The Associate in Science (AS), Emphasis in Astronomy provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution to specialize in Astronomy or a related field. Upon completion of a graduate degree, students may pursue a number of careers including astronomers, atmospheric and space scientists, physicists, and astronomy professors.
Details
Important information you’ll need when applying for admission:Field of Interest
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Type
Associate Degree
Academic Plan
Associate in Science, Emphasis in Astronomy (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8605
Total Credits Required
60-64
Catalog Year
2021-2022
Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.
Effective term
Fall 2021
Notes
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses in the program.
What You'll Learn
This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:
- Engage and develop your curiosity of the natural world.
- Utilize laboratory equipment, telescopes, and software to gather data, observations, measurements in order to find patterns, correlations, and relationships related to our origins and place in the Universe and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe.
- Clearly communicate scientific ideas to a diverse audience - qualitatively and quantitatively, in verbal, written, and visual formats, using an appropriate technical vocabulary.
- Implement a macro perspective to interpret, analyze, and engage with universal concepts.
- Critically assess problems using the principles, methodologies and perspectives of Astronomy.
- Evaluate published materials for scientific validity.
- Compare and contrast the perspectives of diverse societies and cultures.
- Demonstrate ethical practices in individual and collaborative work settings.
- Integrate and apply theory and observational data to develop solutions to societal problems.
Career Opportunities
Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based annual median wages* for this program. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information.
Astronomers
$114,080 Show expanded career information for Astronomers
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
$93,430 Show expanded career information for Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
$89,670 Show expanded career information for Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
- Physicists
Course Sequence by Term
The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:
- Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
- The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
- Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
- Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include AAA/CPD150, AAA/CPD150AC, CPD104, and AAA115/CPD115. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.
Full-time Sequence
Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.
| Awareness Areas |
|---|
|
Term 1
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AST111 or AST112 | Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | Critical course Gateway course | SQ | 4 | |
| ENG101 or ENG107 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
| MAT220 or MAT221 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I or Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MA | 4–5 | ||
| HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
| AAA/CPD115 or AAA/CPD150 or AAA/CPD150AC or CPD104 | Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development | 0–3 |
Term 2
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AST111 or AST112 | Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | Critical course Gateway course | SQ | 4 | |
| CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment | L | 0–3 | |
| ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
| PHY115 or PHY121 | University Physics I or University Physics I: Mechanics | SQ | 4–5 | ||
| MAT230 or MAT231 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry II or Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | MA | 4–5 |
Term 3
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHY116 or PHY131 | University Physics II or University Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism | SQ | 4–5 | ||
| MAT240 or MAT241 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry III or Calculus with Analytic Geometry III | MA | 4–5 | ||
| COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. | SB or L | 0–3 | |
| SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | SB | 3 |
Term 4
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT261 or MAT276 or MAT277 | Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations | MA | 3–4 | ||
| HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
| L | Literacy & Critical Inquiry | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and [SB] Social-Behavioral Sciences or [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and [HU] Humanities, Arts & Design or [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and (COM) Oral Communications or [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and CRE101 requirements simultaneously. | L | 0–3 | |
| SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | SB | 3 |
Part-time Sequence
Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.
| Awareness Areas |
|---|
|
Term 1
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AST111 or AST112 | Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | Critical course Gateway course | SQ | 4 | |
| ENG101 or ENG107 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
| AAA/CPD115 or AAA/CPD150 or AAA/CPD150AC or CPD104 | Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development | 0–3 |
Term 2
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT220 or MAT221 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I or Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MA | 4–5 | ||
| CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment | L | 0–3 | |
| ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 |
Term 3
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHY115 or PHY121 | University Physics I or University Physics I: Mechanics | SQ | 4–5 | ||
| COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. | SB or L | 0–3 |
Term 4
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AST111 or AST112 | Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | Critical course Gateway course | SQ | 4 | |
| MAT230 or MAT231 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry II or Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | MA | 4–5 |
Term 5
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | SB | 3 | ||
| PHY116 or PHY131 | University Physics II or University Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism | SQ | 4–5 |
Term 6
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT240 or MAT241 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry III or Calculus with Analytic Geometry III | MA | 4–5 | ||
| L | Literacy & Critical Inquiry | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and [SB] Social-Behavioral Sciences or [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and [HU] Humanities, Arts & Design or [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and (COM) Oral Communications or [L] Literacy and Critical Inquiry and CRE101 requirements simultaneously. | L | 0–3 |
Term 7
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAT261 or MAT276 or MAT277 | Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations | MA | 3–4 | ||
| HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 |
Term 8
| Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
| SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | SB | 3 |
Course Area Key
Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.
Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.
- C = Cultural Diversity in the US
- CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
- FYC = First Year Composition
- G = Global Awareness
- H = Historical Awareness
- HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
- L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
- MA = Mathematics
- SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
- SG = Natural Sciences General
- SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Disclaimer
Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.
View MCCCD’s curriculum website for the Associate in Science in Associate in Science, Emphasis in Astronomy (https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=167778).
At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.
Other Versions
The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. Other versions of this pathway map from different catalog years are available below: