Master of Science in Astronomy & Astrophysics

at Australian National University

Program Structure

The Masters of Science in Astronomy & Astrophysics requires the completion of 96 units, of which:

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

The 96 units must consist of:

18 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
 

• ASTR6002 Galaxies and Cosmology (6 units)

• ASTR6007 Stars (6 units)

• ASTR6013 Astrophysical Processes (6 units)

A minimum of 24 units from completion of courses Astronomy & Astrophysics courses from the following list:
 

• ASTR8002 Astrophysical Gas Dynamics (6 units)

• ASTR8003 High Energy Astrophysics (6 units)

• ASTR8004 Astronomical Computing (6 units)

• ASTR8005 Stellar Atmospheres and Spectroscopy (6 units)

• ASTR8006 Galaxies (6 units)

• ASTR8007 Diffuse Matter in the Universe (6 units)

• ASTR8008 Star Formation (6 units)

• ASTR8011 Observational Techniques (6 units)

• ASTR8016 Optical Instrumentation (6 units)

A maximum of 6 units from completion of Complementary Science courses from the following list:
 

• COMP6464 High Performance Scientific Computing (6 units)

• COMP6730 Programming for Scientists (6 units)

• COMP8300 Parallel Systems (6 units)

• COMP8410 Data Mining (6 units)

• COMP8600 Statistical Machine Learning (6 units)

• EMSC6022 Planetary Science (6 units)

• MATH6103 Scientific and Industrial Modelling (6 units)

• MATH6111 Scientific Computing (6 units)

• MATH6201 Topics in Computational Mathematics (6 units)

• MATH6202 Theory of Partial Differential Equations (6 units)

• PHYS6101 Advanced Quantum Mechanics (6 units)

• PHYS8015 Photonics Laboratory (6 units)

• PHYS8721 Advanced Imaging Methods and Systems (6 units)

• STAT6038 Regression Modelling (6 units)

• STAT6039 Principles of Mathematical Statistics (6 units)

• STAT7001 Applied Statistics (6 units)

• STAT7016 Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis (6 units)

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

• SCOM6003 Science in Popular Fiction (6 units)

• SCOM6015 Speaking of Science (6 units)

• SCOM6501 Strategies in Science Communication (6 units)

• SCOM8014 Communicating Science with the Public (6 units)

• SCNC8000 Science Internship (6 units)

• VCPG6003 Leadership and Influence in a Complex World (6 units)

A minimum of 12 units from completion of:
 

• ASTR8001 - Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Project (which can be taken as 6 or 12 units as one project or multiple projects)

A maximum of 24 units from elective courses offered by ANU

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 minimum GPA of at least 5.0/7.0

• with at least 8 courses in a cognate discipline, which must also have a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0.

• with a minimum of 2 courses of undergraduate second year Physics; and a minimum of 1 course of undergraduate second year Mathematics.

The GPA requirement for this program must be met by both the program as a whole, as well as by the 8 courses in a cognate discipline. Where more than 8 cognate courses have been completed by the applicant, ANU will take the best 8 courses when assessing the cognate GPA.

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.

The annual indicative fee provides an estimate of the program tuition fees for international students and domestic students (where applicable). The annual indicative fee for a program is based on the standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year (unless the program duration is less than 48 units). Fees for courses vary by discipline meaning that the fees for a program can vary depending on the courses selected. Course fees are reviewed on an annual basis and typically will increase from year to year. The tuition fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and the courses selected and are subject to increase during the period of study.

Annual indicative fee for international students

$48,802