Explore the Universe from College Park

Have you wondered how galaxies formed in the early Universe? What happens to material as it spirals into a black hole? Are you interested in using astronomy to explore the fundamental physics of the Universe? Or, closer to home, how did our Solar System form and how are planets forming around other stars? A Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Maryland at College Park can launch you on a successful pursuit of answers to these questions.

About the Department

The University of Maryland at College Park is a dynamic research university with highly ranked programs in astronomy, physics, computer science and aerospace engineering, among many others. It is a university of more than 35,000 students, in a classic campus setting of tall trees and Georgian brick buildings, just 10 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C.

The Department of Astronomy has 15professorial faculty, 40 graduate students, and approximately 100 research faculty. We are one of the country's foremost astronomy departments and provide our students with unique research opportunities. Our students work hard, but the payoff -- in the form of new discoveries and the launching of their careers -- is very real and exciting. As a Maryland graduate student, you will have the opportunity to conduct research using some of the world's most sophisticated observational satellites, ground-based observatories, and powerful supercomputers to attack theoretical problems. Observational and theoretical research are partnered to produce surprising insights into the formation of planets and stars, to advance the study of our own and other galaxies, and to produce ground-breaking work in areas as diverse as high-energy astrophysics and space weather.

Major Resources

What are some of the exciting facilities and collaborations available to graduate students at the University of Maryland?

  • Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology - CRESST II is the most visible of our many interactions with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, located only 5 miles away. UMD researchers work together with Goddard scientists on many topics, ranging from the study of neutron stars, black holes, and extremely hot gas throughout the universe to the study of planets in our Solar System. This partnership offers an exciting array of opportunities for graduate students to work with Goddard scientists and facilities on their Ph.D. theses.
  • NASA Small Bodies Node - The NASA Small Bodies Node, headquartered at the University of Maryland's Department of Astronomy, serves as the primary hub for archiving mission data related to comets, asteroids, and dust from NASA's small bodies missions. Our multidisciplinary team of scientists collaborates with subnodes at PSI (asteroids, dust) and MPC (orbits) to conduct research on physical and dynamical characteristics of small bodies and their laboratory analogs, offering diverse and engaging research opportunities in the fascinating realm of small bodies in our solar system.
  • Joint Space-Science Institute (JSI) - In 2010, U. Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center signed an agreement launching the Joint Space-Science Institute (JSI), a partnership between the Departments of Astronomy and Physics and NASA/Goddard. Areas of investigation include black hole physics, high-energy astrophysics, and cosmology.
  • Center for Theory and Computation - The CTC, a strong group of theoretical astrophysicists within the department, built and maintains a Beowulf cluster to perform computational analyses and simulations across a range of research areas. We also have access to three larger university clusters, including the world-class 'Zaratan', which has been invaluable to our students in completing computationally-intensive thesis projects. Finally, the department has a visualization laboratory for state-of-the-art simulations and displays of large datasets.
  • Lowell Discovery Telescope - The Department has guaranteed access to this 4.3-meter telescope through a partnership with Lowell Observatory. (formerly the Discovery Channel Telescope DCT)
  • PHaSER (Partnership for Heliospheric and Space Environment Research): cooperative agreement in space science (heliospheric physics, space weather, Earth magnetosphere, etc.) with Goddard and other partners.
  • Zwicky Transient Facility - We continue to participate with ZTF.

Research Areas

What kind of research would you like to do?

Research in the Astronomy Department covers the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to gamma-rays, and it addresses a range of scales from our solar system to the frontiers of cosmology. A broad assortment of national observatories, satellites, and supercomputers are used on a guest investigator basis.

  • Planetary Astronomy - Comets, asteroids, moons, rings, orbital dynamics, the origin of the solar system and other planetary systems, extrasolar planets, space weather/ionospheric physics, and space exploration (Deming, Hamilton, Kempton, Papadopoulos, Richardson, Sunshine).
  • High Energy Astrophysics - Active galaxies, galaxy clusters, black holes, neutron stars, gravitational radiation, and time-domain astrophysics (Veilleux, Miller, Mushotzky).
  • Galactic Astronomy - The interstellar medium, star and planetary formation, planetary nebulae, and radiative transfer (Mundy, Vogel, Harrington, Bolatto).
  • Extragalactic Astronomy - Galaxy formation and evolution, galaxy clusters, starbursting galaxies, spiral galaxies, and the Small Magellanic Cloud (Mushotzky, Veilleux, Vogel, Harris, Bolatto).
  • Cosmology - The reionization epoch, the development of structure, gravitational lensing, and cosmological parameters (Ricotti, Bolatto, Miller).
  • Radio instrumentation (Harris) and astrobiology (Mundy).

Students begin research within their first year. The curriculum includes a research project due at the end of the second year. This project gives students a chance to work with a professor and explore a particular topic which often leads to the student'd dissertation subject.

More information about individual centers and fields.

Astronomy Classes

What would you like to learn about?

Our course offerings reflect the range of subfields of astronomy, as well as the astrophysics required to understand them. They include the following topics, offered every other year unless otherwise noted:

  • Radiative Processes (offered every year)
  • Stellar Structure and Evolution
  • Astronomical Instrumentation and Techniques
  • Computational Astrophysics
  • Galaxies
  • The Interstellar Medium and Gas Dynamics
  • High Energy Astrophysics
  • Cosmology
  • Planetary Astronomy
  • Exoplanets

The department also offers an "Introduction to Research" course every fall, in which new graduate students receive an introduction to common astronomical software and to the research being done by department faculty.

Student Funding

The Department of Astronomy provides full funding (with tuition waivers) for up to six years while students maintain adequate progress toward degree. This support includes full tuition as well as a competitive year-round stipend. Typically, students have teaching assistantships during their first 1-2 years in the program and research assistantships thereafter. Graduate students may alternatively pursue university, federal fellowships, or private or other independent funding. For more details, see our funding statistics.

We firmly believe that all graduate students accepted to our department are capable of completing the Ph.D. program. We are committed to encouraging our students and aiding them in achieving their goals.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Department of Astronomy is fully committed to its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion mission. It has an active EDI Committee drawn from all members of the department, which is engaged in numerous initiatives. Also, department graduate students have an organization aimed at fostering community and engaging underrepresented undergraduate students in astronomy, called Astronomy Community Engagement. Additionally, together with the Department of Physics and the college, the department funds a graduate-student led program called Graduate Resources for Advancing Diversity with Maryland Astronomy and Physics (GRAD-MAP), which reaches out to local Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a collaborative seminar series, 10-day Winter Workshop, and 10-week Summer Scholars program, which is now in its eighth year. Finally, a bi-weekly seminar series called Better Astronomy for the New Generation (BANG!) focuses on professional development in astronomy and academic careers, multiple career paths (e.g. including teaching and industry jobs), and on equity, diversity, and inclusion topics; the BANG! seminar series has been running for more than 10 years.

Student Life

Is there life beyond classes/research?

Absolutely! Department life offers many well-attended social activities, such as daily espresso/tea/hot chocolate breaks in the afternoon, "Payday Pizza Fridays", intramural sports, and the annual astronomy picnic. Faculty and students mingle at all of these events, and the culture is very friendly and collegial. The department strongly supports equity and inclusion, with invited speakers, a standing committee, and the GRAD-MAP and ACE organizations which are led by grad students. A good source of information about everyday student life is the GradLife wiki, maintained by the graduate students. There, you can also find out about events such as the "Unjournal Club", which provides a regular opportunity for graduate students to present research and to field questions from fellow students.

The university is just 10 miles from the bustle of downtown Washington, D.C. (a convenient 20 minute Metro ride from College Park). The city has hundreds of restaurants, dozens of museums, and thousands of opportunities for shopping. The Kennedy Center hosts world-renowned ballet companies, theater productions, and symphonies. The National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn, and Phillips galleries offer art in a variety of forms. Sports fans cheer for professional sports teams in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Visitors can also tour a variety of attractions around the city's scenic Inner Harbor. Annapolis, site of Maryland's capital, features maritime charm and provides a great place for weekend strolls.

International students will find the College Park campus to be a place of great diversity. Students come from 115 countries around the world, and minorities make up a third of the student population. An eclectic mix of speakers, cultural activities, films, and concerts cater to different interests.

Explore further!

To learn more about the Department of Astronomy, we encourage you to peruse our webpages or to contact the Graduate Entrance Committee. We look forward to having you join us at the University of Maryland!

Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology II    Joint Space-Science Center    Two intriguing investigations -- One flight-proven spacecraft    UMd Astronomy-Cote d'Azur Observatory Scientific Cooperation and Academic Exchange