Program Requirements

The Masters of Science in Astronomy & Astrophysics requires completion of 96 units which must consist of:

A minimum of 24 units from completion of 8000-level courses.

The 96 units must include:

12 units from completion of the following courses:

ASTR6002 Galaxies and Cosmology

ASTR6007 Stars

12 units from completion of courses from the following lists:

A maximum of 12 units from completion of courses from the Complementary Science list:

COMP6464 - High Performance Scientific Computing

COMP6730 - Programming for Scientists

COMP8300 - Parallel Systems

COMP8410 - Data Mining

COMP8600 - Statistical Machine Learning

EMSC6022 - Planetary Science

MATH6103 - Scientific and Industrial Modelling

MATH6111 - Scientific Computing

MATH6201 - Topics in Computational Mathematics

MATH6202 - Theory of Partial Differential Equations

MATH6210 - Data Mining

PHYS6101 - Advanced Quantum Mmechanics

PHYS8015 - Photonics Laboratory

PHYS8510 - Lasers and Photonics

PHYS8721 - Advanced Imaging Methods and Systems

STAT6038 - Regression Modelling

STAT6039 - Principles of Mathematical Statistics

STAT7001 - Applied Statistics

STAT7016 - Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis

A maximum of 12 units from completion of courses from the Astronomy & Astrophysics course list:

ASTR8002 - Astrophysical Gas Dynamics

ASTR8003 - High Energy Astrophysics

ASTR8004 - Astronomical Computing

ASTR8005 - Stellar Atmospheres and Spectroscopy

ASTR8006 - Galaxies

ASTR8007 - Diffuse Matter in the Universe

ASTR8008 - Star Formation

ASTR8011 - Observational Techniques

ASTR8016 - Optical Instrumentation

A minimum of 12 units from completion of Science in Society Courses from the following list:

SCOM6015 - Speaking of Science

SCOM6501 - Strategies in Science Communication

SCOM8014 - Communicating Science with the Public

SCOM6003 - Science in Popular Fiction

VCPG6003 - Leadership and Influence in a Complex World

SCNC8000 - Science Internship

A minimum of 12 units from completion of:

ASTR8001 - Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Project (which can be taken as 6 or 12 units)

A minimum of 24 units from completion of courses from the Astronomy & Astrophysics list not previously taken

24 units from elective courses offered by ANU

Capstone Courses

[ASTR8001]

Hurdle Requirements

Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 5.0 in the first 96 units attempted to commence the 24 units of Masters courses in their Bachelor degree. Students who do not achieve this GPA will be able to complete and graduate from their Bachelor degree but will not be able to undertake Masters courses.

If the total number of units attempted exceeds 96 in the same teaching period in which the 96th unit is attempted, all courses attempted will be used in the calculation of the GPA.

Study Options

Admission Requirements

At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry.

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent

•   with a grade point average of at least 5.0/7.0
•   with at least 8 courses in a cognate discipline with a grade point average of at least 5.0/7.0. in these courses

In line with the university's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors. 

Academic achievement & English language proficiency

The minimum academic requirement for full entry and enrolment is a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0. 

However, applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes. 

If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of: 

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or

• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency. 

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Diversity factors

As Australia’s national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe.

Assessment of qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

 Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

Credit Granted

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (one semester) of credit. Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (one year) of credit.

Cognate Disciplines

Astronomy & Astrophysics, Computer Science, Earth & Marine Sciences, Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy & Astrophysics

Pathways

• Vertical Double Degree (http://www.anu.edu.au/study/study-options/vertical-double-degrees)
• Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (one semester) of credit.
• Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (one year) of credit.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate high level knowledge in Astronomy & Astrophysics and relate it to a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts;

2. Apply their knowledge in the discipline to new problems;

3. Interpret, synthesise and critically analyse new published literature of relevance to Astronomy & Astrophysics;

4. Demonstrate skills relevant to research methodology and techniques for Astronomy & Astrophysics;

5. Demonstrate a critical understanding of science in society;

6. Clearly communicate theory and results in both written and oral formats with university staff, peer students and the wider community on Astronomy & Astrophysics topics.

Inherent Requirements

Information on inherent requirement is currently not available for this program.