Difference between an astronomy and astrophysics PhD?

[astroman707]

Is there really much of a difference between an astronomy PhD and an astrophysics PhD? There seems to be a lot of overlap in the fields, and it seems that both can qualify you for many of the same careers, it just depends on the PhD focus.
For an example, I'm very interested in almost all areas of astrophysics, mostly theoretical. However, I've looked at graduate programs and most astrophysics programs require "quantum field theory" along with other physics courses that don't interest me, and don't seem that beneficial for someone interested in astronomy. Also, the core curriculum for astrophysics seems to leave little room for astro-related courses. Now, when looking at astronomy graduate programs, the core curriculum is filled with stellar evolution, galaxy formation, etc, with no "quantum field theory" or other seemingly inapplicable courses.
Can an astronomy PhD be equally as qualified for astrophysics jobs as an astrophysics PhD? Is an astronomy PhD still considered a physicist? Are these just names, and the real importance is in the focus of the PhD?

 

[jedishrfu]

Why would you think that Quantum Field theory would not be of interest to those in the field?

If you plan to be a PhD in the field can you really afford not to understand QM?

After all, much of the current research is in understanding how the universe began and where its going, how black holes, neutron stars and all those other peculiar distant objects actually work.

While an astronomer might find something interesting, he/she still needs to understand how his/her equipment works and much of this equipment uses or measures quantum effects.

Do you have any astronomers at your school that you could talk to?

Here's some online references about what astronomers do:

https://www.noao.edu/education/being-an-astronomer.php

https://stardate.org/astro-guide/faqs/what-do-astronomers-do-observatory

http://aro.as.arizona.edu/docs/what_do_astronomers_do.htm

http://www.ucolick.org/~mountain/AAA/aaa_old/astronomer.html

A key point is that astronomers observe things and work with physicists to understand what they've discovered so it pays to understand the major fields of physics.

 

[symbolipoint]

Astronomy versus Astrophysics? Maybe a quick search about these two through the internet could help find the differences. Maybe a quick check on Wikipedia would help.
One of those articles contains a brief statement,

but professional astronomy is now often considered to be synonymous with astrophysics.[