Degree Programs

The University of Hawaii at Manoa offers the MS and PhD degrees in astronomy. These courses are aimed at students who have a strong background in physics or astronomy at the bachelor's level. Almost all astronomy graduate students are enrolled in the PhD program, earning the MS degree en route to the PhD. A PhD typically takes about six years work, with the MS awarded during the third year. The University of Hawaii at Manoa does not offer undergraduate astronomy degrees.

The MS degree programs

During their first two years graduate students spend about two-thirds of their time taking formal courses in astronomy, and about one third of their time on directed research projects under supervision of faculty members.These research projects may require them to assist with observations at a telescope, to build some equipment, or to reduce some existing data. At the start of their 5th semester students who have have satisfied departmental and university requirements in their coursework, in their directed research projects and in an examination (the "qual") are awarded the MS degree in astronomy.

• Details of requirements for MS degree

The PhD degree program

Students who achieve a suitably higher standard in the "qual"   assessment are encouraged to continue towards the PhD degree. They spend the next few months finalizing plans for their research project, and are awarded PhD candidacy on approval of their thesis topic. Students usually take between two and four years to complete their research, culminating with the writing and oral defense of their PhD dissertation.

The IfA makes a substantial commitment of observing time to students who advance to PhD candidacy. Dissertation projects that make use of the UH 2.2 meter telescope on Mauna Kea are typically guaranteed up to twenty nights of observing time. There is no commitment of guaranteed time on the other telescopes on Mauna Kea, but our graduate students have been very successful in competing for observing time on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT), the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). In several cases, students have based their dissertations entirely on data from these observatories.

• Details of requirements for PhD degree

Financial Support

Astronomy students at the University of Hawaii are normally supported by graduate assistantships. Many students are offered a teaching assistantship (TA) for their first year and a research assistantship in subsequent years. Teaching assistantships are funded by the State of Hawaii. Research assistantships are funded from grants to individual researchers; these grants are typically awarded by a federal agency such as NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) or the Space Telescope Science Institute. Some students are supported by fellowships directly from these agencies.

• More information about assistantships
• More about other potential sources of funding

Related Pages

• Description of the various research programs being undertaken at the Institute for Astronomy

• Description of research facilities of the University of Hawaii and other Hawaii-based astronomy organizations

• Information about applying for admission to the astronomy graduate school at University of Hawaii