Astronomy is the study of celestial objects, including stars, planets, galaxies, and moons. Wesleyan's unique astronomy program blends coursework with the opportunity to work one-on-one with an active research faculty employing professional-quality telescopes, instrumentation, and computers to investigate areas of current astronomical interest.
Well-prepared in technical and communication skills, Wesleyan astronomy majors go on to the best graduate programs in the country, as well as a variety of rewarding careers both in and out of the field of science. BA/MA and MA programs are also offered.
What You'll Study
- Because Wesleyan also offers a master's degree program, undergraduates have the opportunity to work with graduate students as well as with faculty as part of an active research group.
- Research at Wesleyan includes star formation; extragalactic X-ray sources and X-ray background; exoplanets and the interstellar medium; high-mass X-ray binary populations and statistical challenges in high energy astrophysics; and planet formation.
- Most astronomy majors spend time observing with a 0.6-meter telescope and CCD camera, used to study young star-forming regions and transiting exoplanets. You might even get a chance to travel to observatories in Arizona or Hawaii, or work on data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA).
