Hello mcduffy-ga,
I?ve found a lot of information to help you and your son decide which
undergraduate astrophysics program would be the best choice for him
from the three University of California campuses you named: Berkeley,
Santa Cruz and UCLA.
I?ve found some ranking information on these institutions?
graduate/Ph.D. programs in astrophysics. These show that UC Berkeley
just edges out number two UC Santa Cruz and that UCLA is also highly
ranked but behind these other schools. I couldn?t find any rankings of
the undergraduate programs but my research also shows that other
factors are more important in choosing an undergraduate program.
I?ve collected some articles for you to help you think through what
are the most important factors for your son in choosing a school and
program. One of the key elements he should evaluate is what he wants
to do with his undergraduate degree. In particular, he should evaluate
the requirements of his preferred schools if he plans to go on to an
advanced degree.
In addition to doing book and online research on these three schools,
I suggest that your son try to find graduates of each program to get a
more personal view of what each program and campus offers. He should
also visit each school and evaluate which would be more conducive to
his success. UCLA and UC Berkeley are huge urban institutions while
UCSC is a smaller school in a more remote community. Your son should
develop a list of criteria that are important to him and then evaluate
what each school has to offer to meet them.
I trust that the information I?ve found will help you and your son
make a good decision. Best wishes for your son?s academic success.
~ czh ~
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COMPARING ASTROPHYSICS UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
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http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/history/graham/change.htm#1
HOW SHOULD WE RATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES?
Table 1.
Top 25 Research-Doctorate Programs in Astrophysics and Astronomy
Ranked by Mean Score of Reputation Rating and Citation Density
Reputation
UC Berkeley ? Rank #3, Rating 4.65
UCSC ? Rank #6, Rating 4.31
UCLA ? Rank #16, Rating 3.21
Citations/Faculty
UC Berkeley ? Rank #2, Rating 1.707
UCSC ? Rank #4, Rating 1.134
UCLA ? Rank #14, Rating 0.007
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http://in-cites.com/research/2003/february_10_2003-1.html
Space Science: High-Impact U.S. Universities, 1997-2001
1 University of California, Santa Cruz
2 University of California, Berkeley
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http://www.iseek.org/sv/22030.jsp?id=400200
Area of Study: Astrophysics
About 40 colleges in the U.S. offer a bachelor's degree in
astrophysics. This takes four years of full-time study beyond high
school. A bachelor's degree may prepare you for an entry-level
position as a technician. Majoring in astrophysics is also a good
preparation for graduate studies in astronomy.
Most jobs in astrophysics require a master's or Ph.D. degree. A
master's degree takes about six years beyond high school to complete.
It may lead you to a job in a planetarium, or as technical support at
an observatory or planetary institute. A Ph.D. in astrophysics may
take eight to ten years beyond high school. About 20 universities
offer a master's degree, and about 25 offer the doctoral degree.
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http://space.about.com/library/weekly/blusschools.htm
United States Astronomy Schools
Colleges and Universities With Astronomy Degree Programs in the US
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/971028c.html
Ask a high energy astronomer
The Question
(Submitted October 28, 1997)
I am planning on majoring in Astronomy/Astrophysics. Do you have any
information on which institutions are offering the best programs in
this field.
The Answer
Your question is a good one, but it would be easier to answer it if
you told us what your long term goals are. This is because, if you are
interested in a career in astronomy, you will probably want to attend
graduate school after college and get a Ph.D. If so, then the choice
of graduate school is more important to your future career than is the
choice of college. In fact, many students in graduate schools in
astronomy have undergraduate degrees in fields other than astronomy,
such as physics or mathematics. My list of the top graduate schools in
astronomy includes: Princeton, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and University of
Chicago as the top few.
For undergraduate astronomy, I think you can get a good education at
many colleges or universities. As with many things, what you put into
your education can determine what you get out of it. I think that you
would find that if you polled the students entering the top graduate
schools that they come from a wide range of college backgrounds,
including both public and private institutions, liberal arts colleges
and large universities.
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http://www.astro.umn.edu/undergrad/graduation/
Graduation and Career Options
The Astrophysics degree program at the University of Minnesota is
designed to prepare students for careers in several very broad areas.
The four most common of these are graduate school, industry, secondary
education, and ROTC:
***** This page from the University of Minnesota provides an excellent
review of the options available to astrophysics graduates and will be
useful to your son in evaluating what the three schools under
consideration have to offer.
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http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/topic/t-18916_Good_astrophysics_schools_in_california.html
Zaphodx57x - Good astrophysics schools in california
ATM i'm at a JC and I will be transferring next year under the
astrophysics major. Anybody have any inside information or anything
about schools in california. Also keep in mind, caltech doesn't really
take transfer students.....but hey, there is always grad school. :)
chroot - Good astrophysics schools in california
Berkeley is best, UC Santa Cruz is a close second.
- Warren
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http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/majors/brief/major_40-0202_brief.php
Schools by major: Astrophysics
The following schools offer Astrophysics. Click on an institution's
name to see a brief profile. To learn more about its academic
offerings and see a full profile of information, from admissions data
to student body demographics, check out the Premium Online Edition.
University of California?Berkeley -- U.S. News ranking: National Universities, 21
University of California--Los Angeles -- U.S. News ranking: National
Universities, 25
University of California--San Diego -- U.S. News ranking: National Universities, 35
***** These are overall, not departmental, rankings.
=========================================
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY -- UCB
=========================================
http://astron.berkeley.edu
University of California Berkeley, Astronomy Department
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http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/majors/astron.html
College of Letters and Science
Astrophysics Undergraduate Advising
============================================
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ -- UCSC
============================================
http://www.astro.ucsc.edu
UCSC Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
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http://www.astro.ucsc.edu/undergrads.html
UCSC Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics: Undergraduates
April 3, 2000
Three Ph.D. programs at UCSC rated among nation's best
Astrophysics/Space. UCSC made the top-10 ranking, finishing tenth, in
the Astrophysics/Space "specialty" in the field of physics. The
campus's Astronomy and Astrophysics Department, which offers a
doctorate and an undergraduate minor, has also been highly ranked in
other national assessments. UCSC astrophysicists, for example, were
recently ranked first in a survey measuring the impact of research on
the field.
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http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/02-03/05-19/ranking.html
May 19, 2003
UCSC ranked first for impact of faculty research in space sciences
In a new analysis of scholarly publications from top U.S.
universities, UCSC ranked first for the impact of its faculty in the
field of space sciences. The findings reaffirm UCSC's reputation as a
center of excellence for research in astronomy and related fields.
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http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents/98-99/03-22/usnews.htm
March 22, 1999
U.S. News gives good ratings to UCSC's astrophysics and geology programs
The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics has made it onto another
top-ten list, this time ranking tenth in the "America's Best Graduate
Schools" guidebook for the year 2000, released last week by U.S. News
and World Report.
The specific category in which UCSC ranked tenth was
"astrophysics/space," part of the U.S. News rankings of Ph.D. programs
in the sciences. In addition, the Department of Earth Sciences was
ranked number 23 among Ph.D. programs in geology.
Last November, an independent national science group, the Institute
for Scientific Information, rated UCSC the second most influential
research university in the nation in the field of astrophysics.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES -- UCLA
=============================================
http://www.astro.ucla.edu
UCLA Division of Astronomy & Astrophysics
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http://cis.ucla.edu/studyArea/course.asp?type=MAJ&code=101
Astrophysics B.S.
The College Physical Sciences
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