From CASS

Graduate Study in Astrophysics

Program Objectives

UCSD offers a variety of graduate and research opportunities in astrophysics and space sciences and CASS has a number of graduate students working with faculty and research staff as thesis students. CASS is not an academic department, however; prospective graduate students apply through the departments of Physics, Chemistry, or Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and follow the individual departmental curricula. Graduate students in the three departments concentrate on core courses during the first academic year, usually with financial support through Research Fellowships and/or Teaching Assistantships.

The goal of CASS is that PhD graduates have demonstrated a breadth of astrophysics and space science knowledge, a working experience with the techniques of his/her research specialty, and a deep understanding of both observational and theoretical aspects related to a thesis research topic. There are many colloquia and seminars offered through the associated departments. These include the Physics Department/CASS Astrophysics Seminar, the ECE Space Physics Seminar, and the Cosmochemistry Seminar. Various research groups also conduct informal seminars or journal clubs.

Program Opportunities

Graduate students under CASS faculty or research staff direction have the opportunity to work on a wide range of scientific problems in experimental, observational or theoretical astrophysics and space sciences. These include theoretical studies of nucleosynthetic processes in the early universe, numerical simulations of non-linear plasma processes, analysis and interpretation of data obtained from ground and space based instruments, making observations at optical, infrared, X-ray or radio wavelengths, and participating in the development and construction of forefront astronomical instrumentation. Students in CASS have direct access to UC's ground-based optical/IR facilities at Lick Observatory and the UCSD/U. Through their research advisor students also have access to the 10m Keck Telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Research areas are listed under the CASS Research Activities page.