The Astronomy, B.A. major is offered by the Physics and Astronomy Department in the May School of Arts and Sciences .
Hassan Bajwa
College Center 110D
508-565-1126
hbajwa@stonehill.edu
Mission of the Program
The Astronomy, B.A. major is meant to serve students with a strong interest in math, physics, chemistry and computational methods applied to astronomy, who wish to pursue careers in teaching or graduate studies at research universities in fields that do research in astronomy. The program is tailored to be potentially combined in a double major. The major can be useful to those wishing to pursue advanced degrees in areas such as planetology and space exploration, planetary astrophysics, cosmology and stellar astrophysics, including the study of black holes and other collapsed objects.
Learning Goals
Majors in Astronomy B.A. will:
- demonstrate a clear understanding of these five core curriculum areas: classical mechanics & relativity, electromagnetism, optics & waves, quantum mechanics & atomic physics, and astrophysics.
- use the aforementioned knowledge in physics as well as in the math required to describe and explain astronomical systems.
- understand how science is performed: observation, hypothesis development, experimental design & execution, data collection and interpretation.
- understand the philosophical, ethical, and societal dimensions of astronomy as a human endeavor.
The B.A. in Astronomy requires the completion of 20 courses.
