Physics B.A. - Astronomy
The astronomy concentration provides a thorough study of astronomy and astrophysics as well as a solid background in physics and mathematics. Graduates from this program have gone on to graduate programs in astronomy and astrophysics while others have found career opportunities at national astronomical observatories.
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
BACHELOR OF ARTS - PHYSICS; ASTRONOMY CONCENTRATION
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Lower-Division Physics | ||
| Complete one of the following Physics sequences: | 10 | |
Algebra- and Trigonometry-based Physics: | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
Calculus-based Physics (strongly recommended): | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus I and Physics Laboratory I with Calculus | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus II and Physics Laboratory II with Calculus | ||
| Lower-Division Astronomy Core | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 4 | |
| Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe and Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Lab | ||
| The Evolving Universe | ||
| Upper-Division Physics | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| PHSX 301 | Intro Theoretical Physics | 3 |
| PHSX 311 | Oscillations and Waves | 2 |
| PHSX 343 | Modern Physics | 3 |
| PHSX 461 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHSX 499 | Senior Capstone Seminar | 1 |
| Upper-Division Astronomy Core 1 | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| ASTR 353 | Galactic Astrophysics | 3 |
| ASTR 363 | Stellar Astronomy & Astrophysics I | 3 |
| ASTR 365 | Stellar Ast & Astrophys II | 3 |
| Physics Electives 1 | ||
| Complete three of the following courses: | 9 | |
| Planetary Science | ||
| Classical Mechanics | ||
| Optics | ||
| Computational Physics | ||
| Electricity & Magnetism I | ||
| Electricity & Magnetism II | ||
| Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics | ||
| Elementary Particle Physics | ||
| Quantum Mechanics II | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Physics Laboratory Elective | ||
| Complete one of the following laboratory courses: | 3 | |
| Observational Astronomy | ||
| Intermediate Physics Lab | ||
| Advanced Physics Lab | ||
| Math Requirements 2 | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| M 171 | Calculus I | 4 |
| M 172 | Calculus II | 4 |
| M 221 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 4 |
| M 273 | Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
| Computer Science Requirements | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Interdisciplinary Computer Science I | ||
| Computational Physics | ||
| Advanced Writing Requirement 3 | ||
| Complete the following course: | ||
| PHSX 330 | Communicating Physics | 3 |
| Total Hours | 69 | |