ASTRONOMY Criteria for Satisfactory Progress To make progress toward a graduate degree, students must meet the Graduate School requirements in addition to the requirements of the department or program. See Graduate School degree requirements in the front of this catalog.
M.S.	PH.D.
Overall GPA Follow Graduate School policy	Overall GPA Follow Graduate School policy
Other Grade Requirements Follow Graduate School policy	Other Grade Requirements Yes A grade of S must be received in Astronomy 990 before the preliminary examination can be taken. A grade of C or lower in a core course results in "conditional continuation." A grade of C in two or more core courses results in the candidate's termination from the Ph.D. program.
Probation Policy Follow Graduate School policy	Probation Policy Yes Failure to meet minimum department criteria results in "conditional continuation."
Specific Courses No	Specific Courses Yes Astronomy core courses: 500, 700, 710, 715, 720, 730, and 735.
Specific Credits No	Specific Credits Yes Completion of 32 credits by the end of the second academic year is required. Candidates must have completed the core courses or their equivalent and at least 3 credits of Astronomy 990 with a grade of S before the preliminary examination.
Examinations No	Examinations / Time Constraints Yes / Yes By one academic month after completing the second academic year, candidates must have taken the preliminary examination. Candidates who fail to pass the preliminary examination twice will be dropped from the program.
Other Assessments Follow Graduate School policy	Other Assessments / Time Constraints Yes / Yes Within nine calendar months of passing the preliminary examination, candidates must submit a written dissertation proposal and make an oral presentation to the faculty. Contact the department for specific requirements of the dissertation proposal. A publishable dissertation must be submitted and successfully defended before a faculty committee. Candidates who enter the program directly after receiving the bachelor's degree must carry at least 8 credits each semester until dissertator status is attained.
Language Requirements No	Language Requirements No
	Minor Requirements Yes Physics or a distributed minor approved by department committee is a permissible minor. Twelve credits in courses 400 level or above are required for a distributed minor.
Advisor Follow Graduate School policy	Advisor Follow Graduate School policy
Review Policy Follow Graduate School policy	Review Policy Yes Faculty advisory committee Annually