Master of Science - Astronomy

Plan Description

The purpose of the Astronomy M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are to prepare students for a career in Astronomy or Astrophysics Research or in education at the university level. The program achieves this with a custom program for each student set up by their advisor and their advising committee. At the M.S. level we have two options. A coursework M.S., wherein students take classes at the graduate level in Astronomy and pass an exam. We also offer a thesis option where students will learn to formulate, conduct and report on research.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

1. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in Physics, Astronomy or other related area.
2. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a minimum 3.00 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate work.
3. Applicants must have completed 18 semester credits of upper-division physics.
4. All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

See Subplan Requirements below.

Subplan 1: Thesis Track
Subplan 2: Non-Thesis Track

Subplan 1 Requirements: Thesis Track

Total Credits Required: 30

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 24

Complete 24 credits of 600- or 700-level AST or PHYS courses, or other advisor-approved courses.

Thesis – Credits: 6

PHYS 797 - Thesis 

Degree Requirements 

1. Complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits.
2. Complete a minimum of 15 credits (excluding thesis) in 700-level astronomy or physics courses.
3. A GPA of 3.00 or better is required in all course work which is part of the degree program.
4. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.

Graduation Requirements 

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must successfully complete and defend a thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. Student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.

Subplan 2 Requirements: Non-Thesis Track

Total Credits Required: 30

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 6

AST 713 - Astrophysics I 

AST 714 - Astrophysics II 

Core Courses – Credits: 6

Complete two of the following courses:

AST 710 - Observational Astronomy Techniques 

AST 721 - Astrophysics of Gaseous Nebulae and Active Galactic Nuclei 

AST 725 - High Energy Astrophysics 

AST 727 - Cosmology 

AST 747 - Interstellar Medium 

PHYS 771 - Advanced Topics in Experimental and Theoretical Physics 

Elective Courses – Credits: 18

Complete 18 credits of 600- or 700-level AST or PHYS courses, or other advisor-approved courses.

Degree Requirements 

1. Complete a minimum of 30 graduate level credits in physics, astronomy, or related fields (excluding graduate seminar).
2. Complete at least 15 credits of 700-level astronomy or physics courses.
3. A GPA of 3.00 or better in all course work which is part of the degree program.
4. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize an advisory committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
5. Satisfactory performance on an astronomy qualifying examination on graduate astronomy knowledge at the master’s level.

Graduation Requirements 

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must pass a qualifying examination.

Plan Graduation Requirements

Refer to your subplan for Graduation Requirements.

Subplan 1: Thesis Track
Subplan 2: Non-Thesis Track