The education and training of graduate students toward the doctoral degree is a major emphasis of the Astronomy Department.

• Life as a Caltech Astronomy Graduate Student
• Applying to Caltech Astronomy Graduate School
• Caltech Graduate Office
• For new graduate students:

1. Survival Guide
2. Astronomy Option Representative (Lynne Hillenbrand)

• Current Caltech Astronomy graduate students
• Information for Graduate Students from the Caltech Course Catalog

An advanced degree in astrophysics at Caltech is contingent upon an extensive research achievement. Students in the program are expected to join a research program, and carry out independent research leading to publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as a thesis. They must complete a minimum of 9 terms of formal oral research presentations. In their first year, the students must pass a series of six courses in astrophysics and by the end of their second year, also a minimum of four physics or equivalent courses. The students must pass three oral exams administered by faculty committees: a qualifying exam at the end of their first year, a candidacy exam during their third year, and the final PhD defense. Each of these examinations includes evaluation of the student's research work and also their mastery of broader facts, concepts, and current frontiers of astrophysics. The examining committees read and evaluate the candidates' descriptions of their work, their published and unpublished work, and the PhD thesis, and evaluate their performance in the oral examinations.

Graduates of our program are expected to have extensive experience with modern research methods, a broad knowledge of contemporary astronomy and astrophysics, and the ability to perform as independent researchers at the highest intellectual and technical levels.

The Caltech Astronomy graduate program aims to prepare students for creative and productive careers in astrophysical research and to train the next generation of leaders in the field. While the vast majority of our graduate students come from undergraduate astronomy or physics programs, some arrive with related majors such as engineering. In addition to those admitted directly to Astronomy, students in Physics who have astrophysical interests may conduct research with Astronomy or Physics faculty. Conversely, Astronomy students may also take the opportunity to work with faculty in either department. A discussion of the Astronomy option is contained in the following text; for more information on the Physics option, refer to the Caltech website.