2024 Best Astronomy Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Astronomy isn't the most popular master's program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #518 in popularity out of 1172 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for astronomy students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 13 master's degrees in astronomy to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

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 students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of astronomy students who choose to seek a master'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.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized astronomy related body.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Astronomy Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Astronomy in the Southwest Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for astronomy students seeking a a master's degree.

Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Astronomical Sciences

1

The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

4 Annual Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is a good option for students pursuing a master's degree in astronomy. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a master’s in astronomy from The University of Texas at Austin

1

University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

4 Annual Graduates

University of Arizona is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a master's degree in astronomy. University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tucson.More information about a master’s in astronomy from University of Arizona

2

Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station, TX

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

3 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you wish to pursue a master's degree in astronomy. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the city of College Station.More information about a master’s in astronomy from Texas A&M University - College Station

Best Astronomy Colleges by State

Explore the best astronomy colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Texas	542	7
Arizona	322	4
New Mexico	160	2

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Astronomical Sciences

One of 3 majors within the Astronomy & Astrophysics area of study, Astronomy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Astronomical Sciences

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Planetary Astronomy & Science	6
Astrophysics	1

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.