2025 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor's Degree Schools

If you plan on getting your doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #95 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of astronomy & astrophysics. Combined, these schools handed out 259 doctor's degrees in astronomy & astrophysics to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to astronomy & astrophysics students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of astronomy & astrophysics students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for astronomy & astrophysics to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized astronomy & astrophysics related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for astronomy & astrophysics students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The astronomy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Astronomy & Astrophysics in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics.

Top Schools for a Doctorate in Astronomy

1

University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

16 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Arizona if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the large city of Tucson.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Arizona

2

University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO

13 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Colorado Boulder if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Colorado Boulder

Astronomy & Astrophysics by Region

View the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Rankings in Majors Related to Astronomy

Astronomy & Astrophysics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Astronomy Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Astronomy	133
Astrophysics	64
Planetary Astronomy & Science	41
Other Astronomy & Astrophysics	21

Most Popular Majors Related to Astronomy

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	3,103
Physics	2,046
Geological & Earth Sciences	766
Materials Sciences	209
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	136
Other Physical Science	34
Physics and Astronomy	17
General Physical Sciences	11

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.