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2024 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region

6 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
344 Astronomy Degrees Awarded
Astronomy & Astrophysics isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #219 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for astronomy & astrophysics students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 344 degrees in astronomy & astrophysics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Astronomy & Astrophysics School

Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region The astronomy program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Astronomy & Astrophysics rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for astronomy & astrophysics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Astronomy & Astrophysics Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Astronomy
Master's Degrees in Astronomy
Doctor's Degrees in Astronomy

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the Far Western US Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the astronomy degree levels they offer.

Top Far Western US Region Schools in Astronomy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
65 Astronomy Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in astronomy & astrophysics needs to check out University of California - Berkeley. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Berkeley

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
43 Astronomy Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 43 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
46.4% Growth in Graduates

California Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 28 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from California Institute of Technology

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WA
51 Astronomy Degrees Awarded

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the city of Seattle. This university ranks 1st out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 51 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
76 Astronomy Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 19th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 76 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Santa Cruz

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
60.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 22nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 15 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from San Diego State University

Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Colleges by State

Explore the best astronomy & astrophysics schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 251
Washington 300 70
Nevada 192 3
Hawaii 164 19
Alaska 119 0

View All Rankings >

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

Astronomy Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Astrophysics 195
Astronomy 123
Planetary Astronomy & Science 15
Other Astronomy & Astrophysics 11

View All Astronomy Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 4,052
Physics 3,867
Geological & Earth Sciences 1,632
General Physical Sciences 1,209
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 157
Materials Sciences 143
Other Physical Science 15

View All Astronomy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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