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Program Requirements for Physics and Astronomy (Astronomy and Astrophysics)
Applicable only to students admitted during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Physics and Astronomy
College of Letters and Science
Graduate Degrees
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Physics, the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Physics, and the Master of Quantum Science and Technology (M.Q.S.T.) degree.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Master of Science
Advising
Entering students or those who have not been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree should consult with the faculty graduate adviser for Astronomy and Astrophysics, assigned upon matriculation, at the beginning of fall quarter to determine a program for the year. Graduate students should continue to meet at least once per year with the faculty graduate adviser for advising and program review. Before undertaking the second-year research project, students must identify a faculty adviser who is willing to oversee their work on the project.
Areas of Study
Areas of study include infrared instrumentation and aiborne astronomy, planetary science, stellar and galactic astronomy, extragalactic astrophysics, cosmology, high energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics. Other areas of study are also available. To find out more, please visit: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/research-areas
Foreign Language Requirement
None.
Course Requirements
A total of 11 courses (48 units) are required for the degree. Of that number, the following seven core courses (28 units) are required: Astronomy 270, Astronomy 271, Astronomy 272, Astronomy 273, Astronomy 274, Astronomy 280 and Astronomy 281.
In addition to the core courses, students must take two elective courses (8 units) from the following course options: Astronomy 275, Astronomy 276, Astronomy 282, Astronomy 283, and Astronomy 286. Exceptions or substitutions can be made by petition only to the Faculty Graduate Adviser and must be arranged in advance or, for students transferring from another institution, during or before the first quarter of residence. Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.00, averaged over all core and elective courses.
Students must also satisfactorily complete the two-quarter second-year research project, Astronomy 277A-277B (12 units), culminating in a written report of the methods and the results of the research performed.
Courses taken in the 300 or 500 series may not be applied toward these course requirements.
The above course requirements, with the exception of Astronomy 277A-277B, must be completed for a letter grade.
Teaching Experience
Not required.
Field Experience
Not required.
Capstone Plan
For the Master of Science degree, students must pass the comprehensive examination at the master’s level. The examination combines both the completion and presentation of the second-year research project and oral examination of core courses taken during the first six quarters in residence. The exam is described in more detail under the requirements for the doctoral degree.
Thesis Plan
None.
Time-to-Degree
Full-time students with no deficiencies at admission should normally be able to finish the master’s degree in six quarters.
| DEGREE | NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters) | NORMATIVE TTD |
MAXIMUM TTD |
| M.S. | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Doctoral Degree
Advising
Entering students or those who have not been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree should consult with the faculty graduate adviser for Astronomy and Astrophysics, assigned upon matriculation, at the beginning of fall quarter to determine a program for the year. Graduate students are advised by the Faculty Graduate Adviser for Astronomy, with whom they should meet at least once per year. Before undertaking the second-year research project, students must identify a faculty adviser who is willing to oversee their work on the project.
Major Fields or Subdisciplines
Areas of study include infrared instrumentation and aiborne astronomy, planetary science, stellar and galactic astronomy, cosmology, high energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics. Other areas of study are also available. To find out more, please visit: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/research-areas
Foreign Language Requirement
None.
Course Requirements
Requirements for the Ph.D. degree include the following seven core courses (28 units): Astronomy 270, Astronomy 271A, Astronomy 271B, Astronomy 272, Astronomy 273, Astronomy 274, and Astronomy 280 and Astronomy 281.
In addition to the core courses, students must take two elective courses (8 units) from the following course options: Astronomy 275, Astronomy 276, Astronomy 282, Astronomy 283, and Astronomy 286. Exceptions or substitutions can be made by petition only to the Faculty Graduate Adviser and must be arranged in advance or, for students transferring from another institution, during or before the first quarter of residence. Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.00, averaged over all core and elective courses.
Students must also satisfactorily complete the two-quarter second-year research project, Astronomy 277A-277B (12 units), culminating in a written report of the methods and the results of the research performed. Before undertaking the second-year research project, students must identify a faculty adviser who is willing to oversee their work on the project.
The above course requirements, with the exception of Astronomy 277A-277B, must be completed for a letter grade.
Beginning no later than the seventh quarter in residence, and prior to advancement to candidacy, students should enroll in 596 courses (S/U) with a faculty adviser. After advancement to candidacy, students should enroll in 599 courses (S/U) with a faculty adviser.
Teaching Experience
Students are required to spend at least three quarters as a teaching assistant at UCLA, preferably completed in the first two years of study. All teaching assistants must enroll in Astronomy or Physics 375 for each quarter they hold such an appointment in Astronomy or Physics.
Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations
Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.
All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.
Comprehensive Exam. The primary goal of the graduate program in astronomy and astrophysics is to train students to perform research at the Ph.D. level. The comprehensive examination is therefore designed to assess both research ability and general knowledge of astronomy and physics at the graduate level. The examination is conducted in the spring quarter of students’ second year by the comprehensive examination committee, which consists of three faculty members who are appointed by the vice chair. All second-year students are assessed by the committee on the following basis:
- A collective assessment of the written report on the second-year research project, which constitutes the written comprehensive examination.
- Performance on the oral portion of the comprehensive examination. During this oral portion of the comprehensive examination, students present the results of their second-year research project, respond to questions on their research, and solve basic problems from all core areas of astrophysics, based on the courses they have completed to date. The comprehensive examination committee will also review the comments from course instructors to give a more complete picture of student preparation.
The potential outcomes are:
- Pass — with immediate eligibility to proceed to the dissertation written proposal and University Oral Qualifying Examination.
- Incomplete — with the possibility of reassessment by an agreed upon date by the committee and student during the following year on the basis of a specific written list of requirements supplied by the graduate evaluation committee. This option is meant to be used only for students with a single weakness which can be identified and corrected, and who are otherwise above the passing threshold. The incomplete option can only be used once for any particular student.
- Terminal master’s pass — allows the student to finish any outstanding course requirements for the master’s degree, if any.
- Fail — results in an immediate recommendation for termination of the student’s affiliation with the department.
The comprehensive exam must be completed at the Master’s level or above (outcomes 1, 2 or 3) in order to be eligible for the Master’s degree.
University Oral Qualifying Exam. The oral qualifying examination, the main purpose of which is to discuss and evaluate the student’s proposed dissertation problem, consists of a written component and an oral component. The written component is a written proposal of a proposed dissertation topic. The oral component is the presentation of the written proposal.
After the scope of the Ph.D. dissertation research has been clearly defined in the written proposal, the doctoral committee is nominated, in consultation with the student’s dissertation adviser. The committee is then approved by the faculty graduate adviser and finally appointed by the Graduate Division. The doctoral committee conducts the oral qualifying exam, and guides, reads, approves, and certifies the dissertation.
During the oral component of the oral qualifying examination, the doctoral committee discusses and evaluates the student’s proposed dissertation problem. At the discretion of the committee, the student may be asked questions about other material in the student’s field of specialization and related matters. The oral qualifying examination is taken no later than the tenth quarter in residence.
Advancement to Candidacy
Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written proposal and oral qualifying examination.
Doctoral Dissertation
Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.
Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)
Required for all students in the program.
Time-to-Degree
The normative time-to-degree is fifteen quarters. Full-time students with no deficiencies are expected to submit their Ph.D. dissertations within the normative time-to-degree. Normal progress towards the Ph.D. degree has been established as follows:
- The requirements for the comprehensive examination should be completed during the sixth quarter in residence.
- The oral qualifying examination (and advancement to candidacy) should be completed no later than the tenth quarter in residence.
- The dissertation and final oral defense should be finished by the end of the 15th quarter.
| DEGREE | NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters) | NORMATIVE TTD |
MAXIMUM TTD |
| Ph.D. | 10 | 15 | 21 |
Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification
University Policy
A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.
Special Departmental or Program Policy
A student’s progress is evaluated during each spring quarter by a committee of departmental faculty. A student is advised of the faculty’s evaluation either informally or in writing.
A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the faculty adviser, who then reconvenes the entire departmental faculty to reconsider the recommendation.