Astronomy (BA)

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

The Astronomy Major at Cornell University is designed to be flexible so that it can be customized to the needs of each student. There is a common core set of courses followed by two concentration paths:

  1. Astrophysics Concentration is designed for those who intend to go on to graduate school in the physical sciences such as Astronomy, Physics, or Engineering.

  2. General Astronomy Concentration is intended for students who do not plan on research careers in astronomy, but may have more broad intellectual interests, and are interested in related career paths, such as education policy or public outreach. The flexibility offered by the General Astronomy Concentration make it suitable to be elected as second major by a broad group of students.

To apply to become an Astronomy Major make an appointment to visit Professor Phil Nicholson, Director of Undergraduate Studies (astrodus@cornell.edu; office hours - Tuesdays 3:30pm-5:00pm, 418 Space Sciences Building).

 

Declaring the Major

To declare the major, students must:

  • Complete at least two Physics and two Math core courses (see below)
  • Have a minimum GPA of 2.7 in those courses
  • Schedule a meeting with the DUS during their fourth semester​
    • If you have a preferred faculty advisor, please disclose your preference during the meeting with the DUS​
  • Declare which concentration (Astrophysics or General Astronomy) you plan to pursue (see above)

All courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade (minimum grade: C-).

Double Majors

  • Common for General Astronomy students.​
  • External Complementary Area credits may double-count with another major (if permitted). For example, students may double major in Astronomy and Mathematics with the Astronomy Core MATH courses counted towards both majors.

Astrophysics Concentration students may not double major with Physics due to overlap in core major requirements for both majors.

Honors

Requirements:

  • GPA of 3.5+ in ASTRO classes over last 4 semesters;
  • Grades of A- or higher in key advanced courses, listed below based on Concentration.

Astrophysics Concentration

ASTRO 4410Multiwavelength Astronomical Techniques4
ASTRO 4431Physics of Stars, Neutron Stars and Black Holes3
ASTRO 4432Astrophysical Processes3
ASTRO 4433Introduction to Cosmology3
ASTRO 4434Physics of the Planets3

General Astronomy Concentration

ASTRO 4410Multiwavelength Astronomical Techniques4
ASTRO 3301Exoplanets and Planetary Systems3
ASTRO 3302The Life of Stars: From Birth to Death3
ASTRO 3303Galaxies Across Cosmic Time3