Program Overview

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Overview

The Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS) Department at the University of Colorado Boulder offers a unique program that combines both astrophysics and planetary science. This program provides a unified view of solar and space sciences, planetary systems, stellar and galactic astronomy, and cosmology. Students in this program gain hands-on experience with telescopes, optics, instrumentation, computer image processing, and computer modeling.

Requirements

The APS major requires students to complete a minimum of 32 credit hours in astrophysical and planetary sciences, with at least 18 upper-division credit hours, and a minimum of 9 credit hours in physics. All required major courses and ancillary courses must be passed with a C- or better and cannot be taken pass/fail.

Interdisciplinary Emphasis

The interdisciplinary emphasis is suitable for students aiming for careers in K-12 education, science journalism, science policy, information technology, science management, or technical work. This emphasis requires students to complete:

• A minimum of 32 credit hours in astrophysical and planetary sciences
• A minimum of 9 credit hours in physics
• Required courses:
  • ASTR 1030 and ASTR 1040: Accelerated Introductory Astronomy 1 and 2
  • PHYS 1115, PHYS 1125, and PHYS 1140: General Physics 1 and 2 for Majors and Experimental Physics 1
  • Select one of the following: ASTR 2100, PHYS 2130, or PHYS 2170
  • Select a minimum of two of the following: ASTR 2000, ASTR 2010, ASTR 2020, ASTR 2030, ASTR 2040, ASTR 2050, ASTR 2500, ASTR 2600
  • Select one of the following upper-division course sequences: ASTR 3720 and ASTR 3750, or ASTR 3730 and ASTR 3830
• Required ancillary coursework:
  • Select one of the following sequences: APPM 1350 and APPM 1360, or MATH 1300 and MATH 2300
  • Select one other science sequence with lab

Physics Emphasis

The physics emphasis is jointly administered by the APS and Physics Departments. This emphasis is suitable for students aiming for graduate programs in astrophysics or planetary sciences. The physics emphasis requires students to complete:

• A minimum of 23 credits in astrophysical and planetary sciences
• A minimum of 28 credits in physics
• Required courses:
  • ASTR 1030 and ASTR 1040: Accelerated Introductory Astronomy 1 and 2
  • PHYS 1115, PHYS 1125, and PHYS 1140: General Physics 1 and 2 for Majors and Experimental Physics 1
  • PHYS 2170 and PHYS 2150: Foundations of Modern Physics and Experimental Physics 2
  • PHYS 2210: Classical Mechanics and Mathematical Methods 1
  • Select one of the following two astronomy sequences: ASTR 3720 and ASTR 3750, or ASTR 3730 and ASTR 3830
• Required ancillary calculus coursework:
  • Select one of the following sequences: APPM 1350, APPM 1360, APPM 2350, and APPM 2360, or MATH 1300, MATH 2300, MATH 2400, and APPM 2360

Four-Year Plans of Study

The APS Department provides four-year plans of study for both the interdisciplinary emphasis and the physics emphasis. These plans outline the required courses and credit hours for each semester.

Interdisciplinary Emphasis

The four-year plan for the interdisciplinary emphasis includes:

• Year One: ASTR 1030, ASTR 1040, APPM 1350, APPM 1360, PHYS 1115, PHYS 1125, and PHYS 1140
• Year Two: ASTR 2600, PHYS 2170, PHYS 2150, APPM 2350, and ancillary science sequence
• Year Three: ASTR 3720 or ASTR 3730, ASTR 3400, and upper-division electives
• Year Four: ASTR upper-division electives and gen ed distribution courses

Physics Emphasis

The four-year plan for the physics emphasis includes:

• Year One: ASTR 1030, ASTR 1040, PHYS 1115, PHYS 1125, and PHYS 1140, APPM 1350, and APPM 1360
• Year Two: APPM 2350, PHYS 2170, PHYS 2150, and gen ed distribution courses
• Year Three: ASTR 3730 or ASTR 3710, ASTR 3400, PHYS 3210, and PHYS 3310
• Year Four: ASTR upper-division electives, PHYS 3220, PHYS 3320, and gen ed distribution courses

Learning Outcomes

By the completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Solve quantitative or conceptual problems across the core areas of astrophysics and planetary sciences
• Analyze and evaluate scientific information to describe a question at the frontier of an astronomical discipline
• Follow scientific practices to conduct experiments, collect and analyze data, and report findings in a scientific manner
• Present a scientific concept to a variety of audiences, including experts and the general public
• Use computational programming to perform quantitative analysis and/or produce data visualizations.