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ASTRONOMY |
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Quick Links:
Application Deadlines | Admissions
Requirements
Program Overview | Degree
Requirements | Related
Program(s)
Contact Information
| Degrees Offered | Graduate
Faculty |
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| Application Deadlines |
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| Fall |
Spring |
I —
December 31
D — December 31 |
No
spring admission |
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| Admissions Requirements |
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Click
here
for link to online application or to download paper application.
Applicants need to meet:
1) Graduate Division admissions
standard and documentation
requirements, and
2) program specific admissions criteria and documentation
requirements
(see below). |
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- undergraduate degree in physics, astronomy or a related
discipline (recommended)
- a minimum of 35 undergraduate credits in physics or astronomy
(including atomic and nuclear physics, electromagnetism,
mechanics, optics, and thermodynamics)
- course work in mathematics through differential equations
- an undergraduate course in introductory astronomy (recommended)
- graduate
program application form
- statement of objectives (download
form)
- three references (Use form
provided by the graduate program. A signed letter is also
acceptable.)
- official GRE General Test scores
- official GRE Physics Subject Test scores
- official TOEFL scores — 560/220/83 or above (Required
of most non-native speakers of English. Click here
for information on exemptions.)
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Submission of Program
Specific Documentation Requirements
With the exception of TOEFL and GRE scores, all program specific documentation requirements should be sent directly
to the graduate program.
If required, official TOEFL and GRE scores should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. Please note that GRE scores may be required by the graduate program (see above) or by the Graduate Division (more info.) |
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| Program
Overview |
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The graduate program in astronomy at the University of Hawai'i
at Mānoa (UHM) was founded in 1972. Officially, it is
a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In practice,
however, the astronomy graduate program operates independently
of the physics graduate program and is located within the
Institute for Astronomy (IfA), a few blocks north of the UHM
campus.
 Most
of the approximately 45 astronomers at the IfA are members
of the astronomy graduate faculty, and contribute to the support
and training of graduate students. Those who regularly teach
formal courses and who are actively involved in the day-to-day
running of the graduate program comprise the professorial
faculty. Members of the professorial faculty usually hold
joint appointments between the Institute for Astronomy and
the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
The graduate program is directed toward producing research
scientists at the PhD level. Students must first obtain the
MS before continuing on to the PhD portion of the program.
The MS degree is available in both Plan A (thesis) and Plan
B (non-thesis). Plan A is a terminal master's degree that
can be completed within four semesters. Plan B is to be earned
en route to the PhD. Most students enter the program with
the goal of achieving the PhD degree.
Areas of concentration emphasize the use of the university's
observatories for the solution of problems in solar physics,
planetary astronomy (atmospheres and surfaces), stellar astronomy,
extragalactic systems, and cosmology.
Graduates with a terminal MS degree have found employment
in space-related industries and teaching positions in high
schools and two-year colleges. Such teaching positions may
require additional courses in education. Graduates with the
PhD have found employment primarily in academia, in government
laboratories, and in space-related industry.
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| Degree Requirements |
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All
graduate students at UHM need to meet degree requirements
set by the Graduate Division and their graduate programs.
For general Graduate Division requirements, see Degree
Requirements. Below is an overview of the degree requirements
for this graduate program. |
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MS Degree Requirements
Students may select either Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis).
- Plan A requires 30 credits (including six to 12 credits
of thesis research), a written thesis and defense of the
thesis.
- Plan B (non-thesis) requires 30 credits, a final exam*,
and at least one directed research project.
* The final exam also serves as the qualifying exam for the
PhD.
PhD Degree Requirements
The PhD program requires the following:
- qualifying exam,
- course work as deemed necessary by the faculty*,
- comprehensive exam,
- dissertation,
- final oral exam / defense of dissertation.
* Additional course work beyond the MS level is not necessarily
required for the PhD, but the student's program of courses
must be judged by the faculty to provide both adequate general
background and specialized preparation for research. Normally,
students in the PhD program are expected to be familiar with
the content of all 600-level astronomy courses.
Students who enter the graduate program with an MS degree
in astronomy or related field, and who therefore bypass the
MS portion of the program, need to fulfill certain course
work requirements. Visit the link for "PhD" below
for more information.
Courses
To view a listing of courses offered, visit www.catalog.hawaii.edu/courses/departments/astr.htm.
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| Related Program(s) |
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geology and geophysics,
mathematics, physics
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Spalding 354