Astrophysics Program
Why study Astrophysics?
Discover the scientific study of the universe beyond the Earth. Astrophysics deals primarily with the behaviours, physical properties, and dynamic processes of celestial objects and phenomena. Astrophysicists draw on physics and mathematics to study planets, stars, black holes, galaxies — even the evolution of the universe itself.
The Saint Mary’s approach
Saint Mary’s is a leader in astrophysics research and the only place you can study astrophysics east of Montreal. Learn from professors who are internationally recognized for their work, yet friendly enough to get to know you by name. Your degree will give you practical skills in advanced physics, complemented by a superb grounding in astrophysics. Saint Mary’s is home to a Canada Research Chair in Astronomy and the Institute for Computational Astrophysics (ICA).
Hands-on opportunities
As a Saint Mary’s undergraduate, you’ll get to dive in right away. Our students are often hired to assist with professors' ongoing research and may choose to pursue their own original research through our honours program. Our faculty members regularly work with international partners, including collaborative projects with telescopes, space agencies, and particle accelerator facilities around the world. The program also offers opportunities for study abroad, paid summer placements and student awards and scholarships.
Sample courses offered:
- Observational Astronomy
- Foundations of Astrophysics
- Properties of Stars
- Galaxies and Cosmology
- High Energy Astrophysics
Future career opportunities:
- Astrophysicist/Astronomer
- Computer programmer
- CGI animator
- Computational modeling