AS4103 Astrophysics Project (BSc)
Academic year
2026 to 2027 Full Year
Curricular information may be subject to change
Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.
Key module information
SCOTCAT credits
30
SCQF level
SCQF level 10
Availability restrictions
Available only to BSc Astrophysics students, and normally only in their final year.
Module description
The students will develop skills alongside working on a research project, submit a project report, and have a project viva. The project aims to develop students' skills in searching the physics literature and in research, the evaluation and interpretation of data, and in the presentation of results. Students taking the BSc degree select a project from a list offered by members of staff acting as supervisor, or alternative co-develop a project with them. Project choice and some preparatory work is undertaken in semester one, but normally most of the 30 credits' worth of work is undertaken in semester two. The aim is that students provide the intellectual drive for the project work, and should take on a role similar to that of a research student in the School. Support will be offered by the academic staff member(s) supervising the project and often also by other members of a research team. A pre-project review precedes the research component of the project. The project may include elements which are experimental, computational, observational, or theoretical. For an astronomy project (AS4103), the majority of the project should be based in the area of astronomy, which may include aspects of pedagogy in astronomy or astronomy-based public engagement.
Relationship to other modules
Pre-requisites
BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS PH3061
Anti-requisites
YOU CANNOT TAKE THIS MODULE IF YOU TAKE AS5101 OR TAKE PH4111 OR TAKE PH5101 OR TAKE PH5103
Assessment pattern
Coursework = 100%
Re-assessment
No Re-assessment available - Final year project
Learning and teaching methods and delivery
Weekly contact
Project students work 'half-time' on their project through semester 2. It is expected that this component of the project work will correspond to ca. 20 hours per week. All students must meet weekly with their project supervisor and attend fortnightly meetings with their peer-support group. Most projects are based in research groups in the School, where members of research teams will provide additional supervision which could range from safety cover to assistance with equipment, computation or analysis, and discussion and interpretation of results.
Scheduled learning hours
18
Guided independent study hours
282
Intended learning outcomes
- Develop a level of confidence to plan and work independently in a research/development environment.
- Develop their literature review skills to effectively emphasise the relevance and context of a research topic.
- Acquire technical skills to record and/or analyse data appropriately or perform appropriate calculations or simulations.
- Develop critical thinking skills in order to progress their own work through reasoned evaluation
- Gain experience of the collaborative exchange of ideas in an active research environment.
- Further enhance their communication and presentation skills to enable them to emphasise the key outcomes of their work effectively and to support their conclusions when questioned.
Additional information from school
For guidance on AS and PH modules please consult the School Handbook at /physics-astronomy/students/ug/timetables-handbooks/