ASTRO BS Schedule Planning FALL 2024 Edition

If you haven't started planning your courses, now is a great time to begin! You can add classes to your enrollment shopping cart in Lionpath now. The day you can enroll depends on your total course credits so far (counting this semester). Your registration date will show up in the "Enrollment Dates" section of your LionPATH or you can look it up on the table at the end of this message.

It is a really good idea to enroll in your classes on your enrollment date, so be sure you have your course plan ready to go and your courses in your shopping cart by that day. If you have questions about scheduling, be sure to contact me ahead of time to make a good plan. Remember, the suggested academic plans are a great thing to look at when doing your semester planning:

ASTRO_BS Suggested Academic Plan

Here is some basic guidance for scheduling classes by 'year':

2nd-year students:

Be sure to schedule ASTRO 291 for spring, it is important to finish ASTRO 291/292 in your second year to stay on track in the major!

1st-year ASTRO students:

Continue to work on your Entrance to Major courses

3rd-year ASTRO students

Be sure to take ASTRO 320, it is only offered in Fall.

3rd-year+ ASTRO students

Keep taking the classes you need to finish, don't hesitate to askyour advisor if you have questions, or are unsure of what courses you still need!

Special "For Majors" Sections for Math and Physics

Physics and Math offer "For Majors" only sections of many of the first and second-year courses in those departments, and ASTRO/PASTR are welcome and encouraged to take them! There are extra steps to enroll though!

MATH Courses For Majors:

MATH 140.016

MTWF

12:20P-1:10P

110 Osmond Bldg.

MATH 141.010

MWRF

12:20P-1:10P

111 Tyson Bldg.

MATH 230.009

MWRF

12:20P-1:10P

105 Walker Bldg.

To enroll in these MATH courses email rcm242@psu.edu with your enrollment date and you will be added to the queue and enrolled on your enrollment date.

Physics Courses For Majors:

PHYS 211 Mo-We-Fr from 10:10-11:00AM and Tu from 8:00AM-12:00PM
PHYS 213/214 Mo-We-Fr from 11:15-12:05PM and Th from 10:10AM-12:05PM

To enroll in the for majors sections of PHYS, follow the instructions in this guide carefully: PHYS_213_214_for_Majors_Course_Info.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions:

What 400-level ASTRO classes be offered over the next few semesters?

You can always find the latest full list in the Penn State Astronomy and Astrophysics Undergraduate Handbook here: Planned Schedule of 400-Level Courses.

Here is the current schedule for Fall 24 and Spring 25

Please note that in general, the 400-level ASTRO courses follow a sequence. Astro 401 is offered every Fall and 402W every spring.

Fall 2024	Spring 2025
ASTRO 401: Fundamentals of Planetary Science and Astronomy*	ASTRO 402W: Astronomical Telescopes, Techniques, and Data Analysis*
ASTRO 410: Computational Astrophysics	ASTRO 416: Data Science Applications to Astronomy**
ASTRO 415: Astrostatistics	ASTRO 440: Introduction to Astrophysics
ASTRO 497: Special Topics Radiative Processes	ASTRO 451: Astronomical Techniques
	ASTRO 477: Planets and Planetary Systems**

*ASTRO 401 & ASTRO 402W do not fulfill the 12-credit 400-level ASTRO requirement for the ASTRO BS degree.

**Course in development. May be offered as a special topic or the Title and/or Course Number may change.

I can't find CMPSC 121/122, how do I get my programming credit?

Take CMPSC 131/132 instead (the numbers changed)

Can I take ASTRO 7N as a GA/interdomain?

Not if you are an ASTRO or PASTR major. You have to fulfill gen ed requirements outside your home department. You can take the course for fun, it just will go into the "department list" credit.

What if I have a different question you didn't answer here?

Email rcm242@psu.edu or book an appointment through Starfish at tinyurl.com/psu-astro-advising

Fall Registration Dates

You can find your specific registration date in the center of your screen when you first access LionPATH, but here they are based on credit hours:

Minimum Credits	First Day to Register
131.0	March 20, 2024
119.0	March 22, 2024
111.0	March 25, 2024
102.0	March 27, 2024
93.0	March 29, 2024
83.0	April 1, 2024
77.0	April 3, 2024
68.0	April 5, 2024
61.0	April 8, 2024
51.0	April 10, 2024
46.0	April 12, 2024
35.0	April 15, 2024
31.0	April 17, 2024
17.0	April 19, 2024
15.0	April 22, 2024
0.0	April 24, 2024
Nondegree	July 18, 2024