Astronomy and Astrophysics

A total of 11 courses (48 units) are required for the degree. Of that number, the following seven core courses (28 units) are required: Astronomy 270, Astronomy 271A, Astronomy 271B, Astronomy 272, Astronomy 273, Astronomy 274, and Astronomy 281.

In addition to the core courses, students must take two elective courses (8 units) from the following course options: Astronomy 275, Astronomy 276, Astronomy 282, Astronomy 283, and Astronomy 286. Exceptions or substitutions can be made by petition only to the Faculty Graduate Adviser and must be arranged in advance or, for students transferring from another institution, during or before the first quarter of residence. Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.00, averaged over all core and elective courses.

Students must also satisfactorily complete the two-quarter second-year research project, Astronomy 277A-277B (12 units), culminating in a written report of the methods and the results of the research performed. Before undertaking the second-year research project, students must identify a faculty adviser who is willing to oversee their work on the project.

Courses taken in the 300 or 500 series may not be applied toward these course requirements.

The above course requirements, with the exception of Astronomy 277A, must be completed for a letter grade.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

For the Master of Science degree, students must pass the comprehensive examination at the master’s level. The examination combines both the completion and presentation of the second-year research project and oral examination of core courses taken during the first six quarters in residence. The exam is described in more detail under the requirements for the doctoral degree.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Full-time students with no deficiencies at admission should normally be able to finish the master's degree in six quarters.

MAXIMUM TTD

Advising

Entering students or those who have not been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree should consult with the faculty graduate adviser for Astronomy at the beginning of fall quarter to determine a program for the year. Graduate students are advised by the Faculty Graduate Adviser for Astronomy, with whom they should meet at least once per year.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Requirements for the Ph.D. degree include the following seven core courses (28 units): Astronomy 270, Astronomy 271A, Astronomy 271B, Astronomy 272, Astronomy 273, Astronomy 274, and Astronomy 281.

In addition to the core courses, students must take two elective courses (8 units) from the following course options: Astronomy 275, Astronomy 276, Astronomy 282, Astronomy 283, and Astronomy 286. Exceptions or substitutions can be made by petition only to the Faculty Graduate Adviser and must be arranged in advance or, for students transferring from another institution, during or before the first quarter of residence. Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.00, averaged over all core and elective courses.

Students must also satisfactorily complete the two-quarter second-year research project, Astronomy 277A-277B (12 units), culminating in a written report of the methods and the results of the research performed. Before undertaking the second-year research project, students must identify a faculty adviser who is willing to oversee their work on the project.

The above course requirements, with the exception of Astronomy 277A, must be completed for a letter grade.

Beginning no later than the seventh quarter in residence, and prior to advancement to candidacy, students should enroll in 596 courses (S/U) with a faculty adviser. After advancement to candidacy, students should enroll in 599 courses (S/U) with a faculty adviser.

Teaching Experience

Students are required to spend at least three quarters as a teaching assistant at UCLA, preferably completed in the first two years of study. All teaching assistants must enroll in Astronomy or Physics 375 for each quarter they hold such an appointment in Astronomy or Physics.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

Comprehensive Exam. The primary goal of the graduate program in astronomy and astrophysics is to train students to perform research at the Ph.D. level. The comprehensive examination is therefore designed to assess both research ability and general knowledge of astronomy and physics at the graduate level. The examination is conducted in the spring quarter of students’ second year by the comprehensive examination committee, which consists of three faculty members who are appointed by the vice chair. All second-year students are assessed by the committee on the following basis:

The potential outcomes are:

The comprehensive exam must be completed at the Master's level or above (outcomes 1, 2 or 3) in order to be eligible for the Master’s degree.

University Oral Qualifying Exam. The oral qualifying examination, the main purpose of which is to discuss and evaluate the student’s proposed dissertation problem, consists of a written component and an oral component. The written component is a written proposal of a proposed dissertation topic. The oral component is the presentation of the written proposal.

After the scope of the Ph.D. dissertation research has been clearly defined in the written proposal, the doctoral committee is nominated, in consultation with the student’s dissertation adviser, approved by the faculty graduate adviser, and finally appointed by Graduate Division. The doctoral committee then conducts the oral qualifying exam, and guides, reads, approves, and certifies the dissertation.

During the oral component of the oral qualifying examination, the doctoral committee discusses and evaluates the student's proposed dissertation problem. At the discretion of the committee, the student may be asked questions about other material in the student's field of specialization and related matters. The oral qualifying examination is taken no later than the tenth quarter in residence.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written proposal and oral qualifying examination.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time-to-degree is fifteen quarters. Full-time students with no deficiencies are expected to submit their Ph.D. dissertations within the normative time-to-degree. Normal progress towards the Ph.D. degree has been established as follows:

MAXIMUM TTD

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student's progress is evaluated during each spring quarter by a committee of departmental faculty. A student is advised of the faculty's evaluation either informally or in writing.

A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the faculty adviser, who then reconvenes the entire departmental faculty to reconsider the recommendation.

UCLA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by numerous special agencies. Information regarding the University's accreditation may be obtained from the Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 2107 Murphy Hall.