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  • Any Unis Offering Astrophysics In Their Courses?

Hey guys,

I am really interested in pursuing astrophysics in my tertiary education but can't find any specific courses or majors that offer it in unis. Whilst I enjoy physics generally, I would really like to be able to push forward into astrophysics without having to cover too much of other areas. I can only find it as an elective in unimelb under a bachelor of science (major in physics) and doesn't seem to be available in the mathematical physics major (which is the one I thought would be better suited for me).

Can anyone help me out or point me in the direction of specific courses?

    If you decide to do the mathematical physics major at Melbourne Uni I think you can still take Astrophysics as an elective subject? In the Melb uni majors theres usually plenty of space to choose extra electives that you're interested in. But yeah, it will only be a single subject, not a major.

    I know majors are generally longer than electives but would it be more beneficial to go straight into the major of astrophysics or do a more generalist degree and choose it as an elective if I am unsure of the difficulty of the subject?

    SnekiSnek

    This is going to be a long post so heads up! My best friend is pursuing astrophysics so I'll give you the advice he has given me for this post.

    First of all, at Unimelb under the bachelor of science, both the mathematical physics and the physics major can lead to further studies in astrophysics. However, I would strongly advise doing the physics major as there are some subjects you can take where you can do "astrophysics research". I'll list some subjects at unimelb where you can study astro-related content:

    • From the solar system to the cosmos (PHYC10008) [1st Year]
    • Special Relativity and Electromagnetism (PHYC200015) [2nd Year]. Note the person currently teaching this subject is an astrophysicist so he uses a lot of astrophysics examples to explain the content
    • Lab and Comp 3 (PHYC30021). You can ask to do an astrophysics research project for the whole semester
    • Astrophysics (PHYC30019). Self-explanatory; completely astro.
    • Science Research Project/Science Internship (SCIE30001/SCIE30002): The opportunity to work in the astrophysics department and can be counted as two subjects.
      -EDIT: Whoops forgot to include Archeoastronomy (PHYC20017) and Indigenous Astronomy (PHYC10010)!

    In a Unimelb physics major, compulsory subjects to graduate are Lab and Comp 3 and Quantum Physics whereas mathematical physics requires Quantum Physics and Complex Analysis. Both majors are fine, but for astrophysics, a physics major is desirable as applying for postgrad studies, you would qualify for both theoretical and experimental physics. (It's hard to build up your experimental skills for astro if you do a mathematical physics major)

    To be very honest here, if you plan to go down the astrophysicist pathway, I would strongly recommend going to ANU to do honours in physics, specialising in astrophysics as that is the uni that gets the biggest pool of data for the astro department. I wouldn't say a bachelor's degree there is worth it, but their honours in astro definitely is. Monash also has an astrophysics major, however, I have heard from friends that have transferred that it's not the best... (would stay clear). I also decided not to go to Monash for physics as their physics department is not very strong in terms of research.

    If you are looking to stay in Victoria, I would recommend Unimelb with a physics major such that you can use your other electives to gain an astrophysics internship and research experience. I'm also in a similar position where I solely want to do Experimental particle physics and nothing more haha. No matter which uni you go to, there is going to be a lot of maths you can't escape and general physics knowledge you will need to know before pursuing the higher-end physics areas (like astro). A uni that has a strong research group is usually where you want to go anywhere physics related! I've also heard the University of Sydney is pretty good in the astro area if you are thinking of moving interstate.

    I personally would say doing a general major in physics would be more desirable than doing a major in astrophysics just in case you change your mind later down the track. A physics major will look better if you are looking to apply for an honours/masters as you probably would have taken more general "core" physics subjects like quantum physics, electrodynamics, statistical physics and experimental work. However if you did do an astrophysics major, so long as you take the core physics subjects you should be fine.

    TLDR; A bachelor degree anyway should be alright, just so long as you have taken the general core physics subjects. Taking an honours/masters would definitely be needed if you plan to go down the astrophysicist pathway. In this case, honours at ANU for astrophysics (1st preference by far) or if you want to stay in Victoria, a masters at Unimelb should set you up for a research pathway.

    EDIT: Should also mention that Swinburne has a massive astrophysics/astronomy department which is something to consider if you don't want to relocate. Would still put ANU above that in terms of quality though.

    If you have any questions about physics, feel free to reply to the thread!

    Hope that helps!

        Ashmi

        OMG thank you so much for the detailed reply! That actually helps so much in terms of what uni and what other electives I can take that match my study interests. How much would your friend say that the workload is for the degree and the difficulty of the subjects that relate to astrophysics?

            SnekiSnek

            No worries!
            I would say the workload for a Bachelor of Science with a major in physics can be quite high depending on the semester. The difference between me and my friend is that my friend also does a diploma in mathematics on the side of his degree.

            The workload is high during the semester you have a lab component. This could be 6-9 hours every week for a whole semester for just one subject (Lab and Comp Physics 2 and 3). Every physics subject also assumes that you have a high level of mathematics which is why a lot of work needs to be put in. A physics subject honestly feels like 1.3x a normal subject as you also have to learn maths along the way. For my friend, since he does a diploma of mathematics on the side so he doesn't need to worry about learning the maths (as he already would have done it!)

            Astrophysics-wise, the maths is quite friendly (uses lots of approximations and the prerequisites will let you know if a higher maths subject is needed) but there is a lot of content. Some physics and maths subjects will get extremely hard at times in terms of both workload and difficulty. Some areas are easier than others, but overall, if you want to get a lot out of a physics degree, your workload would be high. We both agree that maths subjects in the second year and beyond can get quite hard (differential equations, group theory, complex analysis), however, you wouldn't necessarily need to take them, but they would be super beneficial for higher levels of physics.

            Something else to add is that for any physics subject, there are a lot of independent studies you will need to do outside of class and you will need a lot of self-motivation (in comparison to engineering, maths and computing subjects I've taken). This is just because of the sheer amount of content covered in a short time frame. I think other subjects like maths and computing do a lot better job here as they cover a reasonable amount in the designated time frame (except for some third-year maths like complex analysis which is just too hard IMO). I'm always studying every day in my physics degree because of how much content is covered, but I know some of my friends can easily get away with a lot less. It really depends on you and what prior knowledge you have!

            TLDR;
            Medium-small high ish - You take physics subjects and you drop the maths as soon as possible
            High - You keep taking maths alongside physics to 3rd year.

            A physics degree will be hard regardless (except the first year).
            We personally have found the Astro electives to be very friendly and understanding (they are clear if you need prior knowledge beforehand)

            Let me know if you have any other questions!

                a month later

                I am sure that studying physics is very interesting. In middle school, I thought about going to an exact sciences department and studying physics and astronomy in depth. In the end, I chose the creative path and started studying photography. I don't regret my decision because it is never late to learn anything new. Especially the construction of the camera is closely related to physics. I like to take pictures of everything around me. I can find beauty in any detail and create a masterpiece. I have albums of printed photos. I also have many framed photos that I always order from https://www.theframeroom.com/. The photos look even better in these frames.

                I'm also interested in both astrophysics and Melb Uni as of now - this was extremely useful! Thank you so much Ashmi for the detailed answer - it helped so much!

                  7 days later

                  RMIT has a space science degree, it should teach astrophysics and related sciences.

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