Astronomy Courses

Undergraduate Courses

Courses for Non-Science Majors

If you're not thinking about majoring in astronomy or some other physical scence and just want to take an astronomy course because you have an interest in the subject, or you're looking for a course to take for General Education physical science (P) besides physics or chemistry, the following are the ones for you to consider. All of them are three credits except AST 1022L, which is one credit because it's a lab course. By the way, that one is a popular choice for students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences looking for a standalone lab course to satisfy the College's laboratory requirement. All these courses except AST 1022L are normally taught by faculty; the labs are taught by graduate teaching assistants under the supervision of a faculty member. For a look at the syllabus please click on the course. [NOTE: Some of these may be from a past term if the course isn't currently offered.] (The more serious courses are listed in the next section.)
AST 1002, Discovering the Universe
AST 1022L, Astronomy Laboratory
AST 2007, Introduction to the Solar System
AST 2008, Stars and Galaxies
AST 2037, Life in the Universe
AST 2039, Exploration of the Universe
AST 3043, History of Astronomy through Newton
This last course can either be used to satisfy three credits of physical science (P) or three credits of humanities (H) in addition to three credits of international (N) GenEd. To find out what the Undergraduate Catalog says about these courses take a look at the course descriptions.

Most of these courses are offered in both the fall and spring semesters. Because of budget constraints only AST 1002, AST 1022L, and (sometimes) AST 3043 are offered in the six-week summer terms. The University's course schedules for the spring, summer, and fall can be found at the Registrar's Website. Click on the desired term, then select "Course Listings."

AST 1002 is mainly taught in the Florida Gym, as is AST 3043. One large section of AST 1002 (229 students) is sometimes offered, in the new auditorium in Pugh Hall. AST 1022L is partly taught indoors in a lab classroom in Bryant Space Sciences Building and partly outdoors at the Campus Teaching Observatory. AST 2007, AST 2008, AST 2037, and AST 2039 are located in various classrooms in the general vicinity of Bryant, often the small ones in Florida Gym. The exact rooms are listed in the course schedule for the particular term as described above.

Courses for Astronomy and Other Science Majors

The following courses are for astronomy majors, but some -- especially AST 3018 and 3019 --are also taken by students majoring in other physical sciences such as physics and geology, in mathematics, or in engineering. All of these have prerequisites; see the course descriptions in the Undergraduate Catalog to find out about those.
AST 3018, Astronomy and Astrophysics 1, Dr. Lada
AST 3019, Astronomy and Astrophysics 2, Dr. V. Sarajedini
AST 3722C, Observational Techniques 1, Dr. Gonzalez
AST 4211, Essentials of Astrophysics, Dr. Hamann
AST 4300, Galactic Astronomy, Dr. A. Sarajedini
AST 4402, Galaxies and Cosmology, Dr. Guzman
AST 4723C, Observational Techniques 2, Dr. Gonzalez
AST 4905, Individual Work (research tutorial)
AST 4930, Astrophysics of Planetary Systems, Dr. Gustafson

AST 3018 is only offered in the fall term, while AST 3019 and 3722C are only offered in spring. The 4000-level courses are taught on a two-year cycle. In Fall 2008 AST 4930 and 4723C are scheduled, followed by AST 4402 in Spring 2009. AST 4211 is planned for Fall 2009 and AST 4300 in Spring 2010. (These plans are subject to change if necessary because of staffing.) Almost all of these courses are located in Room 3 in the basement of Bryant Space Sciences Building; the exceptions are the courses AST 3722C and 4723C, which meet in the lab classroom Room 7 and also at the Rosemary Hill Observatory outside Bronson.

Graduate Courses

The following are courses taken by graduate students in astronomy and by some from physics. Those designated as "core" courses are required of all graduate students in astronomy, while those denoted by "elective" are optional.

These courses are taught on a two-year cycle. In Fall 2008 AST 6215, AST 6245, AST 7939-Neutron Stars and Black Holes, and AST 7939-Exosolar Planets will be offered, followed in Spring 2009 by AST 6336, AST 7939-Stellar Populations, and AST 7939-Active Galaxies. Fall 2009 will have AST 6309, AST 6416, AST 7939 -- High Energy Astrophysics, and AST 7939 -- Astronomical Instrumentation. Finally, AST 6112, AST 6725C, AST 7939 -- Star Formation, and AST 7939 -- Observational Cosmology are planned for Spring 2010.