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2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Southwest Region

6 Ranked Colleges
20 Degrees Awarded
$32,600 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master's

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,375 people earned their degree in astronomy and astrophysics, making the major the 219th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, astronomy and astrophysics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,221 and had an average of $24,484 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 119 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,770 and $25,982 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 20 astronomy and astrophysics graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,204 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. To top this list, a school must have a successful astronomy and astrophysics program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s

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

1
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Arizona

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 4 masters’s astronomy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at The University of Texas at Austin

3

Out of the 6 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s astronomy degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Astronomy & Astrophysics at Texas A&M University - College Station

4

Out of the 6 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s astronomy degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

5

Out of the 6 schools in the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #5 spot on the list. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Astronomy & Astrophysics Report

6
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Astronomy Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 masters’s astronomy degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Astronomy & Astrophysics at Northern Arizona University

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Notes and References

References

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