The Department of Astronomy offers a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy. Our degree program is designed to prepare students for graduate work or professional employment in astronomy, astrophysics, or a related field. The curriculum combines courses and research in astronomy and astrophysics with a strong foundation in physics and mathematics.
Academic Advising
The Astronomy program has two professional academic advisors: David Smith & Kristy Merdinger – you can email both advisors at physastr@arizona.edu. Current and prospective students interested in the astronomy major should meet with either advisor to discuss their pathway forward in the major.
The advisors publish a weekly newsletter that includes information about both the Department of Physics and the Department of Astronomy, as well as enrollment and graduation information. Also in the newsletter are opportunities for students to participate in various activities that can enrich their undergraduate experience. The newsletter also includes a documents page that has checklists, degree programs, four-year plans, and prerequisites.
Graduation Ceremonies
An excellent source to learn about our Astronomy major is our annual springtime graduation celebrations. Each presentation below provides 1) a Department-wide perspective (people, academics, research, funding, work-life balance), 2) a personal perspective about each graduate, and 3) inspiration from videos and poems created by our students for the graduating class.
In May 2024, our graduating class was 26 majors, 6 minors, and two Ph.D. students. The commencement ceremony was hosted on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in person and via Zoom.
In May 2023, our graduating class was 22 majors, 19 minors, 1 MS, and 10 Ph.D. students. We celebrated their graduation on May 11, 2023, in person and via Zoom.
In May 2022, our graduating class consisted of 28 majors, 13 minors, and 6 Ph.D. students. We celebrated with them on May 11, 2022, both in person and via Zoom. Here are the associated slides from that presentation.
In May 2021, our virtual graduation ceremony (Zoom video) honored 18 undergraduate majors, either undergraduate minors, and five Ph.D. graduates. This presentation also contains excellent advice from our distinguished speaker, Dr. Andrea Ghez (Nobel Prize in Physics 2020, Professor of Physics & Astronomy at UCLA).
In May 2020, we conducted our graduation ceremony entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That class was our largest graduating class to date, and included the first minor in Astronomical Studies: 29 majors (10 women; 19 men) and 12 minors (3 women; 9 men). Renowned American physicist, astronomer, science educator, and retired NASA astronaut Dr. George Nelson was our guest speaker. Read Dr. Nelson’s speech and view the ceremony here, including Sammie Mackie’s creative student video “We the Inquiring”.