Courses may be offered either in the Fall or Winter Term. Not all courses are offered every year. A list of courses for the upcoming year is circulated at the end of June.

Planetary Science Graduate Courses

(Under Construction - Nov. 09, 2011)

9001. Comprehensive Examination

A required examination for Ph.D. candidates normally taken at the beginning of the third term of PhD registration. This six hour, exam tests the student's knowledge of basic astronomy in the fields of the solar system, the Sun and stars, the Milky Way and galaxies, and cosmology. If necessary, a second attempt is allowed at the end of the third term of study. The exam must be passed in order to continue in the PhD program.
Non-credit requirement.

9601. Solar System and Planetary Astronomy

Topics include planet formation, orbital and dynamical processes in the Solar System, isotopes and cosmochemistry, meteorites, asteroids and comets, planetary interiors and atmospheres as well as other Solar System processes such as impacts and tides.
3 lecture hours/week. Half course; one term.

9604. Impact Cratering Short Course

This is an intensive 5-day short course and field training program on impact cratering. This course will introduce students to the processes and products of impact cratering on Earth and throughout the Solar System. This course will be based in Sudbury, Ontario, the site of an ~200 km diameter impact structure formed 1.85 billion years ago. Each day will feature 3 hours of lecture material in the morning, followed by field excursions and/or hands on laboratory sessions in the afternoons. The Sudbury structure offers an exceptional opportunity to study impact melt rocks, various types of impact breccias, shatter cones, impact-induced hydrothermal alteration, and much more. Half course; one term.

9801. Mars

From its Interior to its Moons. This course aims to examine the physical features of Mars. It will cover the following topics:

1. Mars' core and magnetism based on geochemistry and geodynamics 2. The mantle and crust of Mars based on meteorite petrology and geochemistry 3. The crust of Mars based on volcanology and geomorphology 4. Water on Mars' based on petrology, geomorphology, aqueous geochemistry and salts 5. Weather and climate history on Mars based on remote sensing 6. Mars exploration including findings based on recent missions using remote sensing and geochemical analysis 7. Potential for life on Mars based on geomicrobiology constraints. 8. Mars' moons: Phobos and Deimos.

2 lecture hours/week. Half course; one term. Presentation assignments in the form of one-page abstracts, final exam.

9802. Water in the Solar System

3 lecture hours/week. Half course; one term.

9803.  Planetary Image Interpretation (now renumbered Planetary Science 9762)

3 lecture hours/week. Half course; one term.

9601.  Planetary Image Interpretation (Combined with GL 9557)

3 lecture hours/week. Half course; one term.

This course will introduce students to the processes and products of impact cratering on Earth and throughout the Solar System, including:

1. impact cratering processes;
2. the threat;
3. the products of impact cratering;
4. the effects of impact cratering – destructive and beneficial;
5. techniques and research methods;
6. comparative case studies of various impact structures.

This course will feature weekly lectures, student presentations, hands-on laboratories, and a field trip to the Sudbury impact structure.