Introduction

Astronomy is the study of the exploration of the universe beyond the earth and to understand the physical processes that describe its contents. Essentially all civilizations have developed astronomy to some degree, with records extending back to the Babylonians. . The modern development of astronomy began with Galileo turning a telescope to the sky and the heliocentric model of the solar system. Astronomy and astrophysics have undergone a revolution in the past fifty years as telescopes ranging from the radio to the gamma ray have discovered the relict radiation from the Big Bang, planets around other stars and the time at which the first stars were just beginning to form. Astronomy as a discipline is a distinctive integration of many of the sciences. At the introductory level it is used to provide a non-technical overview of the scientific approach to questions and our current understanding. At the more advanced level a quantitative physical understanding of astrophysical systems is developed. A graduate in astronomy has a wide grounding in modern physical science which is important for a wide range of roles in society.

Several courses are offered to suit persons of diverse backgrounds and depths of interest. Two beginning courses (AST101H1, AST201H1) require no special knowledge of mathematics or other sciences and are best suited to students taking non-science programs. These courses develop an understanding of the universe in a qualitative way and in terms of natural laws familiar to us on Earth. Audiovisual demonstrations are used extensively. AST121H1 is an introductory astronomy course for science students. The course AST210H1 is intended for students in other areas of the sciences. AST251H1 is best suited to life science students. The remaining courses are designed for physical sciences and astronomy program students. The first physics and math based astronomy courses normally start in the second year. In some of these courses, the objective is to provide for practical involvement by the student. This is achieved by the use of the remotely-controlled telescopes at the St. George and Scarborough Campus observatories by day as well as by night.

The Department works closely with two related academic units, the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) and the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (DI). With a national mandate, CITA fosters research in theoretical aspects of the discipline, including the exploitation of high performance computers in house and in SciNet. Complementary to this, a focus of DI is on the design and development of astronomical instrumentation. Undergraduate students will find diverse research opportunities through the Department and these two cognate units.

Undergraduate Enquiries: ungrad.sec@astro.utoronto.ca (416-946-5243)
Web site: http://www.astro.utoronto.ca

Astronomy & Astrophysics Programs

Enrolment in the Astronomy and Astrophysics programs requires completion of four courses; no minimum GPA is required.

Astronomy & Astrophysics (Science program)

Major program:(8 full courses or their equivalent, including at least two courses at the 300+-level)

First Year:
MAT135Y1/MAT137Y1; PHY131H1, PHY132H1 or PHY151H1, PHY152H1

Second Year:
1. AST221H1, AST222H1; MAT235Y1/MAT237Y1
2. PHY252H1 and one of PHY224H1, PHY250H1, PHY254H1, PHY256H1

Third Year:
1. AST320H1, AST325H1/AST326Y1
2. One course from: CSC336H1, CSC350H1, CSC351H1, CSC418H1, CSC456H1; ECE385H1; PHY350H1, 353H1, PHY354H1, PHY356H1, PHY357H1, PHY358H1, PHY395H1 PHY407H1/PHY408H1,
3. One additional course or half course in APM/AST/CSC/MAT/PHY/STA, to make up the total of 8 full-course equivalents.

Minor program:
(4 full courses or their equivalent)
1. AST221H1, AST222H1, AST320H1, AST325H1/AST326Y1
2. PHY131H1, PHY132H1 or PHY151H1, PHY152H1
3. PHY252H1 and one of PHY224H1, PHY250H1, PHY254H1, PHY256H1
Please note:
PHY131H1, PHY132H1 and PHY151H1, PHY152H1 require MAT135Y1/MAT137Y1/151Y1 and PHY252H1 requires MAT235Y1/MAT237Y1/MAT257Y1.

Astronomy & Physics (Science program)

Consult Departments of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics.

Specialist program:

(14 full courses or their equivalent, including at least one 400-series course)

First Year:
MAT137Y1, MAT223H1/MAT240H1; PHY151H1, PHY152H1

Second Year:
AST221H1, AST222H1; MAT237Y1, MAT244H1; PHY250H1, PHY252H1, PHY256H1

Third Year:
1. APM346H1; AST320H1, AST325H1/AST326Y1; PHY224H1, PHY254H1, PHY354H1, PHY356H1
2. One of MAT224H1, MAT327H1, MAT334H1, MAT363H1, STA257H1

Fourth Year:
1. AST425Y1; PHY350H1, 353H1
2. One half course from each of groups A and B
3. One additional half course from either group A, group B or group C

Group A:
PHY357H1, PHY358H1, PHY395H1, PHY495H1

Group B:
PHY456H1, 459H1, PHY460H1, PHY483H1, PHY484H1

Group C:
PHY324H1, PHY407H1, PHY408H1

Planetary Sciences Specialist Program - See Planetary Sciences