2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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

Across California, there were 26 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 6 astronomy graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent astronomy programs, but they also cost less that 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 program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy 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 Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in California

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

Top 2 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy in California

#1

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

#2 in overall quality

$18,658 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #1 spot on the list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 3 masters’s astronomical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Astronomy at San Diego State University

#2

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#1 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 #2 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomical Sciences Schools for a Master’s in California list. UC 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Astronomy Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Astronomy at University of California - Santa Cruz

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

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