by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 3 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of astronomy & astrophysics. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 28 doctor's degrees in astronomy & astrophysics during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of astronomy & astrophysics for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality astronomy program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for astronomy & astrophysics students working on their doctor's degree.
The astronomy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor's Degree Schools in California.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics.
It's difficult to beat California Institute of Technology if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from California Institute of Technology
University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Los Angeles
Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics needs to look into University of California - Santa Cruz. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Santa Cruz
Explore all the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 122 | 5 |
| Nevada | 84 | 2 |
| Hawaii | 53 | 4 |
| Alaska | 19 | 0 |
One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Astronomy & Astrophysics has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Other Astronomy & Astrophysics | 10 |
| Astrophysics | 9 |
| Astronomy | 6 |
| Planetary Astronomy & Science | 3 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 359 |
| Physics | 230 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 125 |
| Materials Sciences | 46 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 4 |
| Other Physical Science | 1 |
