INTELLECTUALLY RICH  |  VIBRANT  |  CHALLENGING
 

“One of the most important metrics and barometers of the success of our department is the quality of our graduate students. Our alumni carry the UCSC label throughout their entire career; advertising for decades and the whole world to see how well we can attract top talent and how well we educate the young scientists who chose us.”
~ Sandra Faber, University Professor, Department Chair

COME STUDY THE UNIVERSE WITH US!

UCSC profiles 30 extraordinary students who have achieved the honor of graduating from UC Santa Cruz.

Astronomy Grad Students - 2009 Fall Welcome Reception

Evan Kirby and Karrie Gilbert - Graduate Students - Keck II - summit of Mauna Kea

Keck II Remote - Grad Students Karrie Gilbert and Evan Kirby

Graduate Student Bulent Kiziltan lecture/seminar at the American Univeristy in Cairo.

Professor Connie Rockosi defends a viewpoint vigorously at "Morning Science Coffee" - A daily discussion of astronomy events and research attended by professors, postdocs and grad students.

2009 Astronomy Welcome Reception.  Chair Sandra Faber welcomes our new grad students to the program.

Grad student Kevin Schlaufman simulated NASA Kepler Space Telescope observations of a theoretically generated exoplanet population.

UCSC is a leader in astrophysics education. The department currently enrolls about 40 graduate students working towards the Ph.D. degree. Graduate students benefit from the low student-faculty ratio and extensive research opportunities, as well as course offerings that cover both theoretical and observational aspects of astronomy. UCSC alumni hold positions at leading universities and research institutes around the world. (Department Fact Sheet)

Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate students have access to state-of-the-art instrument development and data reduction technology, the UCO/Lick Observatory computer network, and an unusually extensive astronomical library at the Lick Observatory headquarters on campus. Graduate students may conduct supervised research with selected telescopic facilities of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, 55 miles from Santa Cruz. The 10-meter Keck Telescope in Hawaii, the worlds largest, is administered from the UCSC campus and is used for frontier research by UC astronomers.

The Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) is also headquartered at UCSC. Education is central to the CfAOs mission, and a key element of this is the support provided by the center to graduate students. In addition to research, the center provides interdisciplinary access to a nationwide network of scientists in astronomy and vision science.

Vision statement
The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UCSC aims to provide an intellectually rich, vibrant, and challenging graduate student program that uses forefront astrophysics research as the main training tool to prepare and support its students for a range of career options.