Astronomy

Stem Major

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2019

701

growing 14.4%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$9,904

growing 4.84%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$54,256

growing 3.76%

Average Wage

$110,040

growing 0.751%

People in Workforce

1.17M

growing 5.23%

Average Employee Age

44.6

declining 0.944%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Astronomy degree recipients are Boulder, CO, Austin, TX, and State College, PA. The locations with a relatively high number of Astronomy degree recipients are North Bennington, VT, Haverford College, PA, and South Amherst, MA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Astronomy is a bachelors degree.

Physical Sciences Astronomy & Astrophysics

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Astronomy and the types of students that study this field. University of Colorado Boulder awards the most degrees in Astronomy in the US, but Mount Holyoke College and University of Hawaii at Hilo have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Astronomy.

Tuition costs for Astronomy majors are, on average, $9,904 for in-state public colleges, and $54,256 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Astronomy programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (44 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (528 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Astronomy

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Astronomy, is Public, 4-year or above (528 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Astronomy programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$9,904

Median In-State Public

$54,256

Median Out of State Private

University of Colorado Boulder has the most Astronomy degree recipients, with 62 degrees awarded in 2019.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Astronomy.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Astronomy programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Mount Holyoke College has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Astronomy, with 1.07%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Astronomy

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Astronomy by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Astronomy.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Physical Sciences graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Physical Sciences majors is $110,040 and the most common occupations are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other Physical Scientists.

The industry that employs the most Physical Sciences majors is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Offices of physicians.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

$110,040

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,543

0.751%

1 Year Growth

± 3.29%

The average salary for Physical Sciences majors is $110,040 and the most common occupations are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other Physical Scientists.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Physical Sciences majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Physical Sciences majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Physical Sciences majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common occupations Physical Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Postsecondary teachers, Physicians, and Other Physical Scientists.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Physical Sciences majors working as Geoscientists and hydrologists, except geographers, Astronomers & physicists, and Atmospheric & space scientists.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Physical Sciences majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Advertising sales agents.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

1.17M

2019 Workforce

± 26,422

5.23%

1 Year Growth

± 3.08%

The number of Physical Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.23%, from 1.11M in 2018 to 1.17M in 2019.

The largest single share of Physical Sciences graduates go on to work as Postsecondary teachers (8.26%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Physical Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common industries that employ Physical Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Elementary & secondary schools, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The highest paying industries of Physical Sciences majors, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Spectator sports, and Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

1.17M

2019 Workforce

± 26,422

5.23%

1 Year Growth

± 3.08%

The number of Physical Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.23%, from 1.11M in 2018 to 1.17M in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Physical Sciences graduates by share is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Physical Sciences.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Physical Sciences majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Physical Sciences majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Physical Sciences in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Physical Sciences is 44.6.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Physical Sciences degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Physical Sciences (443 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

44.6

Average Age in 2019

± 0.32 Years

0.944%

1 Year Change

± 1.03%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Physical Sciences. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 35 years old, which represent 2.7% and 2.62% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Astronomy are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Physical Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (61.2%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Astronomy.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
443 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
92 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
65 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Astronomy for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Male
184 degrees awarded
White Female
112 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
24 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Astronomy. White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Astronomy is from the 2 Digit Course Physical Sciences.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
57,664 degree recipients
China
51,789 degree recipients
Korea
12,292 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

USSR
4.99 times more than expected
Other Europe, not specified
4.16 times more than expected
China
3.68 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in USSR that hold Physical Sciences degrees (4.99 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (57,664 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Astronomy field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Astronomy majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Astronomy majors need more than the average amount of Science, Programming, and Technology Design.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Astronomy majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Science is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.