Education

Harvard University: Arts & Sciences: Astronomy

Category Art and Social Sciences, Astronomy, Doctoral, Harvard University, Postgraduate, USA
Tags Arts, Astronomy, Harvard University, Sciences

The program of graduate study is designed to make Harvard PhD students first-rate researchers with a broad knowledge of astrophysics and competence in teaching. To do this, we have constructed an advising program, and a set of requirements to help students develop their astrophysical understanding, and to carry through a successful dissertation in a timely way.

The standing Committee on Academic Studies (CAS) in the Department of Astronomy has the primary responsibility for administering graduate programs. This committee is composed of members of the teaching staff, including the department chair, and two graduate students. The purpose of the committee is to insure that students receive adequate guidance at the pre-dissertation level, to see that uniform academic standards are applied, and to define the professional qualifications expected by the department for advanced degrees in astronomy. At regular intervals the committee reviews the progress of each graduate student. It also reviews and approves study programs, arranges oral examinations, and selects dissertation examining committees, dissertation advisory committees, and research exam committees. The chair of the Committee on Academic Studies is the departmental Director of Graduate Studies.

A faculty advisor is assigned to each incoming graduate student to help the student make informed decisions about coursework and research opportunities. Each student is free to choose a new advisor at any subsequent time, but should inform the department administrator and the CAS of such a change after obtaining the new advisor’s consent.

Study plans are prepared by students in consultation with their advisor early in each fall term, and are submitted to the Committee on Academic Studies. With the approval of the student’s advisor, revised study plans may be sent to the committee at any time during the year, to reflect changing interests.

Requirements for Advanced Degrees

The department expects candidates for advanced degrees to acquire professional competence in an area of research and to acquire a general knowledge of astronomy for an understanding of important developments in other areas. Courses offered by other departments in the University normally form an essential part of the training of graduate students in astronomy. Previous knowledge of astronomy is not a prerequisite for admission to the department. However, students with little or no basic astronomy background are expected to become familiar with introductory concepts before enrolling at Harvard. All students are expected either to pass an oral examination based on topics and level of treatment in Frank Shu’s The Physical Universe (or equivalent), or take Astronomy 145.

1. Course and General Background Requirements. Candidates are admitted to the PhD program only, although the AM degree will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the residence requirements. Candidates for the PhD degree in the Department of Astronomy must satisfy the course and general background requirements, and complete one research project, a thesis, and final oral examination as described below.

General Background Requirements. Previous knowledge of astronomy is not a prerequisite for admission to the department. However, students with little or no basic astronomy background are expected to become familiar with introductory concepts before enrolling at Harvard.

Placement Exam. All students are expected to pass a written placement examination covering the basic concepts/core of astronomy and astrophysics. If the student does not pass, there will be a choice or taking Astronomy 145 in the Spring and passing it with a grade of B or higher, or take an oral exam on the same level at the start of the second term.

Physics and Mathematics. Courses offered by other departments in the University normally form an essential part of the training of graduate students in astronomy. Candidates for advanced degrees must have a substantial background in physics and mathematics. The following list, based on courses at Harvard, is representative of the minimum background the candidate should have acquired as an undergraduate:

1. Mechanics (Physics 151)

2. Electromagnetic theory (Physics 153)

3. Statistical physics (Physics 181)

4. Quantum mechanics (Physics 143a, 143b)

5. General mathematics (Applied Mathematics- 105a, 105b)

A knowledge of more advanced physics and mathematics is very important to astrophysical work and students are encouraged to pursue these subjects at the graduate level by taking 232 and 251a, b (or their equivalents) and Applied Mathematics 201 and 202. As a minimum, students are expected to obtain a satisfactory grade (A or B) or otherwise demonstrate knowledge of the material in Physics 251a, or AY 251, or Physics 210, graduate-level quantum mechanics, or graduate–level general relativity.

Astronomy Courses. Candidates for advanced degrees should obtain a broad knowledge of astronomy by obtaining a satisfactory grade or by passing an oral examination in the five “core” courses (Astronomy 150, 201a, 201b, 202a, 202b); equivalent courses taken elsewhere can also satisfy this requirement. In addition, students are expected to take for credit at least one of the additional 200 or higher level courses offered by the department or, in several cases, by other departments. A complete list of these courses is: Astronomy 191, 192, 193, 218, 219, 225, Physics 210, 211, and 251a, and b. Courses taken elsewhere or courses of equivalent intellectual substance in mathematics or physics may be used to satisfy this requirement at the discretion of the CAS. For more information about specific courses refer to the listings in Courses of Instruction. A chart with the courses and terms offered can be found here.

Teaching. Department of Astronomy graduate students are required to satisfactorily teach for two semesters. A student’s teaching will be evaluated by the course head. Students who are not proficient in the English language are required to demonstrate to the course head their proficiency before they are allowed to teach. Various routes to improving English communications skills are available through the University; the department will help students achieve the necessary proficiency. The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning offers activities and services to aid those who teach, and is especially useful for new teaching fellows or those who are unfamiliar with teaching in the American classroom setting. The first two semesters of a student’s teaching are part of her/his compensation package from the department (unless the student has an external fellowship, see below). Many students wish to teach more than the required amount. The Department believes that students should have this opportunity if they are in good academic standing and are making good progress toward their degree. Students who undertake additional teaching will normally keep half of their teaching stipend if sufficient research funds are available. Students who wish to teach additional courses should obtain the consent of their advisors and, by University rules, must be in good academic standing. If a student has received an outside fellowship that permits additional support, they may keep the stipend from teaching in addition to the fellowship. Students also may not teach more than one course per semester without the consent of the Committee on Academic Studies. It is the responsibility of the student and their advisor to ensure that additional teaching (beyond the two required semesters) will not slow progress toward completion of academic/degree requirements.

Plan of Study. Students are expected to discuss their proposed course and study schedule with their advisor and then to submit it to the committee for approval as part of their study plan. Students should attempt to complete their course work and general background studies before the end of the second year. A student is notified when the CAS agrees that these requirements have been met.

The Astronomy Department has no formal requirement in foreign languages. Students should, however, be familiar with the scientific literature in foreign languages that relates to their own work.

2. Research Project. Before beginning work on a thesis, a student must complete one research project. The purpose of the project is to introduce students to methods of research and to ensure that they can organize material and present it cogently in written form. The topic may be in the area of intended thesis work, although research in another area is encouraged. No research project or paper carried out before the student has registered for graduate study at Harvard will be accepted.

Each research project must have a faculty supervisor who approves the subject material and ensures that the written report meets the appropriate standard. Students are expected to select an area of research in their second term in residence, and should submit a proposal for a research project to the CAS before May 15 of their first year. This is a short statement of the intended research and does not require prior completion of any phase of the work.

Research Exam Committees (REC). The CAS will appoint Research Exam Committees for all students when their Research Proposals are submitted in the spring term of their first year. This committee consists of the research project supervisor, two readers, and a tentative thesis advisory committee chair. The REC will advise the CAS on the suitability and scope of the research proposal.

Normally students devote the summer following their first academic year to research their project. The final research project report is due before May 15 of the second year. Publication of the report is desirable but not essential. The student may work as a member of a research group, but the project report should be written entirely by the student, though it need not be the final version submitted for publication. The report need not describe a completed research project, but can be a description of work accomplished. Its total length should not exceed 50 pages. Typical papers in the ApJ, AJ, PASP and other such journals can serve as guides to style. Our usual advice on presentations is to plan for 30 “uninterrupted” minutes and to concentrate on the motivation for the research, the results and the astrophysical conclusions. Forms for this report may be found here.

Research Exam. The research project report is evaluated by the Research Exam Committee. They also conduct a brief oral examination on the subject of this research as well as related astrophysics. The research examination is normally scheduled two weeks after the submission of the research report. Exams generally last for a few hours including the presentation, questions and committee deliberation. The REC will normally meet in the spring term of a students second year either to conduct the research exam or to oversee progress on the research exam and try to ensure completion by the of the students second full year. Students who have not completed their research exams by the end of the first semester of their third year will be required, with their advisor, to meet with the CAS. Salary/stipend support may be withdrawn and the student not allowed to register, if the student has not completed their research exam by the end of the third year.

3. Thesis Proposal. Within 3-4 months of completion of the research exam, both the student and advisor should submit to the Committee on Academic Studies a thesis proposal and a list of possible committee members. It is desirable, but not required, that the thesis topic be in an area different from that pursued for the research project.

Thesis Advisory Committee. The Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) monitors the student’s progress towards the completion of the thesis, giving both advice and supervision. It includes members with interests and knowledge broadly related to the thesis research. Although the thesis supervisor will be a member of the committee, another member will be designated chair by the Committee on Academic Studies (CAS). The student and committee will meet together at least once per semester. Each student has the responsibility for arranging TAC meetings each semester. The CAS is charged with making sure students have TAC meetings on a semester schedule starting no later than 6 months after a student has completed the research exam. The role of the TAC is to provide additional advice to the student and to provide advice to the CAS on the student’s progress towards their Ph.D.

In advance of each meeting the student provides the committee members with a brief summary of current progress and problems. This, together with an evaluation form completed by the committee and given to the student, will be reviewed by the CAS.

4. PhD Thesis. It is desirable that the student complete the thesis and other degree requirements by the end of five years. Before the final oral examination, the student is required to give a public lecture on the thesis topic. Information on due dates for degree applications and submission of theses may be obtained from the department administrator. The final manuscript should conform to the requirements described in the booklet, The Form of the Doctoral Thesis.

5. Final Oral Examination. The Committee on Academic Studies will appoint a committee to conduct a final oral examination at which the candidate will defend their PhD thesis. The Final Oral Exam Committee must contain at least two faculty members (by university rules) and one examiner from outside the University (by department rules). Typical committees have four or five members. The examination will be confined to the thesis and topics bearing directly on it.

6. Duration of Graduate Study. Duration of graduate study should not ordinarily exceed five years, and students in their sixth year are encouraged to finish promptly.

7. Satisfactory Progress. Students who are not progressing satisfactorily will be put on grace, essentially a one year University probation during which they must begin to make appropriate progress. Students who, at the end of such a probationary year, are still not progressing satisfactorily, will lose stipend support.