Astronomy & Astrophysics

Types of Degrees Astronomy & Astrophysics Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many astronomy and astrophysics graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	979
Master’s Degree	187
Doctor’s Degree	170
Associate Degree	23
Graduate Certificate	14
Basic Certificate	1
Undergraduate Certificate	1

What Astronomy & Astrophysics Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to astronomy and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Astronomy Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in astronomy should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Astronomy Majors

astronomy majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Astronomy Majors

Astronomy majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Astronomy & Astrophysics Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with astronomy:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Astronomers	10.0%	$105,680
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Physicists	14.5%	$120,950
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Astronomy & Astrophysics?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 979 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in astronomy and astrophysics in 2021, making it rank #168 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 59% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of astronomy majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	81
Black or African American	17
Hispanic or Latino	126
White	604
International Students	84
Other Races/Ethnicities	67

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Astronomy. About 8.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Canada

How Much Do Astronomy & Astrophysics Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in astronomy was $22,853 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $22,853 (25th percentile) and $39,796 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in astronomy, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Astronomy majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $103,830 to $125,280 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Astronomy & Astrophysics

Some careers associated with astronomy require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to astronomy have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.2%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	9.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.6%
Master’s Degree	25.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	35.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	26.8%

Online Astronomy & Astrophysics Programs

In 2020-2021, 153 schools offered a astronomy program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	31	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	52	0
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	54	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Astronomy & Astrophysics Worth It?

The median salary for a astronomy grad is $111,090 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 178% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,423,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Astronomy & Astrophysics

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to astronomy.

Major	Number of Grads
Chemistry	21,239
Physics	13,674
Geological & Earth Sciences	7,821
General Physical Sciences	3,823
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	1,140
Materials Sciences	658
Other Physical Science	538
Physics and Astronomy	38

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.