Salt Lake Community College has many unique classes that give students the ability to explore different paths.
SLCC students generally need to complete at least 61 credits to earn an Associate of Science degree. While there may be a large range of classes that students can take to complete this degree, one field that offers a lot of variety is physics, especially the astronomy course.
“Astronomy is a unique class because it combines a lot of aspects of physics into the same subject. It combines orbital mechanics from basic physics, for studying magnetic effects around stars and planets it uses electricity and magnetism topics,” said Jonathan Barnes, the associate dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering.
To fully understand how astronomy works, scientists need to draw from a large range of subjects, including geology, cosmology, biology and mathematics, especially statistics.
SLCC offers Elementary Astronomy, aka PHYS 1040, for students who may be interested in this line of study. The course also fulfills the general requirement for physical science.
Since astronomy is a subfield in physics, PHYS 1040 is not a required course for an associate degree in physics.
Most astronomers get a physics degree and take elective astronomy courses on the side. There are more classes specific to astronomy available at a four-year institution.
Visit SLCC Academics or the School of Science, Mathematics & Engineering for more information about Elementary Astronomy and other physics courses.
