2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Astronomy & Astrophysics is the 222nd most popular major in the country with 1,268 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,700 and had an average of $21,346 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 153 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 14 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy and astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 4 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

#2

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#2 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s astronomy degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Berkeley

#3

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#4 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #3 spot on the list. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 3 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at San Diego State University

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #3 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California - Santa Cruz

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics (Income $48-$75k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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