2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Massachusetts

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 1,268 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 222nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,700 and had an average of $21,346 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 117 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $25,857 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 26 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,213 and $99,210 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality astronomy and astrophysics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the astronomy and astrophysics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Massachusetts

#1

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

#3 in overall quality

$32,341 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Massachusetts Amherst. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 4 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Massachusetts Amherst are $32,341, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Massachusetts Amherst

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

#1 in overall quality

$50,654 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 16 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard

#3

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

#2 in overall quality

$56,719 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified doctorate’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at MIT are $56,719, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

#3

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

#2 in overall quality

$57,666 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Doctorate in Massachusetts list. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 5 doctorate’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston U also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Boston U are $57,666, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Boston U

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the New England Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics

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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