Information for Prospective Students

CSPA is the Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics. It exists to promote research into stars and planets within the Australian scientific community.

Undergraduate

CSPA staff teach a number of courses at undergraduate level. (The courses are run by the School of Mathematics). Several are offered in conjunction with other departments or schools within the Faculty of Science, including School of Physics and the School of Chemistry. Some of the courses on offer at present are:

• ASP 1022 - Life in the Universe
• ASP 2062 - Introduction to Astrophysics
• ASP 3012 - Stars and Galaxies
• ASP 3051 - Relativity and Cosmology

Students involved in third-year courses will also go on a field trip to Mt Stromlo in Canberra, and/or use telescopes in Melbourne.
For more information on undergraduate courses, please contact the Undergraduate co-ordinator, Rosemary Mardling.

Honours

The honours year bring students right into touch with research for the first time. Along with specialist lecture topics (including The Sun, Planetary Dynamics, General Relativity, Planet Formation and Accretion Disks, Computational Physics), they undertake a major project under expert supervision, and an observational project using a research telescope at Siding Springs. Honours students become part of CSPA with their own desks in the Centre, and plenty of chance to work closely with staff and fellow students.

For more information on honours year at CSPA, please contact the Honours co-ordinator, Alina Donea.
More information can also be found on the Maths honours page.

Postgraduate

New! We have put together a step-by-step guide to starting a PhD at CSPA.The Centre houses many research students investigating diverse areas of astrophysics at postdoctoral or masters level. It is possible to study either option part- or full-time. Each student is given a desk and office space within the department. Grad students work closely with a supervisor in the department, and will also have at least one additional supervisor, either at Monash or further afield. Several students have overseas Associate supervisors and get to spend extended time studying abroad.

For available research projects, please click here.
For more information, please contact the Postgraduate co-ordinator, John Lattanzio

Some useful links:

(Please note: since we do not maintain these site, no guarantees can be made about their accuracy).

• Monash Research Graduate School who are responsible for doctoral admissions, scholarships, etc.
• Monash Postgraduate Association (MPA) represents all student enrolled in PhD, EdD, Masters and Postgraduate Diploma courses.
• Monash University Careers and Employment Service provides a professional employment and careers service to students, graduates and employers.