Information for Transfer Students

Eligibility for Admission

In order to be eligible for transfer into the University of Florida as an astronomy major, you must satisfy the basic transfer admission requirements of the University of Florida. You should also look at the information for transfer students at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Web site. Note that the requirements are different depending on whether the student has an AA from a Florida community college or state university other than UF and is thus covered by the state's articulation agreement. Astronomy is technically a limited admission program, and therefore admission is competitive; however, this depends on the space available and is usually not a problem.

Preparation for the Program

To prepare for admission you should take MAC 2311, 2312, and 2313, which are Calculus 1 through 3, and PHY 2048 and 2049, General Physics with Calculus 1 and 2, together with the respective lab courses PHY 2048L and 2049L, General Physics 1 Lab and General Physics 2 Lab. The course equivalency rule for the statewide common course numbering system applies; for example, PHY 1048 is considered equivalent to PHY 2048. If you're at a private college or one that is out of state you should take the nearest equivalent courses to these. The grades in these courses are a major determinant of your chance of acceptance, and they are also a fairly strong indicator of your prospects for success in the astronomy program. In addition they should be thought of as laying a necessary foundation for later coursework in astronomy and physics.

Students sometimes express an interest in having some astronomy coursework done before they come to UF. However, there are currently no institutions in the state that offer AST 3018 and 3019, Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 and 2, which are the introductory astronomy courses for the major, so there's not much likelihood of a student's "getting ahead." (Some private colleges in Florida may have approximately equivalent courses, and some universities outside the state do have such courses, but they're quite rare.) It is not recommended that you take a course for non-science majors such as AST 1002, Discovering the Universe, AST 2007, Solar System, or AST 2008, Stars and Galaxies, before coming to UF as a way of "easing into" AST 3018 and 3019. Such courses don't count towards the major and do little to prepare you for the major courses since they're generally much easier and less mathematical than AST 3018 and 3019. That being said, if you wish to take one or two of those courses to aid in making the decision whether to pursue an astronomy major as a matter of interest in the subject there's no penalty for doing so. A grade of less than B in such a course is not of itself a disqualification but is at least a serious red flag that you may not be successful in the major. A grade of C+ or lower along with other negative factors might adversely impact your chances of admission.

The Astronomy Major for Transfer Students

The courses required for the major are of course the same for a transfer student as for a student who entered UF as a freshman. Naturally these depend on which degree the student is pursuing, the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). The math and physics courses required for the B.S. closely parallel those required for the physics major; one of the principal differences is the chemistry requirement (CHM 2045, 2045L, 2046), but there are a few others also. Because of this similarity some astronomy students opt to double major in physics. If you want to do so you should consult with Dr. Selman Hershfield, Undergraduate Coordinator in Physics.

The suggested semester plans for astronomy majors entering as freshmen both include taking AST 3018 and 3019 in the second year. Obviously this isn't possible for a junior transfer student except in those extremely rare cases noted above when the prior school has equivalent courses to those. Because those courses must be completed before any of the 4000-level courses are taken, and the 4000-level courses are normally offered only one per semester, the practical effect is to shift the program for such students by one year. The required course offerings for the major beyond the 3000 level are prescribed according to a two-year cycle, as laid out in the section on courses for the major.

Following either semester plan a transfer student would expect to take three years or six semesters to finish. However, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ordinarily expects junior transfer students to finish in five semesters, with no more than 137 total credits including those transferred in. With the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in particular this restriction requires some care in course planning.

It's strongly recommended that the student plan on entering UF in the fall term. A student who starts in the spring can't start AST 3018 because it's only offered in the fall term, and she or he can't take AST 3019 (which is only offered in the spring) because AST 3018 is a prerequisite for it. He or she can start on the physics courses required (assuming that PHY 2048 and 2049 have already been completed), but because of the restriction above and the fact that the first whole year none of the 4000-level courses can be taken (because 3018 and 3019 both are prerequisites) there's only one year left to finish those courses, which is extremely difficult because of the one-course-per-term cycle.

The problem transfer B.S. students face with the 4000-level courses can be mitigated in two ways. First, there's an "extra" course beyond the one per term, namely AST 4723C, Observational Techniques 2. Like the others, it's normally offered once every two years. However, the timing of that may not work out for every student. Second, the B.S. students in particular are encouraged to sign up for AST 4905, Individual Study, to gain research experience, as is discussed in the last paragraph of the B. S. part of the astronomy major writeup. Ordinarily a student signs up for three credits of 4905 at a time. As many as six credits can be used towards the five-course requirement, but no more than that. By this means two of the five 4000-level lecture courses can be replaced, and research can be taken in the same term as a lecture course, which can reduce the length of time to the degree as much as a year.

Transfer students pursuing the B.A. are not impacted as heavily by the time constraint because they aren't required to take the five 4000-level courses but at most four and possibly even fewer. They can even take AST 3043, History of Astronomy through Newton, without having to complete AST 3018 and 3019 first.

Semester Plans

The B.S. semester plan for a fall junior transfer student is a truncated version of the one for an incoming freshman. In this table the term "Elective" can refer to one of three categories of courses: (1) courses which can be used towards the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree requirements (look in particular under the subhead CLAS Degree Requirements -- Structure of a CLAS Degree about halfway down the page); (2) courses which can be used towards a double major in physics; and (3) true "electives," courses which students take as a free choice, not to satisfy any particular requirement.

* These might be switched depending upon which year AST 4723C is offered.

The semester plan for the B.A., again assuming the student enters in fall, is of course somewhat simpler than that for the B.S. In this table the term "Elective" can again have any of three meanings, but one of those is different from before. The three are: (1) CLAS degree requirements; (2) preprofessional requirements for any program the student is undertaking in addition to astronomy, such as premed or prelaw, business, or education; and (3) free choices, as before. If the student wishes to use AST 4723C, Observational Techniques 2, as one of the required courses for the major it could replace one of the electives in Fall 2 or Fall 3. The displaced elective could then replace one of the AST 3000- or 4000-level courses elsewhere.

Both semester plans are simply suggestions as to how the major requirements might be satisfied within the five-semester allotted time and the 138-credit limit (the latter assuming that the student brings in no more than 64-68 credits, excluding credits by exam such as AP, IB, or AICE).

If you have any questions about the astronomy program, including anything about scheduling for an upcoming term or applying for graduation, please contact the Undergraduate Coordinator for Astronomy at hsmith @ astro.ufl.edu. (Questions about financial aid should be addressed to the University's Student Financial Affairs Office.)

Academic Learning Compacts for Astronomy