2024 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #95 out of 306 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for astronomy & astrophysics students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 36 doctor's degrees in astronomy & astrophysics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

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.

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 & astrophysics students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of astronomy & astrophysics students who choose to seek a doctor'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.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for astronomy & astrophysics to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized astronomy & astrophysics related body.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 the Middle Atlantic Region.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Middle Atlantic Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics.

Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Doctorate in Astronomy

1

University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD

6 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Maryland - College Park if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Maryland - College Park

1

Cornell University
Ithaca, NY

6 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Cornell University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from Cornell University

2

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

1 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics has to look into Johns Hopkins University. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from Johns Hopkins University

3

Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY

5 Annual Graduates

Rochester Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the large suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in astronomy & astrophysics from Rochester Institute of Technology

Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges by State

Explore the best astronomy & astrophysics colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania	176	3
New York	174	16
Maryland	119	7
New Jersey	115	10

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Astronomy

Astronomy & Astrophysics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Astronomy Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Astronomy	20
Astrophysics	15
Other Astronomy & Astrophysics	1

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	407
Physics	324
Geological & Earth Sciences	89
Materials Sciences	44
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	22
General Physical Sciences	13
Other Physical Science	3

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.