Dear Third-Year Students,

Congratulations for surviving your second year of graduate school! So what does the Astronomy Department have in store for you next? Well, first you are all cordially invited to the annual and very exclusive Qualifier Event that we host each August. The Qualifier will be graded and the results discussed at a Faculty meeting that will occur on a Monday in mid-September, probably the 13th or 20th. You should each receive a personalized letter discussing your results by the end of September.

During the third year you should all be doing full-time directed thesis research with the advisor of your choice. During the academic year, you should register for ASTR898 (2 credits) with your research advisor. Most of you will probably continue on with your Second-Year Project advisor, but moving on to something new is also OK. Please come talk to me if you are uncertain about what sort of research you want to do next. And if you don't like research and/or don't have a research advisor yet definitely come talk to me!

Once you pass your qualifier, the Astronomy Department will be pleased to offer you all Master's Degrees at the end of the fall semester. You need a total of 30 credits (8 3-credit courses, 2 x ASTR699, and 2 x ASTR695 should do it) and a scholarly paper (you knew that Second-Year Project would be good for something!) is all that is required. While the Master's Degree is not a necessary prerequisite for a Ph.D., the extra effort to get the Master's is minimal, and I strongly recommend that you all go for it! There are a couple of forms that you need to fill out early in the semester so that the degrees can be conferred at December graduation. If one of you can locate the deadlines and forms (ask a Fourth-Year!) and let me know, I'll pass the info on to the rest of the group.

Cheers,
Doug Hamilton
Graduate Director