Certificate of Higher Education in Astronomy - UCL

Part-time Certificate of Higher Education in Astronomy

Course Structure

The course extends over two academic years, starting in late September each year.

First-year lectures will be given by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, at University College in Gower Street, London WC1, in a nearby UCL lecture theatre. (The exact location will depend on central booking of lecture spaces which cannot be confirmed until the start of September.) This is a convenient central London location, easily accessible by public transport. Classes will be held on Tuesday evening each week during the academic Term. The hours will be from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm. The structure of the evening will be as follows:

6.00-6.50	lecture
6.50-7.15	refreshment break
7.15-8.00	lecture
8.00-8.10	short break
8.10-9.00	lecture

The programme of lectures will be interspersed with discussion sessions and problem classes. After an introductory induction evening in the first week, classes will run for eleven weeks in each of the two teaching terms each year.

Lecture Course Syllabus

Two modules will be taught in each term, as follows:

First Year, Term 1	Foundations of astronomy.
	The Solar System.
First Year, Term 2	Extra-solar planets and the search for life.
	The Sun and stars.
Second Year, Term 1	High-energy astrophysics.
	Extragalactic astronomy and cosmology.
Second Year, Term 2	Techniques in astronomy.
	Interstellar astronomy.

The three lectures each evening will normally be one on one module, and two on the other module running that term, arranged to give equal numbers of lectures in the two modules over the term.

Click here for the detailed provisional syllabus.

Practical Sessions

Students will attend practical classes at the Observatory in groups. Each student will have eight evenings at the Observatory in each year of the Certificate, attending at three-weekly intervals for four weeks in each of the teaching terms. Classes run from 6.30 to 9.30 pm, on WEDNESDAY evenings in the first year of the Certificate and THURSDAY evenings in the second year.

The weather can be uncertain. On clear nights full use will be made of the Observatory's suite of telescopes under appropriate supervision. Students will be instructed in the use of telescopes and the types of observation that can be made. For cloudy nights there is a good range of
other practical activity, including the use of catalogues, star charts and images, and computer-based packages.

Astronomy Dissertations

At the start of the Session, students in the first and second years choose a topic from a list provided, and research and write an extended essay on their specific area of Astronomy or Astrophysics of length about 4,000 words. The research is expected to use the UCL Library as well as other sources such as the Internet. For both years, the final deadline for submission will be during the Easter break.

See the Dates page for provisional dates for practical classes at the Observatory

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