Degree Program

This page provides an outline of the Astronomy PhD and Astronomy MS degree plans. Degree plans are also listed on the Texas A&M website here.

Master's degree & Coursework

Students enrolled in the Astronomy PhD program typically pick up their Master's on their way to the PhD. The Master's degree requires a total of 36 hours of coursework (including classes and research). Students typically enroll in 9 hours per semester.

Students take 2 classes per semester for their first 2 years, in addition to participating in journal club (ASTR 681: Seminar, which also requires attendance at the Monday Astronomy seminars) each semester of the two year Master's program and an informal Writing Course in one of the Fall semesters. The writing course is designed to create the healthy habit of reading and writing in academia (see the FAQ for more information about journal club and the Writing Course). In addition to the 6 required Astronomy classes, students take 2 elective courses, usually either physics courses (for the Astrophysics track) or statistics courses (for the Astrostatistics track).

The required Astronomy classes are listed below:

  • ASTR 601: Extragalactic Astronomy
  • ASTR 602: Astronomical Observing Techniques and Instrumentation
  • ASTR 603: Stellar Astrophysics
  • ASTR 604: Cosmology
  • ASTR 605: Galactic Astronomy
  • ASTR 606: Radiative Transfer

Students enrolled in the Astrophysics track take PHYS 615: Methods of Theoretical Physics I, in addition to one of the following:

  • PHYS 601: Classical Mechanics
  • PHYS 603: Electromagnetic Theory I
  • PHYS 606: Quantum Mechanics
  • PHYS 607: Statistical Mechanics

Students in the Astrostatistics track take STAT 630: Overview of Mathematical Statistics and one of the following:

  • STAT 624: Databases and Computational Tools Used in Big Data
  • STAT 636: Applied Multivariate Analysis and Statistical Learning
  • STAT 638: Introduction to Applied Bayesian Methods
  • STAT 639: Data Mining and Analysis
  • STAT 654: Statistical Computing with R and Python

NEW FOR FALL 2023: The new course ASTR 689: Special Topics: Methods of Astronomical Research will count for one of the two electives.

Research credits & Master's Defense

Each semester, you will enroll in 9 total credit hours. After you enroll in your classes for the semester, however many hours you have left out of those 9 will be filled with research credits (ASTR 685: Directed Studies). Additionally, each summer, you will enroll in 6 hours of research. Research is strongly encouraged to be your primary focus in graduate school, even while you are taking classes.

To complete your Master's degree, you will give a ~45 minute presentation of your research, followed by a closed-door questioning session with your committee. Some students may complete their PhD candidacy exam simultaneously with their Master's defense. Most students acquire their Master's degree between their 2nd and 4th years of graduate school.

Some graduate students decide to leave with their Master's degree, often entering jobs in industry. Students leaving with their Master's usually graduate in their 3rd or 4th year. A checklist of requirements for graduating with your Master's is available here.

PhD candidacy & defense

Once you have completed your Master's degree, you will enroll in 9 hours of research (ASTR 691: Directed Studies) each semester, and 6 hours of research over the summer, until you graduate. If you do not get a Master's degree, you must complete a total of 96 hours (including coursework and research) to complete your PhD. If you get a Master's degree along the way, you must complete a total of 64 hours of work after your Master's (typically consisting solely of research hours).

Students who do not complete their PhD candidacy exam simultaneously with their Master's defense must do so separately. In this case, the PhD candidacy exam consists of a ~30-45 minute presentation of your research, with a focus on what you plan to do for the your PhD, followed by a closed-door questioning session with your committee.

To complete your PhD, you will again give a ~45 minute presentation of your research, followed by a closed-door questioning session with your committee. You must also complete a written dissertation, the chapters of which are typically composed of your papers/publications. In the Astronomy PhD program, the majority of students take 6 years to graduate, although some take 5 years.

Graduates with PhD or MS degrees from our department have gone on to receive jobs as postdocs, telescope operators, data scientists, science policy advocates, and university instructors.

Graduate Certificates You Can Get

1) Statistics Certificate

Whether you are interested in data science or you want a more rigorous base in statistics for academia, the Applied Statistics Certificate can be a great option to pick up. The program requires you to take 4 graduate statistics courses and write a short (5-10) page report describing the application of statistics to a research problem. You don't even need to apply, you can just take the courses, submit the report, and ask them for the certificate!

The Astrostatistics track (see Master's degree & Coursework above) requires you to take 2 graduate stats courses. These courses can count towards your certificate, so you would only need to take 2 additional courses. Additionally, by implementing statistical methodology into your research, you can submit your first paper as your stats report for the program.

The stats department is located in Blocker, right next to MIST, and the astronomers and statisticians have developed a friendly partnership over the last few years. The courses tend to be at a relatively appropriate level of difficulty, and there are usually plenty of resources and community support for the courses.

There are several introductory courses, specifically STAT630, and you should definitely take one as your first course. The classes you take after that depend on what you want out of the degree. For instance, there is a time series course that could be useful if your research involves transient astronomical events or if you are interested in jobs in finance. Multivariate analysis is useful for large data sets, and Bayesian methods are often used in astronomy and industry. Another thing to look out for is what statistical software each course uses. The intro level courses do a good job of getting you used to the software, but don't take a higher level course if you aren't familiar with the software used. Common programs include R, Python, SAS, and JMP. As with the Bush School Policy Certificate (see below), avoid courses with the 700 sections since those are for distance learning and will cost you a lot out-of-pocket to take.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Yaswant Devarakonda for more information about his experience with the Applied Statistics Certificate.

2) Bush School Policy Certificate

Realize you might not want to stay in academia after getting a degree from the program? That's fine! The faculty are very understanding of the fact that leaving academia is a real possibility and encourage students to participate in professional development activities that would be useful for non-academic careers.

One such opportunity is the graduate certificate program from the Bush School of Government & Public Service (link). The certificate program (link) offers five different certificates: Advanced International Affairs, Homeland Security, Nonprofit Management, Public Management, and National Security. All the certificates require you to pass four graduate courses from the Bush School, and there is some flexibility in the courses you can take depending on the certificate.

YOU WILL NEED TO APPLY TO THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM TO BE ENROLLED. Fortunately, this process is pretty straightforward for students already enrolled at TAMU, which you are! In Summer 2020, the most effort-intensive parts of the application were a resume and a short statement on why you wanted to enroll in the program (see Tarini's statement here).

CAVEATS: Unlike the statistics certificate, you can't double-count any of your Bush School certificates towards the MS degree. You should inform your advisor and RaeChel Superville in advance of applying for the program to make sure your degree plan can be adjusted.

Also, BE CAREFUL OF ENROLLING IN ONLINE COURSES FOR THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM. 700-sections are online and "distance learning" and cost A LOT per credit that won't be waived. So post-pandemic, be sure to account for the commute to the Bush School if you end up taking courses there.

Finally, don't feel intimidated about taking courses that will be VERY different from your astronomy coursework. The Bush School courses can actually be a nice break in a way, and your experience will likely give you a different perspective to bring to astronomy (and vice-versa!).

You can contact Tarini Konchady to ask about her experience with the Public Management certificate.