SESE's Astrophysics/Astrobiology/Cosmology Program

Students' Perspective (HOME)

So you have decided on a career in Astrophysics?

Congratulations on taking the first step to what might be the rest of your life. Second step: DON'T PANIC. Astrophysics in SESE has great things to make your life as a graduate student go...well...as normal as any other school. What makes SESE stand out from the norm are the other graduate students. They will be the ones you will see day and night. Here at ASU I have made some of my best friends - all while completing a Ph.D. What else do you want? Education. Right. We have great programs as well.

Learn about Astrobiology in SESE

Your Background

SESE accepts people to the Astrophysics program from all disciplines. We have students with undergraduate degrees in Physics, Geology, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Computer Science. Starting a graduate degree in Astrophysics from an undergraduate degree in something else, like Physics, may come as a shock to you (I know it did to me). Astronomers have a very different lingo and ways of doing research. It is hard in the beginning but soon enough you find yourself fluent in the lingo and able to produce great results in your research. That is something I liked about SESE. I wasn't the only Physicist lost in all of this Astronomy stuff (IRAF comes to mind). You have people from other disciplines and you will all be lost together and can get through it together.

This in turn allows you to collaborate with others in your field and other fields within the school. Things that used to be considered only for geologists are now combined in research collaborations. I know of graduate students that are doing their research on the composition of the soil and rocks of Pluto and Charon and getting their PhDs in Astrophysics. SESE is all about finding what interests you in the Universe (and yes that includes the Earth).
 

Requirements

Officially you will be enrolled in the Astrophysics MS or PhD program. From within the Astrophysics program you will then decide what is your muse. What do you want to know more about? There are many different fields covered at ASU: High-z universe, galactic dynamics, computational astrophysics, planetary astrophysics, stellar formation and evolution, etc. You name it; we probably have someone who does research in the field.

In the astrophysics program you don't have to start the program knowing exactly what you want to do. During the first semester you should meet with professors to learn more about their research and to see what opportunities they have to offer. Don't be scared to ask about projects and funding. Another unique aspect of SESE is the two-project requirement. Besides your primary project that will become your thesis, you must work on a secondary project that is "substantially" different. Many theorists choose a project involving observations and vice versa. Substantially different doesn't mean you have to choose a project involving geology (but you can if you want). Along with the project comes another advisor, and a new topic to learn about. At first it seems a bit daunting, but actually it is one of the best parts. You get a chance to explore the different types of research SESE offers. Also, students take advantage of the requirement by writing papers and presenting results at conferences on research from their secondary project.

While you are doing this you need to complete the necessary required courses and exams in order to continue in grad school. Although there are basic, required courses for you to take, you are allowed and encouraged to take courses that interest or are beneficial to you.

Note that graduate program policies and procedures may change with time, so keep in contact with your advisors and the graduate committee to stay up-to-date.

Always discuss options with your advisors. Also it might be possible to substitute some of the required courses for courses that best fit your research. ALWAYS discuss these possibilities with both your advisors and the graduate program committee.

Courses

Although there are required courses that everyone in SESE and Astrophysics has to take there are many electives that are optional. Below are the required courses and then some electives that have been offered in the past 5 years.

Courses offered through SESE — note that some may be cross-listed between AST/GLG or in other departments:

GLG 591: Faculty Research Seminar
Every week a new talk by one of our own faculty members. Many professors will advertise possible project available to work on. Good for helping find a secondary or even primary project. You HAVE to take this course during your first semester to graduate from SESE.
 
GLG500: SESE colloquium
Every week a new talk in a subject related to SESE. Usually you have to do a small write up on a couple of talks. Not too much work though, mostly based on attendance. Best to get done your first semester. You HAVE to take this course to graduate from SESE.
 
AST521: Stars and ISM I
This course is one of the best I've taken at ASU. It covers the subjects of optical depth, scattering of light, formation of emission and forbidden lines, etc. Take this course. You'll enjoy it. It is a bit of work but you feel so good once you finish all the homework. You'll learn a LOT.
 
AST522: Stars and ISM II
This course is again mislabeled. A better name would be Stellar Evolution. It covers everything related to how stars evolve and what properties affect their evolution. How does mass affect the size, energy production, etc.

AST523: Stars and ISM III
Again the title should be ISM. This course covers specifically the subject of the Interstellar Medium and how light interacts with it. Also how the ISM becomes stars and what happens to the rest of the ISM once stars are born within it. Shock waves! Fun course as well.
 
AST531: Galaxies and Cosmology I
This course should be titled Galactic Dynamics. It covers all the components of the galaxy, how they interact and what are the dynamics that describe their motion and existence.

AST532: Galaxies and Cosmology II
This course should be titled Properties of Galaxies. It covers the formation, properties and evolution of all the galaxies. You'll see the subjects of emission and absorption lines, Hubble classification, properties of galaxies in different wavelengths, Magorrian relation, etc.

AST533: Galaxies and Cosmology III
This course should be titled Cosmology. It covers the subjects of structure formation, metrics of the universe, components of the universe and future evolution of the universe as a whole.
 
AST591: Seminar (a.k.a. Journal club)
This is not a required course officially but professors and your thesis committee expect to see at least four AST598 grades on you transcript. Easy course. Pick a paper and present it to other graduate students. You'll learn a lot and learn how boring other subjects are! You can take as many versions of AST591 as you want.