UCL DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
UCL Certificate of Higher Education in Astronomy (Part-time)
Notes for Prospective Students (2016 entry)
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Achieve an undergraduate Certificate award in two years of part-time study
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No subject-related A-level requirements
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Study astronomy to the frontiers of current research
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Study in UCL's Physics and Astronomy Department, highly rated for both teaching and
research
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The course is endorsed by the Royal Astronomical Society, the UK's professional society
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Lectures one evening each week at UCL from 6 pm to 9 pm
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UCL is conveniently located close to Euston Station
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Regular evening practical classes at our superbly equipped Observatory in Mill Hill
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For keen amateur astronomers, teachers and everyone interested in learning more about
astronomy
Background
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London has been teaching part-time
evening courses in Astronomy since September 2001. The courses have proved very successful and
popular.
The present Certificate in Astronomy was introduced in 2006. It fully satisfies UK and European rules
and has complete transferability as equivalent to the first year of a degree course. The Certificate
maintains the high standard and successful structure of the former Diploma in Astronomy, which it
replaced.
UCL is one of the country's leading establishments of further and higher education. One 2012 ranking
placed it fourth among the world's Universities. The College, and the Department of Physics and
Astronomy, have consistently achieved excellent ratings for both teaching and research across the
board, and UCL has one of the largest and widest-ranging research efforts in astronomy, cosmology,
planetary science and space science in the country.
UCL has led the way in astronomy education. The BSc degree course in astronomy was established
more than sixty years ago−by far the earliest and for many years the only such course in England. The
four-year MSci course now gives an unsurpassed level of undergraduate astrophysics education.
The experience, staff, and facilities of this distinguished Department are brought to this course, to meet
the need for part-time evening study in astronomy that goes beyond ordinary evening classes but stops
short of the demands of a degree course.
Entry Requirements
The Certificate course is intended for students with a variety of backgrounds and experience, and the
entry requirements are flexible. No particular previous knowledge of or involvement in astronomy is
expected, just a strong interest in the subject.
In the Certificate course the use of mathematics is kept to a minimum and it is sufficient for students to
have an acquaintance with mathematics to about GCSE standard at grade C, or equivalent. This does
not have to be particularly recent, and help is available if required. The Certificate course requires a
reasonable commitment to study. There are no specific A-level requirements, but students are expected
to have had experience of study to A-level standard or an equivalent, in any subjects.
Prospective students who are unsure whether their academic background is appropriate for the
Certificate course are invited to consult the admissions tutor (see below under Enquiries).
Structure of the Certificate Course
The course extends over two academic years, starting in late September each year. In each year, the
course is organised in four distinct components: first term lecture courses; second term lecture courses;
practical at the Observatory; individual dissertation. The practical and the dissertation extend over the
full academic session (9 months).
Lecture Courses
Lectures are given in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College in Gower Street,
London WC1. This is a convenient Central London location, easily accessible by public transport.
Classes are held on one evening each week, currently TUESDAY evening in both years of the
Certificate. The hours are from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm, structured 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
In association with the lecture courses, tutorial sessions and problem classes are arranged as required.
After an introductory Induction evening, classes run for eleven weeks in each of the two teaching
terms. Note that second year practicals may start before lectures.
UCL Term Dates, 2016-2017
Classes at UCL will be on the following dates:
Induction evening Tuesday, 27 September, 2016, from 5.00pm
Term 1 Tuesday, 04 October to Tuesday, 13 December, 2016
Term 2 Tuesday, 10 January, to Tuesday, 21 March, 2017
Term 3 (Review and Exam Sessions) Monday, 24 April to Friday, 09 June, 2017
Lecture Course Syllabus
Two modules will be taught in each term, as follows:
First Year, Term 1: Foundations of Astronomy, and Techniques in Astronomy.
First Year, Term 2: The Sun and Stars, and The Solar System.
Second Year, Term 1: Interstellar Astronomy, and Extra-solar Planets and the Search for Life.
Second Year, Term 2: High-energy Astrophysics, and Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology.
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The three lectures each evening will normally be two on one module and one on the other module
running that term, arranged to give equal numbers of lectures in the two modules over the term. The
detailed syllabus for each module is given at the end of this document.
The Observatory
Practical classes are at the Department's own observatory, the University of London Observatory in
Mill Hill in north-west London. The Observatory is conveniently reached by Thameslink trains from
Central London. There is no car parking at the Observatory for students, but it is easy to park in the
nearby Daws Lane Car Park.
The Observatory has recently been refurbished and the accommodation and equipment for student use
have been extended. It is equipped with the following telescopes: the Radcliffe 24/18-inch double
refractor; the Allen 24-inch reflector; the Fry 8-inch refractor; two Celestron 14-inch reflectors. The
telescopes have a full range of instruments, with CCD cameras and other detectors. See
http://www.ulo.ucl.ac.uk for details.
Practical Sessions
The practical work is carried out individually, and students attend practical classes in small groups.
Each student has eight evenings at the Observatory in each year of the Certificate, attending at threeweekly intervals for four evenings 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 WEDNESDAY evenings in the second
year. These days of the week are provisional but unlikely to change.
The weather is unpredictable. On clear nights full use is made of the Observatory's suite of telescopes,
under appropriate supervision. Students are 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 activities,
including the use of catalogues, star charts and images, and computer-based packages.
Provisional Dates for First-year Certificate Practical Classes, 2016-2017
Practical classes are at the Observatory on Wednesday evenings and students will be allocated to one
of the following groups. The first session in 2016 is indicated for each. Student preferences will be
taken into account in setting up the groups and it is generally possible later on to transfer between
groups. There may be some groups scheduled to use an extra day in Term 2.
Group A (5 October), Group B (12 October), Group C (19 October).
Groups attend after this at three-week intervals until the end of the second term. A detailed timetable
will be available on the Department's Certificate information website from the start of Term 2016.
Dissertation
The dissertation is an individual essay review of no more than 4,000 words that provides each student
with the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge in a subject area either chosen from a list of
suggested topics or agreed with the dissertation lecturer. Guidance and advice will be provided
throughout the year, including assistance by e-mail. It is important for students to get started early and
continue to work at a steady pace. The UCL e-Library is a valuable resource for magazines and
journals and the Science Library is well-stocked with appropriate references.
The deadline for submission is the last day of Term 2, which is Friday 24 March 2017.
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Textbook and Equipment
The recommended textbook for the course is Universe by R A Freedman, R. M. Geller, and W J
Kaufmann III (Freeman, tenth edition 2014). No special equipment is required; you might find it
useful to have a simple scientific calculator. The UCL Shop sells suitable calculators for £10-11 (Casio
fx-83ES or fx-85ES) which are also suitable for use in examinations. Nearly all students have home
Internet access, or they can use their UCL computer accounts. Much of the communication will be by
e-mail, so an ability to access the web is essential.
Assessment and Examinations
Coursework, consisting of short essays and simple problems related to the material in the lecture
courses, will be set on a regular basis. These are mainly intended to enhance understanding of the
subject matter but they also contribute 20% to the assessment of each lecture course.
Each year there will be two written examinations of two hours each, one on the lecture modules of the
first term and one on those of the second term. The examinations will be held on two evenings in May,
and count for 80% of the mark for each course. Students should ensure that they do not plan
holidays or travel during the Exam Term until the dates of their exams are announced, so as not
to find themselves absent for an examination.
The practical mark will be based entirely on an assessment of the work completed and submitted
during the eight sessions at the Observatory each year. The dissertation will be marked on work
submitted.
If an examination is failed or missed, the corresponding examination may be taken in the following
year. Special arrangements may apply in the event of illness.
To qualify for the award of the Certificate it is normally necessary to complete all components of the
course and to pass in any seven of the eight components taken in the two years. Students who achieve
a high level of marks (average of 70 or above; no mark less than 60) may be awarded the Certificate
with Distinction.
A student who has passed examinations in the first year courses but chooses for whatever reason not to
proceed to the second year may be eligible for the award of a departmental one-year Certificate in
Astronomy.
Facilities at UCL
Students are registered as part-time students at UCL and are entitled to full use of College facilities,
including the Students' Union, the College library and the computer system. College policy requires
students to maintain an up to date password and to check official UCL e-mail regularly.
Students also may use Departmental facilities including the undergraduate common room and the
Departmental undergraduate library. They are also eligible to use the Observatory's Night Duty Officer
scheme, giving access to telescopes out of class hours.
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society has considered the syllabus and structure of the Certificate course and
has endorsed it in the following terms:
The Royal Astronomical Society, the UK's society for professional astronomers, endorses the UCL
Certificate of Higher Education in Astronomy by evening study as a relevant component of training in
astronomy, which will be acknowledged as such if used to apply for fellowship of the Society.
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Fees
Home/EU students are required to pay tuition fees of £1270 per annum (Session 2016-2017).
The fees may be paid either in full at the start of each academic year or in equal instalments in October
and January of each year. Paying a first instalment automatically sets up the instalment system. Fees
can be paid on-line.
Special considerations apply to students who do not have UK or EU residence qualifications. If you
have lived abroad during the past four years or if you have non-EU nationality, please bring this to the
attention of the Admissions Tutor.
Enquiries and Applications
Applications may be sent in at any time up to mid-September, but early application is strongly
encouraged. Please address any enquiries to Khadija Bouzgan (tel. 020 7679 3943, e-mail
astrocert@ucl.ac.uk), from whom application forms may also be obtained. Forms are also available online as a PDF file and it is preferred that applicants print this out and complete it by hand. Further
information may also be obtained from the Certificate web page,
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/phys/admissions/certificate/index/
and its links.
Completed application forms should be sent to the admissions tutor for astronomy evening students,
Professor Jonathan Rawlings, at the address below. All candidates who may be made an offer of
admission will be invited to visit UCL for interview. Applicants should provide the name of a person
who can vouch for their academic suitability for the course and ask that person to send Prof Rawlings a
brief reference in confidence, or to provide it in a sealed envelope signed across the flap, to be
forwarded with the completed application.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is believed to be correct at the time of
preparation. As the course is under constant review, amendments could be made before
or during the programme of study.
Address
Send applications to:
Professor Jonathan Rawlings
Astronomy Certificate Admissions Tutor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
(Please ensure that, if you are sending a large envelope, the correct postage is used: 95p First Class,
74p Second Class.)
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Provisional Syllabus for Lecture Courses
Year 1
First Term
Foundations of Astronomy An overview of modern astronomy, providing an introduction to the night
sky, stars, galaxies and cosmology.
Techniques in Astronomy Optical and mechanical properties of telescopes; recent developments in
large mirrors, adaptive and active optics. Diffraction effects in telescopes and instruments; Rayleigh
Criterion, Airy function. High- and low-resolution spectroscopy; spectroscopic diagnostics in
astrophysics. Radio Astronomy. Instruments and detector systems in space, including infrared,
ultraviolet and X-ray missions).
Second Term
The solar system Basic geography, interior structures, surface features and atmospheres of the
terrestrial planets. Plate tectonics, volcanism, seismology and radiometric dating on the Earth. Impact
cratering, polar regions, and origin of the Moon. Interiors, atmospheres and rings of the giant planets.
Basic geography and surface features of the satellites of the giant planets. Properties of Pluto and other
dwarf planets. Asteroids, meteorites, comets and Kuiper Belt. Origin of the solar system.
The Sun and Stars The Sun; its nuclear energy source, structure, environment and activity cycle;
principal observable layers; photosphere, chromosphere, corona. Measurements of the properties of
stars, including magnitudes. Luminosity, effective temperature and stellar classification, H-R diagram.
Outline of stellar evolution with reference to the H-R diagram. The white dwarf, neutron star and black
hole end-states of stars.
Year 2
First Term
Interstellar Astronomy Overview of the interstellar medium; ionized, atomic and molecular gas;
examples from red giant envelopes, planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, and absorption in cold gas
clouds. Photoionization and recombination; heating and cooling processes. Interstellar dust; extinction
and reddening. Cosmic rays. Star formation; hydrostatic equilibrium, free-fall and induced collapse;
observational signatures; gas flows from star-forming regions.
Extra-solar planets and the search for life Methods for searching for planets; Doppler shifts, transits,
imaging and infrared observations. Recent results and implications for theories of the formation of
planetary systems. Future missions. Schematic history of the development of life on Earth. Criteria for
life; habitable zones, life-times of stars; panspermia. Possibilities of life elsewhere in the solar system,
including the cases of Mars, Europa and Titan (current and future spacecraft missions). Signatures for
life and the role of atmospheric compositions. The Darwin mission. SETI and the prospects for
intelligent life; the Drake equation, the Fermi paradox; searches for signals and artefacts from other
civilisations.
Second Term
High-energy Astrophysics High-energy galactic and extragalactic sources; supernovae, gamma-ray
sources, interacting binary stars, accretion disks. Production and absorption of high-energy photons in
the Universe. Neutrino astronomy; supernova 1987a, solar neutrino problem, neutrino detectors.
Gravitational wave astronomy; general relativity, binary pulsars, LIGO and LISA detectors.
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Extragalactic astronomy and cosmology Structure of the Milky Way; Hubble galaxy types, content
and properties. Hubble's Law and distance indicators (Cepheids). Distribution of galaxies in clusters
and superclusters. Active galaxies and quasars. Gravitational lensing. Dark matter. Observational basis
of cosmology; Olbers' paradox. History of the Universe. Friedmann models - assumptions and
solutions; fundamental cosmological parameters. Origin and significance of the CMBR, plus COBE,
WMAP and Planck results. Cosmic nucleosynthesis. Successes and failures of the standard Big Bang
model. The inflationary Universe. Formation of structure in the Universe.
Provisional Syllabus for Practical Courses, years 1 and 2
The syllabus includes the use of telescopes, the use of astronomical software, the operation of a CCD
camera, observations of the Moon, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies by direct viewing and by
imaging and spectroscopy, laboratory exercises covering topics such as planetary surfaces, pulsars,
stellar spectra, interstellar matter, galaxy classification, comets, and the moons of Jupiter. Weather
permitting, students may have opportunities to obtain images with and observe through the Radcliffe
24-inch/18-inch double refractor telescope, and to obtain spectra with the Allen 24-inch reflector.
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