Top 15 Colleges for Studying Astronomy and Astrophysics in the U.S.

Did You Know?

It is believed that Harvard College was the first educational institution to teach astronomy in the U.S.

Astronomy is defined by the Oxford dictionary as the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. Basically, it deals with the study of celestial objects like stars, planets, asteroids, and the like.

Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy that deals with the physical nature of celestial objects, and the application of various physics theories and laws to understand astronomical observations. To study astronomy or astrophysics, a student needs a sincere liking for the subject, and a flair for physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

Having an educational background relative to what you want to study may or may not be needed. Every college has its different set of entry requirements, so students should carefully assess what requirements they fulfill, and apply accordingly.

Several colleges all over the world offer undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate courses in astronomy, and even provide different electives that give students a well-rounded education.

Whether you're a high-school student exploring options or an undergraduate student thinking of going to grad school, it can be very difficult to zero in on one particular place where you'd want to study.

There are several things you need to consider―the location of the school, the tuition fees, the cost of living in that area, availability of scholarships and assistance, and obviously, the faculty for your choice of subjects. If you're looking for the best schools in the United States where you can study astronomy or astrophysics, look no further.

This list compiles the fifteen best colleges, and tells you all that you need to know along with the basic entry requirements and the kinds of programs offered.

Even though MIT does not have a conventional department of Astronomy, it does offer different programs in astronomy and astrophysics at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels through its Department of Physics as well as the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

University Website: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Harvard University offers courses in astronomy and astrophysics both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate students largely prefer pursuing the astrophysics concentration, or a joint concentration with the University's Physics Department, or the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

At the graduate level, no separate master's degree is offered. The research-oriented and experimental program leads to a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

University Website: Harvard University

Courses for undergraduate and graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics are offered mainly through the Department of Physics. Stanford does not have a separate degree in astronomy or astrophysics at the undergraduate level, but students can choose either subject while majoring in physics or electrical engineering.

Graduate students can study astronomy and astrophysics through the Department of Physics, the Department of Applied Physics and the Department of Electrical Engineering.

University Website: Stanford University

The University of California, Berkeley, is renowned for its Department of Astronomy that offers courses in a variety of areas relating to astronomy and astrophysics. Courses are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level and range from observational astrophysics to radio astronomy.

University Website: University of California, Berkeley

Princeton University offers courses in astronomy and astrophysics at the Department of Astrophysical Sciences. These courses are available for undergraduate and graduate students. Some graduate astrophysics courses are also carried out in the Department of Physics.

University Website: Princeton University

Popularly known as Caltech, the California Institute of Technology offers courses for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as training for post-doctoral research associates through the Department of Astronomy. The department is a part of the prestigious Division of Physics, Math, and Astronomy at Caltech.

University Website: California Institute of Technology

University of Chicago has its separate Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics that offers courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The alma-mater of several distinguished astronomers, University of Chicago is one of the most sought-after places in the U.S. for studying astronomy and astrophysics.

University Website: University of Chicago

Columbia University, NYC, offers courses in astronomy and astrophysics to undergraduate and graduate students through the Department of Astronomy and the Department of Physics.

While graduate students are not normally accepted for the Master of Arts or Master of Philosophy degrees in Astronomy, outstanding students are given a chance to earn the same after completing more than a year of coursework.

University Website: Columbia University in the City of New York

Through its Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics, Cornell University offers astronomy and astrophysics courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The Department of Physics has research opportunities for those interested in astrophysics, while the Department of Astronomy offers courses as well as research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

University Website: Cornell University

Yale University offers a BA and a BS in astronomy for undergraduate students who are either interested in pursuing a graduate education further, or for those who are simply passionate about the field but have no plans of going on to graduate school to study the same.

For graduate students, the Department of Astronomy at Yale offers the opportunity to earn a PhD and also provides the option to pursue joint-programs with the other departments at the University and with Universidad de Chile.

University Website: Yale University

Called UCSB for short, University of California, Santa Barbara offers undergraduate students the option to pick a minor in astronomy while majoring in physics, and earn a BS or BA degree. Graduate students can conduct their research on a variety of topics in astrophysics.

University Website: University of California, Santa Barbara

Extremely popular as UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles has a wide range of courses for undergraduate and graduate students in the Division of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to earn a BS with a major in astronomy, while graduate students can earn a MS or a PhD.

University Website: UCLA

Not restricting itself to students of astronomy and astrophysics, the Department of Astronomy at University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne offers undergraduate students a variety of options―a BS with a major in astronomy, astronomy as a minor, a major in computer science and astronomy, and electives in astrophysics.

For graduate students, the University offers MS and PhD degrees.

University Website: University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne

Considered as one of the world's leading research universities, University of California, San Diego, offers a BS in physics with a specialization in astrophysics for students at the undergraduate level. Graduate students have the opportunity to earn a PhD in physics with a specialization in computational science, and can choose computational astrophysics and cosmology as their areas of research.

University Website: University of California, San Diego

At the undergraduate level, University of Texas at Austin (also known as UT Austin) offers a BA with majors in astronomy, BS in astronomy with an honors option, as well as a BS in Physics with an option to study astrophysics in great detail.

At the graduate level, the options are wider, and students have the opportunity to either earn a MS in their chosen field or a PhD.

University Website: University of Texas at Austin

• SAT or ACT Plus Writing
• SAT subject tests
• TOEFL or IELTS (for international students)

• GRE
• GRE subject tests in physics and mathematics
• TOEFL or IELTS (for international students)

Please note that these are general and basic entry requirements. Every college has its own set of pre-requisites, and students should refer to individual college websites for specifications of scores required, or any other requirement. Some colleges may require a background or experience in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, while others may be more flexible.

Most of the schools mentioned above offer financial aid to students, which may either be need-based or merit-based. Students should make sure to get complete information about financial aid and scholarships before applying.

Though the colleges mentioned above are considered the best colleges in the United States for studying astronomy and astrophysics, you might find that colleges not mentioned here are more suitable for you, be it because of their location, electives that interest you more, more flexibility in the course, or better financial assistance options.

Don't hesitate to contact course directors, they will be more than happy to answer all your queries. Best of luck!