2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major
31
Ranked Colleges
104
Degrees Awarded
$36,000
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 765 people earned their degree in astronomy, making the major the 479th most popular in the United States.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 104 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” ranking analyzed 31 colleges that offered a degree in astronomy. That schools that top this list have a program in astronomy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major”.
Top 31 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy
Out of the 31 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Wesleyan University landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Middletown, Connecticut, and it awarded 2 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Wesleyan University Astronomy Report
Out of the 31 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Hawaii at Manoa
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Astronomy at Northwestern
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of California - Santa Cruz
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Maryland - College Park. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at UMCP
With a ranking of #6, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Astronomy Report
San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full SDSU Astronomy Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #8. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #9, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Troy, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s astronomical sciences degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy at RPI
University of Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 30 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Chicago
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Astronomy at IU Bloomington
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s astronomical sciences students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Cornell University Astronomy Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s astronomical sciences degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Virginia
University of Arizona landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Arizona
University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Massachusetts Amherst Astronomy Report
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Astronomy Report
Case Western Reserve University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Case Western is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at Case Western
With a ranking of #18, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 6 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin
With a ranking of #19, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s astronomical sciences degrees to 38 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Astronomy at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Astronomy Report
University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #21. UNLV is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Texas A&M College Station Astronomy Report
Boston University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. Boston University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 5 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read more about Astronomy at Boston U
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 22 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UIUC Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #25, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 17 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full University of Florida Astronomy Report
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 0 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Berkeley Astronomy Report
Harvard University ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 6 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Astronomy at Harvard University
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 10 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Astronomy Report
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major ranking, coming in at #25. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 2 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Astronomy at University of Iowa
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Astronomical Sciences Major list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 0 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Astronomy at UCLA
