Costs and Benefits

Education

This page explains the education required, the costs of the education, the type of classes to pursue to become an astronomer, and the benefits/salary of an astronomer!

Required Education

The minimum amount of education required to become an astronomer is typically a bachelor's degree in astronomy, physics or other related fields. People who have a master's degree or above in those kind of fields can typically find work in their field a lot easier than someone with a bachelor's degree. People with a Ph. D degree in astronomy can sometimes work for the government or private research laboratories since they have much more experience in that field than others do.


What Classes Should Future Astronomers Take?

There are many different classes that look good on your record if you want to become an astronomer, not just in college, but in high school as well! Some example of these classes are Astrophysics, Calculus and Computer Science. Astrophysics is a branch off of Astronomy that focuses on the physics and chemistry of planets, stars and other cellestial bodies in space. Calculus is a branch of mathemetics that teaches people how to solve more complex problems that have to deal with algebra. Computer Scinece is the study of the way computers run and the software inside them.


Why Is Astrophysics, Calculus and Computer
Science Important in Astronomy?

Astrophysics is important to astronomy because this is the branch of astronomy that focuses on the physical appearance and characteristics of a celestial body in space. Calculus is important in astronomy because there are a lot of complex equations used when calculating an object's path in space, and calculus equations help with calculating those numbers and results. Lastly, Computer Science is important in the field of astronomy because astronomers use many scientific supercomputers and gadgets to observe objects in space, so having a background in Computer Science will help you with those gadgets if you become an astronomer.

Calculus

Cost of Education

This chart shows how much a degree from college costs on average for each type of degree.


College Degrees
Type Of Degree Cost Of Degree (Per Year)
Associate's Degree $14,587
Bachelor's Degree $34,740
Master's Degree $41,450
Doctorate's Degree $48,900

Annual Salary of an Astronomer (Based On Location)

This chart shows the best places an astronomer can work to get the best annual salary. (Data Based on May 2017)


Average Annual Salaries
Location of Work Place (In the United States) Average Annual Salary
District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) $127,190
Maryland $125,700
Hawaii $124,180
Colorado $109,100
California $102,740

Website Navigation

The following links below are links to the other pages of this website!

(Next) Additional Information About Astronomers/Astronomy

(Previous) An Astronomer's Career

(Back To Start) Advice For Future Astronomers

Works Cited/Citations

The following liks below are the sources that were used to gather information and illustrations for this website! Feel free the explore these links if you are interested!

Education Required (Source)

What Classes Should Future Astronomers Take? (Source)

What is Astrophysics? (Source)

What is Calculus? (Source)

What Is Computer Science? (Source)

Associate, Bachelor & Master's Degree Costs (Source)

Doctorate Degree Cost (Source)

Education (Image)

Calculus (Image)