Thermodynamics, evaporation and sublimation rates, regolith interactions, geochemistry, brines, biological implications, data analysis.
Space and Planetary Sciences
The degree programs in Space and Planetary Sciences encompass interdisciplinary research over a wide range of topics in space science, planetary science, and engineering. This research is conducted within dedicated laboratories and facilities within the various participating departments. Current research interests are water on Mars, astrobiology, atmospheric processes on Venus, ices on Pluto and other ice worlds, planetary geomorphology, galactic and extragalactic astronomy, extreme-temperature electronics, small spacecraft development and operations, remote sensing, and meteorite and impactite analysis.
Program Offerings: Masters and Doctoral Paths
M.S. in Space and Planetary Sciences
At least 24 semester hours of courses plus at least six hours of SPAC 6000V are required for a total of at least 30 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. View required courses to earn an M.S. in Space and Planetary Sciences.
Ph.D. in Space and Planetary Sciences
Students are required to take a minimum of 72 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree or 42 hours beyond the master's degree to include a minimum 33 hours of required course work and 18 hours of SPAC 7000V. View required courses to earn an M.S. in Space and Planetary Sciences.
Program of Study
Students wishing to apply for admission to the graduate degrees in space and planetary sciences should contact the Space and Planetary Science Center’s graduate coordinator. Applicants should prepare to have transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose sent to the center. Applicants are encouraged to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination, including the writing score.
M.S. in Space and Planetary Sciences
Non-Core Courses
Introductory course consisting of discourses and case studies in ethics, communications
and public policy in the administration of space and planetary sciences. Prerequisite:
Admission to program or instructor consent.
Ph.D. in Space and Planetary Sciences
Non-Core Courses
Seminars organized by the Center for Space and Planetary Sciences covering topics
on the cutting edge of research in the field for graduate students conducting research
with a faculty member in the space and planetary sciences as part of their graduate
degree programs or concentrations in the graduate programs in physics, biology, geology,
geography and mechanical engineering.
Introductory course consisting of discourses and case studies in ethics, communications
and public policy in the administration of space and planetary sciences.
Internship for graduate students in the space and planetary sciences graduate degree
programs and concentrations in the graduate programs in physics, biology, geosciences
and mechanical engineering. Students conduct a phase of their research, normally for
one month, at a national or industrial laboratory in North America or overseas.
Core Courses
Select three of the following (nine hours):
Stellar structure and evolution, the properties of the solar system, and extrasolar
planetary systems.
This course is cross-listed with ASTR 50303.
This course is cross-listed with ASTR 50303.
Origins of planetary atmospheres, structures of atmospheres, climate evolution, dynamics
of atmospheres, levels in the atmosphere, the upper atmosphere, escape of atmospheres,
and comparative planetology of atmospheres.
Exploration of the solar system, geology and stratigraphy, meteorite impacts, planetary
surfaces, planetary crusts, basaltic volcanism, planetary interiors, chemical composition
of the planets, origin and evolution of the Moon and planets.
Discusses the scientific basis for the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. Includes origin and evolution of life on Earth, possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system (including Mars), and the possibility of life on planets around other stars.
Electives
An introduction to astrophysics covering the interstellar medium, the Milky Way galaxy,
extragalactic astronomy, and introduction to cosmology.
Study of the statistical analysis of large data sets that are prevalent in the physical
sciences with an emphasis on astronomical data and problems.
Discussion of selected topics and review of current literature in any area of the
biological sciences.
Laboratory techniques in prokaryote culture, identification, physiology, metabolism,
and genetics. Laboratory 6 hours per week.
In-depth molecular coverage of cellular processes involved in growth, metabolism,
transport, excitation, signaling and motility, with emphasis on function and regulation
in eukaryotes, primarily animals.
Analysis of the genetics of natural and laboratory populations with emphasis on the
ecological bases of evolutionary change.
Interactions between environment, physiology, and properties of individuals and populations
on both evolutionary and ecological scales.
This eight week course introduces new graduate students to research opportunities
and skills in chemistry and biochemistry. Meets 2 hours per week in the first half
of the semester. Safety and ethics in research and scholarship are discussed.
Potential topics include: advanced spectroscopic methods, bioanalytical chemistry,
bioinorganic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, biophysical chemistry, chemical sensors,
drug discovery and design, nanomaterials, pharmaceutical chemistry, process analytical
chemistry, and protein folding and design.
The first of a two-course series covering biochemistry for graduate students in biology,
agriculture, and chemistry. Topics covered include protein structure and function,
enzyme kinetics, enzyme mechanisms, and nucleic acid and carbohydrate structures.
Knowledge of organic chemistry comparable to material in CHEM 36203 is recommended.
A continuation of CHEM 58103 covering topics including biological membranes and bioenergetics, photosynthesis,
lipids and lipid metabolism, nucleic acid and amino acid metabolism, and molecular
biology. Knowledge of organic chemistry comparable to material in CHEM 36203 is recommended.
An introductory treatment of electronic packaging, from single chip to multichip,
including materials, substrates, electrical design, thermal design, mechanical design,
package modeling and simulation, and processing considerations. Prerequisite: Graduate
standing in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, or Computer Engineering.
Basic switching converter topologies, control scheme of switching converters, simulation
of switching converters, resonant converters, isolated converters, dynamic analysis
of switching converters. Students will not receive graduate credit for both ELEG 45503 and ELEG 55503.
In this course, advanced graduate students (PhD candidates and selected MS students)
will be trained in rephrasing and preparing technical papers, including scientific
reports. Illustrations step by step will be explained. Each student is required to
prepare technical papers based on their own research results and will be guided from
selecting a title to a finished product. The emphasis will be placed on the structures
of the articles including figures and table preparation, abstract writing, citations
and references, and acknowledgments. The students will also be trained to prepare
letters to the journals' editors and how to respond to reviewers' comments.
Examines central issues of global change including natural and human induced climate
change, air pollution, deforestation, desertification, wetland loss urbanization,
and the biodiversity crisis. The U.S. Global Change Research Program is also examined.
Mechanics of landform development. Lecture 2 hours, laboratory 3 hours per week. Several
local field trips are required during the semester. Graduate degree credit will not
be given for both GEOS 40503 and GEOS 52503.
Introduction to fundamental principles of geochemistry from historic development to
modern concepts. Graduate degree credit will not be given for both GEOS 40603 and GEOS 52703.
Fundamentals of navigation, mapping, and high-precision positioning using the Navstar
Global Positioning System. Topics include datum definition and transformation, map
projections, autonomous and differential positioning using both code and carrier processing,
and analysis of errors. Graduate degree credit will not be given for both GEOS 45903 and GEOS 52903.
Fundamentals of topical climatology followed by a study of regional climatology. Offered
as physical science. Graduate degree credit will not be given for both GEOS 43603 and GEOS 53603.
Development of ramifications of the plate tectonics theory. Analysis of the evolution of mountain belts. Lecture 3 hours per week.
Unlike conventional GIS courses that focus on studying "where", this course will teach
students to address beyond "where" using various GIS analysis and modeling techniques
to explore "why" and "how". The course will provide theoretical and methodological
reviews of the principles of cartographic modeling and multi-criteria decision-making.
Graduate degree credit will not be given for both GEOS 46503 and GEOS 56503.
An in-depth review of classical thermodynamics, including availability analysis, combustion,
and equilibrium, with an introduction to quantum mechanics and statistical thermodynamics.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in Engineering or consent of instructor.
Principles, operation, and characteristics of gas turbine and rocket engines. Brief
study of novel spacecraft propulsion systems. Graduate degree credit will not be given
for both MEEG 44303 and MEEG 58303.
An introduction to numerical methods used in solving various problems in engineering
and the sciences. May not earn credit for this course and MATH 43503 or MATH 43603.
Nuclear structure and nuclear reactions. Nature and properties of elementary particles
and resonances, their interactions and decays. Phenomenological theory and discussion
of experimental evidence.
Stellar structure and evolution, the properties of the solar system, and extrasolar
planetary systems.
Origins of planetary atmospheres, structures of atmospheres, climate evolution, dynamics
of atmospheres, levels in the atmosphere, the upper atmosphere, escape of atmospheres,
and comparative planetology of atmospheres.
Exploration of the solar system, geology and stratigraphy, meteorite impacts, planetary
surfaces, planetary crusts, basaltic volcanism, planetary interiors, chemical composition
of the planets, origin and evolution of the Moon and planets.
Discusses the scientific basis for the possible existence of extraterrestrial life.
Includes origin and evolution of life on Earth, possibility of life elsewhere in the
solar system (including Mars), and the possibility of life on planets around other
stars. Prerequisite: Instructor consent.
Study of spacecraft design and operations.
Explore Our Program
Space Center
Our program is home to the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences which
allows our students to further research efforts in astronomy and planetary science, the geology and biology of the planets, and asteroid
and comet surfaces.
Explore the Center
Meet Our Program
Our program is comprised of faculty from various areas on campus and a robust alumni.
Connect with faculty to begin your journey as a Space and Planetary Sciences major.
View Program Directory
Research Areas
Water on Mars
Astrobiology
Methanogens, microorganisms in the domain Archaea, models for life on Mars and Enceladus, sulfate-reducing bacteria.
Ices and Lakes on Titan
Evaporation rates of liquid methane and methane/ethane mixtures, particulate effects, tholins, freezing of hydrocarbons.
Atmosphere/Surface Interactions on Venus
Condensation of volatile atmospheric metallic compounds on planetary uplands.
Ices on Pluto
Infrared analysis and identification of candidate Pluto surface ices.
Planetary Geomorphology
Application of experimental and remote sensing methodologies to investigation of slope processes on Mars and Titan.
Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
Galaxy evolution, active galactic nuclei, effect of supermassive black holes on galaxy structure, spiral arm analysis, dwarf galaxies.
Extreme-temperature Electronics
Development of electronic components and systems capable of operating at extremely high and low temperatures, uncooled electronics for application to Venus surface landers.
Small Spacecraft Development and Operations
Cubesat propulsion and attitude control, formation flight, inflatables, communications,
mission concepts. Remote sensing: Multi-sensor integration, GIS workflows, InSAR,
digital image processing, geocomputation.
Meteorite and Impactite Analysis
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer analysis of meteorite and impactite samples.
Application Checklist
For application to the SPAC graduate programs go to Graduate Degree Seeking Students on the Graduate School and International Education website, review the requirements, and submit the following per instructions:
- Graduate School application
- GRE scores (recommended but not required)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Curriculum Vitae
- Official Transcripts
- Application Fee
Deadlines and Submitted Materials
January 1
Admission to the Program
The following items must also be submitted to the SPAC Program coordinator, Julia Kennefick
- Personal statement of interest in the program
- Curriculum Vitae
- Include GPA and GRE information, if available.
Mohamed Aly
Director of the Arkansas Center for Space & Planetary Sciences
479-575-3185
aly@uark.edu