About this Degree Being part of the Astrophysics program is like being at a small private university. Most of our astrophysics majors get to know each other well and many study together. The student to faculty ratio is relatively small, which enables interested students to interact with faculty members. Historically, many undergraduate majors have done research with faculty members or helped build a satellite in the Small Satellite Research Laboratory. What you will learn Students gain an excellent education in both astronomy and physics. The astronomy curriculum is wide ranging, with courses on planets, cosmology, galaxies, stars (including black holes), and observational astronomy. In the observational astronomy courses, students get hands-on experience with telescopes and data analysis. The physics curriculum is also substantial, providing students with a good foundation in the physical principles relevant to astronomy and other physical sciences. Some students add a few additional physics courses, which enables them to double major in astrophysics and physics. In addition to teaching the content matter, the Astrophysics program also teaches critical thinking and problem solving skills. Some computer programming skills are taught within the department. After graduating, many of our students enter graduate programs in astronomy or physics or land well paid jobs in the technology sector. Other Information about Degree or Program Some specific areas of research are: Binary and Variable Stars Stellar Ages and Constraints on Planet Formation Clouds of Cold Gas in the Galaxy Atomic and Molecular Calculations with Astrophysical Applications Hot Gas in our Galaxy Employment Information Employers: Adaptive Aerospace, LLC Ahlberg Engineering, Inc. Aircraft & Instrument Industries AT&T Labs Organization Ball Aerospace Bell Helicopter Textron Brookhaven National Laboratory Center for Remote Sensing Department of Energy Department of the Navy Google Fiber Location Hamilton Sundstrand Aerospace HP-Intelligent Infrastructure Lab IBM Intel Corporation Jodrell Bank Observatory Lockheed Martin Msrcosmos LLC Mauna Kea Observatories NASA Goddard (GSFC) NASA Glenn Research Center National Air and Space National Science Foundation Pacific Northwest Nat. Lab. Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium Raytheon Aerospace Systems Sensing Systems R&D Lab SAIC TriQuint Semiconductor TSYS Science Systems & Applications, Inc. Swales Aerospace TRW Space and Electronics Group Possible Job Titles: Aerospace Testing Health Physicist Astronomer Medical Physicist Astrophysicist Molecular Physicist Atomic Physicist Nuclear Physicist Biophysicist Nuclear Plant Manager Cardiac Imaging Researcher Optical Devices Designer Chemical Physicist Optical Physicist Engineer Particle Physicist Fluid Physicist NASA Aerospace Manager Geophysicist Condensed matter physicists Plasma physicists Satellite Data Analyst Space Missions Planner Science Teacher Technical Writer/Editor Seismologist Solid State Physicist Stratigrapher Astronomy Professor Technical Consultant
