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2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region

6 Ranked Colleges
33 Degrees Awarded
$28,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master's 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 Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 238 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $14,817 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 33 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great astronomy and astrophysics programs and cost less that 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.

More Ways to Rank Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools

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 “Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region master’s degree astronomy students.

Top 6 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 4 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SDSU Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 11 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region master’s degree astronomy students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294.

Full UW Seattle Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified masters’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Berkeley

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s astronomy students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Astronomy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a fairly large public school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 7 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Astronomy & Astrophysics 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 Hawaii at Manoa are $34,550.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Hawaii at Manoa

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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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