee is without reservation, then it shall be final. In the event that there are reservations, then the Chairman of the Department shall review the request and the Committee's report, and he shall make a final decision in keeping with the criteria and policies stated above.
If joint authorship of the published account of the dissertation research is approved, then the official dissertation shall consist of an expanded account of the work written by the candidate alone. That dissertation shall be prepared in the format prescribed by the Office of Academic Publications.

The Department considers that it is the responsibility of the student and the sponsor to anticipate the need for joint authorship of the published account of the dissertation research and to submit a timely request for Departmental approval in accordance with these procedures.

Appendix B: Astronomy and Astrophysics Course Outlines

See also the brief online description of core classes and list of classes offered this year.

30100, 30200, 30300, 30400. Astrophysics I-IV. Basic physical principles and their application to both classical and contemporary astrophysical problems. Brief descriptions and a detailed outline are also on line.
30500. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics. The basic physics of radiation fields is applied to astrophysical systems. Emission, absorption, and scattering processes and the theory of radiative transfer are discussed.
30600. Radiation Measurements in Astrophysics. Radiation as a random process, optical coherence, and signal analysis in spatial and temporal domains, along with the detection and measurement of radiation with astronomical instruments.
30700. Preparation for Summer Research Project. Students work with faculty members to select their research project topic and study the published literature related to it.
30800. Summer Research Project. Research project pursued during the summer between a student's first and second years of graduate school.
30900. Research Project Seminar. Students present a seminar series based on their summer research projects.
31300. Extragalactic Studies: Interpretation of observations of galaxies, quasars, and intergalactic material. The structure of selected individual objects is discussed as well as the contents of the universe as a whole. (Offered biannually.)
31500. Dynamics I (Fluids). Principles of hydrodynamics and hydromagnetics. Equilibrium and stability of fluid systems in astrophysics. Waves. Shocks. Turbulence. (Offered biannually.)
31600. Dynamics II (Particle Systems). Dynamics of collisionless plasmas and stellar systems. Stochastic processes and kinetic equations. Dynamics of galaxies and star clusters. Astrophysical plasmas. (Offered biannually.)
32000. Relativistic Astrophysics Special and General. Relativity with applications to astrophysical problems. (Offered biannually.)
32100. Cosmology. Study of physical cosmology with emphasis on the standard big-bang model and its observational and experimental tests. (Offered biannually.)
33000. Computational Astrophysics. Basic computational methods useful for astrophysics, supplemented by specific examples drawn primarily from astrophysics.
34000. Statistical Methods in Astrophysics. An exploration of the variety of statistical methods used in modern astrophysics. (Offered biannually.)
36100. Interstellar Matter. Physics of the Interstellar Gas. Emission nebulae. H I regions. Interstellar grains and molecules. Cosmic rays and the interstellar magnetic field. (Offered biannually.)
37100. Pre-Candidacy Research.
37200. Readings in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
38x00. Topics in History of Astronomy. (numbers vary within the 38x00 series)

Courses numbered 40000-48000 are lecture or seminar courses taught from time to time in specialized or advanced topics in fields in which members of the department are working. Admission to any of these is by permission of the instructor. Typical courses include:

40100. Topics in Computational Physics.
41300. Topics in Stellar Astronomy.
41400. Advanced Stellar Dynamics.
41500. Astrophysical Jets.
42200. Early Universe Cosmology.
43000. Plasma Astrophysics.
44200. Topics in Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics.
45100. High Resolution Imaging.
45200. Primer on the SDSS.
46500. Atomic Spectra.
47100. Evolution of Galaxies.
47200. Star Clusters.
47300. Distant Galaxies.
49400. Research in Astrophysics.