Graduate Programs: ASTRONOMY

NOTE: This document was generated from the 1995-1997 UIUC Programs of Study. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but be advised that requirements may have changed since this book was published. Errors may have also been introduced in the conversion to a WWW document. Thus for items of importance, it might be wise to seek confirmation from either the paper version or a live human being.

Chair of the Department: Ronald F. Webbink

Correspondence and Information: Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 103 Astronomy Building, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-3090

GRADUATE FACULTY

Professors: R. M. Crutcher, H. R. Dickel, J. R. Dickel, I. Iben, Jr., J. B. Kaler, F. K. Lamb, K.-Y. Lo, D. Mihalas, T. Ch. Mouschovias, M. Norman, L. L. Smarr, L. E. Snyder, L. A. Thompson, W.D. Watson, R.F. Webbink

Associate Professors: Y.-H. Chu, S. A. Lamb, E. C. Sutton

Assistant Professors: P. McCullough, M. Meixner

Emeritus Professors: J. H. Cahn, E. C. Olson, S. Rosen, G. Swenson, K. M. Yoss

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

The Department of Astronomy offers graduate work leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. The goal of the graduate program in astronomy is to provide broadly based training in modern astrophysics and astronomy for a small and carefully selected student body. Individually designed programs involving close contact with faculty members are encouraged, and an understanding of fundamental principles and techniques and their applications to research problems of current interest is emphasized. Students are expected to acquire a solid knowledge of modern physics as well as of general astronomy. A major objective is to maintain an exciting intellectual environment in which students can develop their scientific creativity and their enthusiasm for astronomy.

ADMISSION

Admission decisions are made once a year in the spring. Applications for admission and financial assistance must be received by February 15. Normal entrance requirements are a bachelor's degree in astronomy, physics, physical chemistry, or mathematics, and a one-year course in descriptive astronomy. A minimum grade-point average of 4.0 (A = 5.0) and satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative, and advanced physics portions) are requisites for admission. Financial assistance is usually provided to graduate students.

MASTER OF SCIENCE

For the M.S. degree, 8 units of study in graduate courses are required. There are no thesis or foreign language requirements. The 8 units of course work may not include any research units (such as 490, 497, 499) except 1 unit of 490. At least 4 units must be in astronomy 400-level courses, 2 of which will be in Theoretical Astrophysics 402 and in Observational Astronomy 403. The remaining 4 units must be selected from approved courses in astronomy, physics, or mathematics, with at least 1 of these units in a 400-level course.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The Ph.D. degree requires completion of 24 units in courses in astronomy and related fields (at least 8 of which involve individual study and research), satisfactory performance on a general qualifying examination no later than the beginning of the third year of study, and completion of an original research project culminating in a thesis publishable in whole or in part. Further information on exact degree requirements may be obtained from the department.

FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS

Research activity includes astrophysical fluid dynamics and theory of star formation; radiation hydrodynamics; observational and theoretical investigation of the solar system (comets, planets, cosmochronology); stars (stellar structure and evolution, gravitational collapse, nucleosynthesis, novae, supernovae, stellar atmospheres, binaries, stellar statistics, pulsars); the interstellar medium (planetary nebulae, molecular clouds, cosmic rays, supernova remnants, galactic structure); cosmic magnetic fields extragalactic systems (galaxies: their structure, evolution, and dynamic behavior; quasars); and large-scale structure in the universe.

Astrophysics is also a strong research interest of several faculty members in the Department of Physics. Current activity in physics centers on the physics of neutron stars, white dwarfs, compact X-ray sources, and supernova ejecta, with broad-ranging interests in the application of modern physics to astronomy. Students in astronomy may select thesis supervisors from faculty members in the Department of Physics as well as in the Department of Astronomy.

RESEARCH FACILITIES

The department is a partner in a millimeter-wavelength radio telescope array, located at Hat Creek in Northern California, and operated jointly with UC Berkeley and the University of Maryland. A 40-inch-diameter reflecting telescope equipped with a CCD, located on Mt. Laguna in Southern California, is operated jointly with San Diego State University, which also operates 16-inch and 24-inch telescopes occasionally used by University of Illinois faculty and students. Transportation costs are normally provided. Both optical and radio astronomers frequently obtain observing time on telescopes at national observatories at Kitt Peak, Cerro Tololo, Green Bank, and Socorro. Computations are performed on a variety of University computers, including an IBM 3081 and Convex C-240, accessed via remote terminals in the Department of Astronomy. Simultaneous time sharing and batch processing with unusual speed are features of the computational system, which is among the most advanced university-based systems in the nation. A powerful local area network (LAN), including Sun 4 and SPARC workstations and fileservers for interactive image processing, is available in the department. This LAN also provides access to the Cray Y-MP, Convex C3, and Connection Machine CM-2 and CM-5 supercomputers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications on the campus. These computers are used for production data processing (radio synthesis imaging), as well as for theoretical modeling.

FINANCIAL AID

University fellowships are available and may be combined with part-time teaching assistantships. Most resident students are supported for their first two or three years by half-time teaching assistantships. The typical teaching assistant takes three graduate courses per semester and spends twenty hours per week handling quiz sections in elementary astronomy courses. Teaching assistantships are responsible positions, and the concomitant duties are considered to be a valuable part of the student's educational experience. Advanced students may compete for research assistantships offered by faculty members whose research is partially supported by federal grants.

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