Graduate
Programs Offered:
At the forefront of discovery, our graduate programs empower the next generation of researchers
The Graduate Program
UCSC is a world leader in astrophysics education, providing an intellectually rich, vibrant, and challenging graduate student program. The program emphasizes forefront astrophysics research as the main training tool to prepare and support its students for a range of career options. We currently enroll approximately 50 graduate students working towards the Ph.D. degree. Students benefit from the low student-faculty ratio, extensive research opportunities, and course offerings that cover both theoretical and observational aspects of astronomy.
The most telling metrics for our success are the quality of the graduate students we attract to campus and, more importantly, the professional success they go on to achieve upon leaving UCSC. Indeed, our alumni currently hold leading positions at universities and research centers throughout the world
Research Resources for Graduate Students
Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate students have access to the world-class observational facilities operated by the University of California Observatories (UCO) and to state-of-the-art instrument development and data reduction technology at UCSC.
Graduate students may conduct supervised research with the Nickel 1m, Shane 3m, and APF 2.5m telescopes of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, 55 miles from Santa Cruz. The 10-meter Keck Telescopes in Hawaii, the world’s largest, are administered from the UCSC campus and is used for frontier research by UC astronomers. Students also have access, through select faculty, to a wide range of current and future astronomical surveys including BOSS, DESI, WFIRST, TESS, and LSST.
Program Learning Outcomes
Astronomy and Astrophysics Ph.D. graduates will demonstrate:
1. Mastery of the fundamental techniques, underlying theory, and empirical contents of astronomy and astrophysics;
2. Ability to apply technology (including observational techniques and instrumentation, mathematical modeling, and computational simulation) to solve modern astronomical and astrophysical problems’
3. Ability to communicate/teach fundamental astronomical concepts and/or new research results to both other experts in the field and/or to people outside the field;
4. Ability to conduct independent research, and publish in the peer-reviewed astronomical and astrophysical literature.
Application Process
Application Materials and Deadlines: Application materials and detailed instructions are available online through the UC Santa Cruz Graduate Division. Applicants may check the status of their application online or by emailing the department graduate advisor at astrogradinfo@ucsc.edu.
Fee Waiver:
Applicants who do not qualify for a fee waiver through the application portal (including International Students) may apply directly to the Astronomy & Astrophysics Department. The department has a limited number of waivers available and will evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis.
Requirements and Instructions:
- At a minimum, have completed, uploaded, and submitted the following items to your application: statement of purpose, personal history statement, statement of financial need, and your resume.
- Have not yet paid for your application to the University. (we can not reimburse after the fact)
- Requesting the fee waiver:
- Domestic Students:
- In the application portal, follow the directions for requesting a fee waiver.
- If you are denied a fee waiver, please contact astrogradinfo@ucsc.edu to state why you are requesting a fee waiver and attach your statement of need.
- The Statement of Financial Need should not exceed one page and should fully explain, in your own words, your need for financial assistance. Please also address personal resources and other fellowships or grant opportunities that you will pursue to help cover your graduate education expenses.
- If you are granted a fee waiver by the department, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal.
- International Students:
- International students are not eligible to request a fee waiver in the application portal.
- Instead, contact astrogradinfo@ucsc.edu to state why you are requesting a fee waiver and attach your statement of need.
- The Statement of Financial Need should not exceed one page and should fully explain, in your own words, your need for financial assistance. Please also address personal resources and other fellowships or grant opportunities that you will pursue to help cover your graduate education expenses.
- If you are granted a fee waiver, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal.
- Domestic Students:
NOTE: The Department is unlikely to grant a fee waiver to individuals for more than one application cycle.
Decision on fee waivers will be made right after our application deadline.
General Qualifications of the Applicants: Each year we receive over 300 applications. Of these, we accept 15 or fewer into our program. The majority of successful applicants have an undergraduate degree in physics or astrophysics with strong classroom performance. We will not accept scores from the GRE General or Physics Tests in our reviews during the 2023-2024 application process. A research background in astrophysics is very helpful, but research experience in any field is valuable. We look for strong letters of recommendation and read the “Statement of Purpose” and “Personal History Statement” carefully. Our goal is to identify enthusiastic students who are well-prepared to thrive in an exciting research environment, and who will make the best use of the particular strengths and opportunities in our department.
Site Visits: We encourage prospective students to visit. Students accepted into the program are invited to a departmental visit in winter quarter. During the visit, prospective students meet with faculty and current graduate students, learn about the program and research being done and explore the campus. We encourage students to combine visits (and travel reimbursements) with other west-coast schools. Nothing replaces a visit, but there are many beautiful photos of the campus available on our astronomy website galleries. Additional photos of Lick Observatory are available at the Lick Picture Gallery.
Student Financial Support: The department will make a best effort to provide 100% support for its students during the normative time to degree.
Other links and resources for prospective students
View Our Awards
Our faculty, students, and alumni have earned national and international recognition for their groundbreaking research, dedication to teaching, and contributions to the scientific community. Explore the many honors and awards that our students have earned to show academic and research excellence.