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Astronomy courses are offered by the Department of Astronomy and Physics
Note: This segment lists undergraduate courses in Astronomy and programs in Astrophysics only. Course and program descriptions for physics may be found in Physics (PHYS) in this Calendar while graduate course descriptions and programs in astronomy may be found in the Graduate Academic Calendar.
Because all modern-day astronomers are also physicists, no undergraduate degree in astronomy alone is offered. Instead, the Department offers three programs in astrophysics; a major, an honours and a minor. The astrophysics major program is designed for those who want a solid foundation in modern physics and astronomy, but who are not necessarily planning to continue their education beyond the B.Sc. The astrophysics honours program is designed for those who intend to continue on to graduate school, and involves the preparation of an honours thesis (Research Thesis (PHYS 4790)) under the supervision of a faculty advisor in their fourth year. As listed below, these two programs are identical through the second year meaning students need not commit to the honours program until the third year of study. Note also, as listed, these programs conform to the requirements of the Science faculty.
The Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) is a well-established, foundational degree. Its specific requirements are listed below alongside general graduation requirements.
The requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science with Major apply as listed in this Academic Calendar under the heading Faculty of Science, Bachelor of Science - Major . The specific list of the fifty-seven (57) credit hours (specifically eighteen (18) credit hours in ASTR and thirty-nine (39) credit hours in PHYS) required to satisfy 6 (d) are contained in the following list of required Science courses for the program:
The requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science with Honours apply as listed in this Academic Calendar under the heading of Faculty of Science, Bachelor of Science – Honours. Students must secure a supervisor for the honours thesis (Research Thesis (PHYS 4790)) before applying to the honours program. The specific courses that make up the total seventy-eight (78) credit hours required in the honours subject (specifically twenty-one (21) credit hours in Astronomy and fifty-seven (57) credit hours in Physics) are included in the following list of required Science courses for the program Introduction to Astrophysics (ASTR 1100).
The requirements for a Minor in Astrophysics are the same as those listed for Bachelor of Science – Major and Minor of this Academic Calendar. The following Science courses are required for the Astrophysics Minor. A total of thirty (30) credit hours in the minor subject are required, specifically twelve (12) credit hours in Astronomy and eighteen (18) in Physics as follows:
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