| |  | | Astrophysics | Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information—Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota, 356 Tate Laboratory of Physics, 116 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-0211; fax 612-626-2029; grad-req@astro.umn.edu; www.astro.umn.edu).
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the General
Information section of this catalog for Graduate School requirements that apply
to all major fields.
Curriculum—Astrophysics is the study of the universe and its constituent parts. The department conducts research in observational, theoretical, and computational astrophysics as well as instrument development. The main research areas include minor planetary bodies, solar system properties and dynamics of normal and active galaxies, stellar evolution, interaction of stars with their environments, the interstellar medium, astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics, and galactic and cosmological structure. Observational research includes activities that cover X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths. Extensive research programs in space physics, nucleosynthesis, and the elementary particle-cosmology interface are also carried out in interdisciplinary connections with the graduate program in physics.
Prerequisites for Admission—For major work, an undergraduate degree in astronomy or physics or the equivalent is required. Contact the Graduate Studies Committee for exceptions.
Special Application Requirements—A statement of career goals, scores from the GRE General (Aptitude) Test and Subject (Advanced) Test in physics, and three letters of recommendation are required. Applications for financial aid are due January 10. Applications are accepted for entry into fall semester only.
Key to test abbreviations (GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, MELAB).
 For an online application or for more information about Graduate School admissions, see the General Information section in this catalog, or visit the Graduate School Web site.
Facilities—The Department of Astronomy has purchased a 5 percent share in the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mt. Graham in southeastern Arizona. The LBT is currently completing construction through a consortium of universities and research institutes led by the University of Arizona. First light Images were obtained in the fall of 2005; initial science projects began in early 2007. This purchase also allows the department to trade time on the LBT for time on several other telescopes—including the 6.5 meter upgraded Multiple Mirror Telescope, the two 6.5 meter Magellan telescopes in the southern hemisphere, and the 10 meter Heinrich Hertz millimeter radio telescope—as well as other smaller telescopes in Arizona, providing guaranteed access to multi-wavelength capabilities.
The University also operates a 60-inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, near Tucson, Arizona, which is well equipped for both optical and infrared observations. A 30-inch telescope with a CCD camera and infrared instruments is maintained at the O'Brien Observatory about 40 miles from the Twin Cities campus. Excellent shop facilities support our instrument development for the telescopes at O'Brien and Mt. Lemmon and for major national observatories such as the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Hawaii and for the LBT.
The Automated Plate Scanner has been used to digitize the entire Palomar Sky Survey resulting in a massive catalog of over 89 million objects, including star and galaxy positions, magnitudes, and colors. The catalog of the first epoch survey is available on the Web, with data from the second epoch survey available in the department.
The astronomy department maintains a large network of linux-based computers used for the reduction and analysis of X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and radio observations. The department is connected through an ethernet backbone to clusters of supercomputers and super-workstations at the University's Digital Technology Center and the Laboratory for Computational Science and Engineering. These facilities are available to faculty and students for their research.
In addition, members of the department regularly use such national facilities as the Kitt Peak National Observatory; Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile; National Radio Astronomy Observatory's facilities in Green Bank and the VLA; Arecibo Radio Observatory; the IRTF In Hawaii; and the NASA space based facilities such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Far Ultraviolet Space Explorer, the Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility, the Chandra X-ray Space Telescope.
Courses—Refer to Astronomy (AST) in University Courses for courses pertaining to the program.
Use of 4xxx Courses—A 4xxx astrophysics course may be counted toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degree programs. | M.S. Degree Requirements | | The master's degree requires a minimum of 30 credits, including one semester of classical physics (PHYS 5011). Additional requirements depend on whether the student chooses the thesis (Plan A) or non-thesis (Plan B) option. Plan A requires 20 credits of coursework and 10 thesis credits. Plan B requires 30 credits of coursework. Completion of the degree normally takes two years.
Language Requirements—None.
Final Exam—The final exam is oral.
Minor Requirements for Students Majoring in Other Fields—For the master’s minor, 8 credits in astrophysics are required. | Ph.D. Degree Requirements | The
Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 40 course credits, including a year of
classical physics (PHYS 5011-5012) and 12 credits in a minor or supporting
program; 24 thesis credits are also required. The graduate written examination,
held during spring term, must be passed on the second "real" attempt
(first-year students are given a free trial). A second-year project must
be defended by the end of the fall semester of the third year. The preliminary
oral exam must be passed by the end of the third year. Ordinarily these two
oral exams are combined.
Language Requirements—None.
Minor Requirements for Students Majoring in Other Fields—For the Ph.D. minor, 12 credits in astrophysics are required. | Faculty | | For latest graduate faculty listings, see <www.grad.umn.edu/faculty_rosters/faculty.html>. Key to membership categories (abbreviations after faculty names).
Professor
Cynthia A. Cattell, Physics, ASM
Kris D. Davidson, SM
Robert D. Gehrz, SM
Roberta M. Humphreys, SM
Terry J. Jones, SM
Thomas W. Jones, SM
Robert L. Lysak, Physics, ASM
Keith A. Olive, Physics, ASM
Robert O. Pepin, Physics, ASM
Lawrence Rudnick, SM
Evan D. Skillman, SM
Charles E. Woodward, SM
Paul R. Woodward, SM
John R. Wygant, Physics, ASM
Associate Professor
Shaul Hanany, Physics, ASM
Yong-zhong Qian, Physics, ASM
Liliya L. R. Williams, SM
Adjunct Associate Professor
Kim A. Venn, ASM
Assistant Professor
Michael DuVernois, Physics, ASM
Senior Research Associate
David H. Porter, SM | | | | | |
