Program Overview

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a major directed toward a career in astronomy. Most professional positions in astronomy and astrophysics generally require study leading to the Ph.D. degree. Opportunities include research positions in observatories, often in conjunction with university teaching, and scientific positions in government agencies and industry.

B.A. Degree Requirements

This program allows students to get a degree in Astronomy and also pursue professional career goals (e.g. – journalism, politics, law). The B.A. in Astronomy requires 39 credit hours in the Physics & Astronomy department, and 24 credit hours outside of the department, for a total of 62 credit hours for the degree.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ASTR 001	DESCRIPTIVE ASTRONOMY	3
ASTR 01L	DESCRIPTIVE ASTRONOMY LAB	1
PHY 001	INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS I (with lab and discussion)	4
PHY 002	INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS II (with lab and discussion)	4
PHY 003	CONTEMPORARY TOPICS SEMINAR	1
PHY 021	INTRO TO METHODS IN PHYSICS	3
PHY 050	MODERN PHYSICS	4
PHY 059	ADVANCED LAB I & ERROR THEORY	2
PHY 121	THEORETICAL MECHANICS	4
PHY 122	ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY	4
ASTR 185	INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHYSICS I	3
ASTR 195	INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHYSICS II	3
PHY 191	PHYSICS SEMINAR I	1
PHY 197/198	RESEARCH I 1	1
PHY 199	PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY CAPSTONE	0
Additional requirements outside of the department
MATH 050	CALCULUS I	3
MATH 070	CALCULUS II	3
MATH 080	LINEAR ALGEBRA	3
MATH 100	CALCULUS III	3
MATH 110	MULTIVARIATE CALCULUS	3
MATH 120	APPLIED DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS I	3
CHEM 001	GENERAL CHEMISTRY I 2	3
CS 065	INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I	3
Total Hours		62

¹

Research Participation: 1 cr (min) of PHY 197 RESEARCH I and/or PHY 198 RESEARCH II at Drake and/or at least one REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates).

²

Students who take General Chemistry I at Drake University must take CHEM 001 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I with the lab (CHEM 003 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LAB), as they are co-requisites. Students should note that a general chemistry lab is recommended for those pursuing certain pre-professional/career paths.

Grade Requirements for Graduation

2.0 minimum (C) average is required in all physics-credit courses.  In addition, a C is required for Modern Physics, Advanced Lab I with Error Theory, Theoretical Mechanics, and Electromagnetic Theory.

In addition to programmatic requirements, students are responsible for satisfying all requirements of the Drake Curriculum, including Areas of Inquiry (AOI)

Student must also satisfy university graduation requirements for all undergraduate students..