2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Astronomy is the 498th most popular major in the country with 723 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 101 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 25 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astronomy programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the astronomy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy in the Far Western US Region

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#4 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Astronomy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” 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 full report on Astronomy at San Diego State University

#2

University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Seattle, Washington

#1 in overall quality

$30,294 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 11 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Astronomy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Astronomy Report

#3

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy at UC Santa Cruz

#4

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii

#3 in overall quality

$34,550 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified masters’s astronomical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Hawaii at Manoa are $34,550, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Astronomy at UH Manoa

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy

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.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >