Schools Useful Computer Programming for Astrophysics concentration in Grad School

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To effectively prepare for a physics PhD, focus on learning specific programming languages and techniques that are directly applicable to your field. Recommended programming courses include scientific programming, which provides foundational skills that make it easier to learn additional languages later. In astrophysics, key programming languages include Fortran, Python, and IDL, with C/C++ and Perl also being commonly used. Prioritizing these languages will enhance your computational skills, making you better equipped for graduate-level research.
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My objective is to learn programs and techniques that will prove beneficial to my physics degree. I am going on to grad school to get a physics PhD but I will be staying 1 more year as an undergrad. A CS minor is probably too broad for me because I only want to learn specific programs that will help me in graduate school. Could you recommend the most useful CS classes that will teach me essential programming skills?
 
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It will depend on what your university offers! If your university offers courses in scientific programming, do those. Programming is a general skill set, it's much easier to pick up other languages when you have the basics down.

But in astro, Fortran (yes, it's still a thing), Python and IDL tend to dominate. You'll also probably see C/C++, perl, and other common languages.
 

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