The curriculum emphasizes a broad and substantial education in astronomy, physics and mathematics. A faculty actively engaged in research provides first-rate instruction and opportunities for undergraduate involvement in research.
A bachelor’s degree in astronomy can prepare students for graduate study in astronomy (about 50% of our graduates take this path), but those who seek employment in other fields can fill the same jobs as physics and computer science majors.The Department of Astronomy operates the Kitt Peak Station of the Warner and Swasey Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, home of the Burrell Schmidt telescope. This telescope is used for surveys and ultra-deep imaging with a large format CCD. The department is also a member of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which operates a 2.5m telescope with multi-object spectrographs and wide-field imager at Apache Point, New Mexico.
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