Physics & Astronomy Program: Sample Schedules

The following sample schedules indicate the approximate order of courses to complete a degree in Astronomy for a student beginning the major in his or her first year. As many Union students elect to spend a term abroad, we present two versions of the schedule, one for a student taking a term abroad in the Fall of senior year, and the other for a student who is on campus for all four years. For Astronomy majors interested in a term abroad, we particularly recommend the term abroad program with the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile. We also present a third schedule, for a Physics major with an Astrophysics minor, which is the recommended course for students interested in graduate study in astronomy or astrophysics.

Color code:

• Classes Required for the Major
• Classes Recommended for Students Interested in Graduate Study
• General Education Classes
• Term Abroad Classes
• Free Electives

Sample Schedule With Term Abroad

Notes: This schedule assumes the maximum number of general education courses, with no "double-counting" to meet requirements. Many courses will satisfy more than one general education requirement (for example, a single course might both fulfill part of the "Linguistic and Cultural Competency" requirement, and also form part of the required "Making Connections Across Disciplines" cluster).

Note that even under these conservative assumptions, it is possible to complete a strong Astronomy major with at least five free electives. These electives may easily be combined with general education courses or other electives to allow a student to complete a second major or a minor.

The first-year schedule assumes that students enter the Astronomy major with some Advanced Placement credit in math, placing them in Math 113. The Math department has several introductory tracks, depending on the level of preparation students have received in high school. Students who have not taken Advanced Placement tests may be required to take Math 110 and Math 112 instead of Math 113; students with excpetionally strong math backgrounds may skip Math 113, and start with Math 115. All of these variants are easily accomodated within the Astronomy curriculum.

Two second-year classes are listed as "Science Electives." Astronomy students are required to take two classes from other science departments. We encourage students to take these classes as early as possible, as they may lead students to pursue double majors or interdisciplinary majors.

Two third-year classes are listed as "Math Electives." We strongly recommend that students who may be interested in graduate study in physics take math courses beyond those required for the major.

Sample Schedule Without Term Abroad

Notes: This schedule assumes the maximum number of general education courses, with no "double-counting" to meet requirements. Many courses will satisfy more than one general education requirement (for example, a single course might both fulfill part of the "Linguistic and Cultural Competency" requirement, and also form part of the required "Making Connections Across Disciplines" cluster).

Note that even under these conservative assumptions, it is possible to complete a strong Astronomy major with at least five free electives. These electives may easily be combined with general education courses or other electives to allow a student to complete a second major or a minor.

The first-year schedule assumes that students enter the Astronomy major with some Advanced Placement credit in math, placing them in Math 113. The Math department has several introductory tracks, depending on the level of preparation students have received in high school. Students who have not taken Advanced Placement tests may be required to take Math 110 and Math 112 instead of Math 113; students with excpetionally strong math backgrounds may skip Math 113, and start with Math 115. All of these variants are easily accomodated within the Astronomy curriculum.

Two second-year classes are listed as "Science Electives." Astronomy students are required to take two classes from other science departments. We encourage students to take these classes as early as possible, as they may lead students to pursue double majors or interdisciplinary majors.

Two third-year classes are listed as "Math Electives." We strongly recommend that students who may be interested in graduate study in physics take math courses beyond those required for the major.

Sample Schedule for Physics Major and Astrophysics Minor

Notes: This schedule assumes the maximum number of general education courses, with no "double-counting" to meet requirements. Many courses will satisfy more than one general education requirement (for example, a single course might both fulfill part of the "Linguistic and Cultural Competency" requirement, and also form part of the required "Making Connections Across Disciplines" cluster).

Note that even under these conservative assumptions, it is possible to complete a strong Astronomy major with at least five free electives. These electives may easily be combined with general education courses or other electives to allow a student to complete a second major or a minor.

The first-year schedule assumes that students enter the Astronomy major with some Advanced Placement credit in math, placing them in Math 113. The Math department has several introductory tracks, depending on the level of preparation students have received in high school. Students who have not taken Advanced Placement tests may be required to take Math 110 and Math 112 instead of Math 113; students with excpetionally strong math backgrounds may skip Math 113, and start with Math 115. All of these variants are easily accomodated within the Astronomy curriculum.

Two second-year classes are listed as "Science Electives." Astronomy students are required to take two classes from other science departments. We encourage students to take these classes as early as possible, as they may lead students to pursue double majors or interdisciplinary majors.

Two third-year classes are listed as "Math Electives." We strongly recommend that students who may be interested in graduate study in physics take math courses beyond those required for the major.

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