A minor in Astrophysics is offered to students who are preparing for a career in astrophysics or to those who are interested in an in-depth survey of modern astrophysics. The minor is open to students with a major in any discipline. Reflecting the reality that modern astronomy is really a subfield of physics, there are 4 initial core physics courses which are required (totaling 14 credits). These are to be followed by a number of optional courses which can be taken to make up the required 9 total astrophysics credits. Note that senior research (PHYS 499) with one of the faculty in astrophysics may count towards the minor, for a maximum of 3 total credits (subject to department approval). Interested students may wish to compare with the physics minor offered by the department; in a sense the Astrophysics minor is a more restrictive version of the physics minor and only one of the two will be granted (one cannot get both a physics and an astrophysics minor).
Required Prerequisite Courses:
- PHYS 121 Introductory Physics I: Mechanics (4 credits)
- PHYS 122 Introductory Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism (4 credits) [Prereq PHYS 121]
- PHYS 211 Introductory Physics III: Waves and Relativity (3 credits) [Prereq PHYS 122] (or PHYS 224 Vibrations and Waves)
- PHYS 212 Introductory Physics IV: Thermal and Quantum Physics (3 credits) [Prereq PHYS 211] (or PHYS 324 Modern Physics)
Additional Course Requirements for the Astrophysics Minor:
Following completion of the above (required) courses, students should select at least three (3) of the following to acquire the mandatory 23 credits required to complete the Astrophysics Minor. All courses in the below list are 3 credits.
- PHYS 304: Fundamentals of Astrophysics (R)
- PHYS 405: Stellar Astrophysics
- PHYS 406: Extragalactic Astrophysics (R)
- PHYS 415: Astroparticle Physics
- PHYS 416: Cosmology (R)
- PHYS 425: Relativistic Physics
- PHYS 499: Senior Research*
- PHYS 631: The Physics of Astrophysics I**
- PHYS 632: The Physics of Astrophysics II**
It is recommended, especially for students not already engaged in astrophysics research with a faculty mentor, to begin with PHYS 304, which the department intends to offer every fall. However, it is not required, and the additional courses can be any of the above, taken in any order. Note that those courses marked by (R) will be taught on a regular basis, and the others less frequently. The department intends to offer Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics in alternating Spring semesters.
*PHYS 499 only with approved Astrophysics Faculty – non-Astrophysics research for 499 credit will not count towards the minor.
**Graduate-level course enrollment is subject to pre-approval by faculty mentor and/or Undergraduate Program Director.