The astrophysics major is administered by the Physics Department and combines a core physics major with advanced electives in astrophysics, an astrophysics laboratory course, and senior thesis work on a topic in astrophysics. It is a rigorous program designed to prepare students for a broad range of technical careers or for entry into graduate or professional programs. Curriculum sheets are available from the department to clarify astrophysics program requirements.

Study and Research Opportunities

• B.S. and Undergraduate Minor (minor is administered by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Department)
• Qualified undergraduate astrophysics majors have the opportunity to work individually with a faculty member on the senior thesis.

Physics(Astro)07.pdf

High School Preparation
High school students wanting to major in astrophysics should come to UC Santa Cruz prepared to take calculus in their first quarter in order to concurrently take the Physics 5 series, calculus-based physics for physics majors.

Transfer Preparation
Transfer students can best prepare by taking courses equivalent to the lower-division requirements for the astrophysics major. Due to the prerequisite structure for upper-division courses, it is necessary for prospective transfer students to have completed all, or as many of the lower-division requirements for the major as possible to complete the degree within a reasonable time. The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) will not provide transfer students with enough mathematics and science courses to allow them to complete the program at UC Santa Cruz in two years. Prospective transfer students should closely study the Lower-Division Requirements section on this document, as well as the astrophysics major requirements in the UC Santa Cruz General Catalog<link to http://reg.ucsc.edu/catalog>.

Careers

Administration
Astronomy
Biophysics
Chemistry
Computer science
Engineering
Geophysics
Law
Mathematics
Medicine
Research and development
Teaching
Technical writing

These are only samples of the field’s many possibilities.

Recognition
In 2003, the Institute for Scientific Information ranked UC Santa Cruz first in the nation for research impact in the space sciences. Sandra Faber, University Professor of astronomy and astrophysics, was one of three UC Santa Cruz professors who were named among the “top 50 women scientists in the country” by Discover magazine in 2002. Professor of astronomy and astrophysics Steven Vogt and his partners on the California and Carnegie Planet Search Team were chosen by the American Astronautical Society and the Planetary Society to receive the 2002 Carl Sagan Memorial Award. In 2006, professor of astronomy and astrophysics Stanford E. Woosley was elected to the National Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Lower-Division Requirements
The required lower-division courses for the astrophysics major are normally completed during the first two years at UC Santa Cruz:

• Physics 5A/L, Introduction to Physics I with Laboratory
• Physics 5B/M, Introduction to Physics II with Laboratory
• Physics 5C/N, Introduction to Physics III with Laboratory
• Physics 5D, Heat, Thermodynamics, and Kinetics
• Mathematics 19A-B, Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (two quarters), or Mathematics 20A-B, Honors Calculus (two quarters)
• Mathematics 23A-B, Multivariable Calculus (two quarters)

Alum Focus
The undergraduate major in astrophysics was established in fall 2001. However, through its other programs, UC Santa Cruz has a long history of producing top-level astronomers and astrophysicists. Below are a few of our well-known alumni in the field:

Dr. Alan Dressler (Ph.D., astronomy, ’76) is an astronomer with the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. For his leadership in space astronomy, he received NASA’s Public Service Medal.

Dr. Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D., astronomy and astrophysics, ’77) has been a NASA astronaut since 1978. He is former associate director of NASA’s Ames Research Center and now serves as director of astromaterials research and exploration science at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Dr. Geoffrey W. Marcy (Ph.D., astronomy, ’82) is part of a team recognized worldwide for its success in finding planets around stars in other solar systems.

Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan (B.S., Earth sciences, ’73) is a former NASA astronaut who was the first American woman to walk in space. She is now president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio.