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
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.
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
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 |
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|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AST106 or AST111 or AST112 | Life in the Universe or 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, Arts, & Design (HU) course | 3 | |||
SB | Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB) Course | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AST106 or AST111 or AST112 | Life in the Universe or 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 | L | 0–3 | ||
ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC | 3 | ||
PHY121 or PHY115 | University Physics I: Mechanics or University Physics I | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AST106 or AST111 or AST112 | Life in the Universe or Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | Critical course Gateway course | SQ | 4 | |
PHY131 or PHY116 | University Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism or University Physics II | 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 | COM Requirement, Recommend selecting a course that satisfies COM and SB or COM and L requirements simultaneously. | SB or L | 3 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MAT261 or MAT262 or MAT276 or MAT277 | Differential Equations or Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations | MA | 3–4 | ||
PHY241 | University Physics III: Thermodynamics, Optics, and Wave Phenomena | 4 | |||
HU | Humanities, Arts, & Design | 3 | |||
L | Recommend selecting a course that satisfies [L] and [SB] or [L] and [HU] or [L] and (COM) or [L] and CRE101 requirements simultaneously. | 0–3 | |||
SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | Select SB course if not already met by COM100, COM110 or COM230. | SB | 0–3 |
Part-time Sequence
Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.
Awareness Areas |
---|
|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AST106 or AST111 or AST112 | Life in the Universe or 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 | L | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PHY121 or PHY115 | University Physics I: Mechanics or University Physics I | SQ | 4–5 | ||
COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | SB or L | 3 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AST106 or AST111 or AST112 | Life in the Universe or Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | 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 and Behavioral Sciences (SB) Course | 3 | |||
PHY131 or PHY116 | University Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism or University Physics II | SQ | 4 |
Term 6
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AST106 or AST111 or AST112 | Life in the Universe or Introduction to Solar System Astronomy or Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology | SQ | 4 | ||
MAT240 or MAT241 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry III or Calculus with Analytic Geometry III | If two SB courses were not completed in previous terms, complete an SB course. If the L requirement was not completed in previous terms , select a course that carries the L value. | MA | 4–5 |
Term 7
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MAT261 or MAT262 or MAT276 or MAT277 | Differential Equations or Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations or Modern Differential Equations | MA | 3–4 | ||
HU | Humanities, Arts, & Design Course | 3 | |||
L | Literacy & Critical Inquiry course | 0–3 |
Term 8
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PHY241 | University Physics III: Thermodynamics, Optics, and Wave Phenomena | 4 | |||
HU | Humanities, Arts, & Design Course | 3 | |||
SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | Select SB course if not already met by COM100, COM110 or COM230. | SB | 0–3 |
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
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 (http://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=137169).
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.