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Astronomy

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#1 #1 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Columbia University is separated into 20 different schools which include the College, global research outposts, Juilliard School, Barnard College, and more. Each new student will meet with an adviser to go over their plan and schedule for the upcoming year....view more Acceptance Rate 4% Annual Degrees Awarded 8 SAT Score 1,500–1,560 Est. Net Price * $20,869 Median Starting Salary $44,723
#2 #2 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Chicago Chicago, IL UChicago has 51 academic majors available to students in five divisions: Biological Sciences Collegiate Division, the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division, the Social Sciences Collegiate Division, the Humanities Collegiate Division, and the New Collegiate Division. They also offer 33 minors....view more Acceptance Rate 5% Annual Degrees Awarded 6 SAT Score 1,510–1,560 Est. Net Price * $27,979 Median Starting Salary $47,839
#3 #3 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Harvard University Cambridge, MA There are plenty of classes to choose from at Harvard; they offer almost 3,900 courses in 49 undergraduate fields. Your curriculum is designed based on your goals and they require no predetermined courses for your major outside of an Expository Writing course for all freshmen....view more Acceptance Rate 3% Annual Degrees Awarded 8 SAT Score 1,500–1,590 Est. Net Price * $17,900 Median Starting Salary $45,413
#4 #4 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA At the University of California-Santa Cruz, the most popular majors students pursue are Computer Science, Psychology, General, and Business/Managerial Economics. In fact, the University of California-Santa Cruz awards 598 degrees annually to Computer Science majors....view more Acceptance Rate 63% Annual Degrees Awarded 8 SAT Score 1,180–1,390 Est. Net Price * $16,526 Median Starting Salary $50,225
#5 #5 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA At Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, the most popular majors students study are Finance, General, Information Science/Studies, Psychology, and General. In fact, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus awards 449 degrees annually to Finance, General majors....view more Acceptance Rate 54% Annual Degrees Awarded 8 SAT Score 1,230–1,410 Est. Net Price * $27,450 Median Starting Salary $53,204
#6 #6 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Yale University New Haven, CT Yale offers students seventy possible majors, which must be declared by sophomore or junior years, but students are always welcome to change. Some of the top majors currently are Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, Political Science and Government, General, Computer and Information Sciences, General, Cell/Cellular and......view more Acceptance Rate 5% Annual Degrees Awarded 4 SAT Score 1,490–1,570 Est. Net Price * $26,044 Median Starting Salary $47,331
#7 #7 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI At the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the most popular majors students study are Psychology, General, Marketing/Marketing Management, General, Biology/Biological Sciences, and General. In fact, the University of Hawaii at Manoa awards 216 degrees annually to Psychology, General majors....view more Acceptance Rate 70% Annual Degrees Awarded 6 SAT Score 1,030–1,260 Est. Net Price * $14,557 Median Starting Salary $51,958
#8 #8 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA All first year students have the ability to apply to either the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Architecture, School of Engineering, School of Nursing, or the Kinesiology program at the Curry School of Education....view more Acceptance Rate 17% Annual Degrees Awarded 4 SAT Score 1,420–1,530 Est. Net Price * $17,831 Median Starting Salary $54,057
#9 #9 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD Every year, the University of Maryland-College Park grants around 945 degrees to students studying Computer Science, which is the institution’s most popular major. Other popular majors include Biology/Biological Sciences, General, Information Science/Studies, Psychology, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 45% Annual Degrees Awarded 6 SAT Score 1,380–1,520 Est. Net Price * $15,833 Median Starting Salary $52,543
#10 #10 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Each year, Georgia State University grants about 448 degrees to students majoring in Psychology, General, which is the institution’s most popular major. Other often-pursued majors include Biology/Biological Sciences, General, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other, and Computer Science....view more Acceptance Rate 62% Annual Degrees Awarded 7 SAT Score 1,040–1,270 Est. Net Price * $16,390 Median Starting Salary $50,025
#11 #11 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Each year, The University of Texas at Austin awards around 671 degrees to those majoring in Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which is the institution’s most popular major....view more Acceptance Rate 29% Annual Degrees Awarded 7 SAT Score 1,250–1,490 Est. Net Price * $18,036 Median Starting Salary $50,842
#12 #12 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI At the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, the three most popular college majors students pursue are Computer and Information Sciences, General, Business Administration and Management, General, Economics, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 18% Annual Degrees Awarded 6 SAT Score 1,370–1,530 Est. Net Price * $19,005 Median Starting Salary $52,021
#13 #13 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH Annually, Ohio State University-Main Campus awards around 794 degrees to students majoring in Finance, General, which is the school’s most popular major....view more Acceptance Rate 51% Annual Degrees Awarded 7 SAT Score 1,340–1,450 Est. Net Price * $19,575 Median Starting Salary $53,003
#14 #14 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI Each year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison awards around 549 degrees to students majoring in Computer and Information Sciences, General, which is the school’s most popular major....view more Acceptance Rate 44% Annual Degrees Awarded 5 SAT Score 1,330–1,460 Est. Net Price * $14,216 Median Starting Salary $57,440
#15 #15 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Florida Gainesville, FL At the University of Florida, the most popular majors students pursue are Biology/Biological Sciences, General, Psychology, General, Business Administration and Management, and General. In fact, the University of Florida grants 587 degrees per year to Biology/Biological Sciences, General majors....view more Acceptance Rate 24% Annual Degrees Awarded 4 SAT Score 1,310–1,480 Est. Net Price * $11,521 Median Starting Salary $48,925
#16 #16 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM At New Mexico State University-Main Campus, the three most popular college majors students study are Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, Criminal Justice/Safety Studies, and Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies....view more Acceptance Rate 76% Annual Degrees Awarded 3 SAT Score 900–1,130 Est. Net Price * $8,353 Median Starting Salary $50,549
#17 #17 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX At Texas A&M University-College Station, the three most popular college majors students pursue are Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other, Biomedical Sciences, General, Psychology, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 63% Annual Degrees Awarded 4 SAT Score 1,160–1,390 Est. Net Price * $21,610 Median Starting Salary $52,575
#18 #18 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV At the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the three most popular college majors students study are Hospitality Administration/Management, General, Psychology, General, and Criminal Justice/Safety Studies....view more Acceptance Rate 96% Annual Degrees Awarded 3 SAT Score 980–1,190 Est. Net Price * $11,388 Median Starting Salary $51,902
#19 #19 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Boston University Boston, MA At Boston University, the most popular majors students pursue are Business Administration and Management, General, Computer Science, Economics, and General. In fact, Boston University grants 678 degrees per year to graduating Business Administration and Management, General students....view more Acceptance Rate 11% Annual Degrees Awarded 3 SAT Score 1,410–1,520 Est. Net Price * $27,551 Median Starting Salary $54,842
#20 #20 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN At Indiana University-Bloomington, the three most popular college majors students study are Business/Commerce, General, Public Administration, and Mass Communication/Media Studies....view more Acceptance Rate 80% Annual Degrees Awarded 3 SAT Score 1,210–1,410 Est. Net Price * $16,282 Median Starting Salary $56,700
#21 #21 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Every year, the University of Arizona awards around 440 degrees to students majoring in Psychology, General, which is the institution’s most popular major. Other often-pursued majors include Physiology, General, Speech Communication and Rhetoric, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 86% Annual Degrees Awarded 3 SAT Score 1,110–1,390 Est. Net Price * $18,144 Median Starting Salary $51,739
#22 #22 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. Northwestern University Evanston, IL At Northwestern University, the most popular majors students study are Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia, Biology/Biological Sciences, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 7% Annual Degrees Awarded 1 SAT Score 1,480–1,560 Est. Net Price * $23,341 Median Starting Salary $50,302
#23 #23 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the three most popular college majors students pursue are Research and Experimental Psychology, Other, Accounting, Computer Engineering, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 44% Annual Degrees Awarded 2 SAT Score 1,290–1,510 Est. Net Price * $14,297 Median Starting Salary $52,462
#24 #24 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA Annually, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst awards around 469 degrees to those majoring in Psychology, General, the school’s most popular major. Other popular majors include Computer Science, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other, Biology/Biological Sciences, and General....view more Acceptance Rate 58% Annual Degrees Awarded 1 SAT Score 1,310–1,480 Est. Net Price * $22,954 Median Starting Salary $55,511
#25 #25 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S. University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Annually, the University of Washington-Seattle Campus grants around 481 degrees to those studying Computer Science, which is the institution’s most popular major. Other popular majors include Research and Experimental Psychology, Other, Speech Communication and Rhetoric, and Biochemistry....view more Acceptance Rate 43% Annual Degrees Awarded 1 SAT Score 1,230–1,460 Est. Net Price * $11,023 Median Starting Salary $48,965
*The estimated net prices above are College Raptor’s estimate. Please contact the college financial aid office for actual net cost figures.

About Astronomy

A general program that focuses on the planetary, galactic, and stellar phenomena occurring in outer space. Includes instruction in celestial mechanics, cosmology, stellar physics, galactic evolution, quasars, stellar distribution and motion, interstellar medium, atomic and molecular constituents of astronomical phenomena, planetary science, solar system evolution, and specific methodologies such as optical astronomy, radioastronomy, and theoretical astronomy.

While Astronomy offers degrees up to the Post masters certificate, the majority of students earn a Masters degree. Students major in Astronomy all over the country, though the major at the Doctors degree research scholarship level sees the most graduates in Massachusetts. The average starting salary for a graduate with a bachelor's degree in Astronomy is $51,867.

Popularity of Astronomy Degrees in the U.S.

This heat map represents the states that have the highest percent of Astronomy degrees compared to all other degrees awarded in that state.

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Careers

Some top careers related to Astronomy, include Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary and Astronomers, both of which have many employment opportunities. Though there are careers that pay more, such as Natural Sciences Managers. the most in-demand position for Astronomy majors is Natural Sciences Managers.

Top Paying Careers

These are the highest paying careers for Astronomy majors.

Most In-Demand Careers

These are the careers in highest demand for Astronomy majors.

Student Demographics

Total Students

118

Female Students

51 (43%)

Male Students

67 (56%)

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Astronomy

#1 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

4%

8

1,500–1,560

$20,869

$44,723

#2 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

5%

6

1,510–1,560

$27,979

$47,839

#3 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

3%

8

1,500–1,590

$17,900

$45,413

#4 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

63%

8

1,180–1,390

$16,526

$50,225

#5 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

54%

8

1,230–1,410

$27,450

$53,204

#6 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

5%

4

1,490–1,570

$26,044

$47,331

#7 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

70%

6

1,030–1,260

$14,557

$51,958

#8 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

17%

4

1,420–1,530

$17,831

$54,057

#9 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

45%

6

1,380–1,520

$15,833

$52,543

#10 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

62%

7

1,040–1,270

$16,390

$50,025

#11 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

29%

7

1,250–1,490

$18,036

$50,842

#12 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

18%

6

1,370–1,530

$19,005

$52,021

#13 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.

51%

7

1,340–1,450

$19,575

$53,003

#14 Best College for Astronomy in the U.S.