High School

While in high school, aspiring astronomers should take mathematics (including analytical geometry and trigonometry), science courses (including chemistry and physics), English, foreign languages, and courses in the humanities and social sciences. Students should also be well grounded in the use of computers and in computer programming.

Postsecondary Training

All astronomers are required to have some postsecondary training, with a doctoral degree being the usual educational requirement because most jobs are in research and development. A masters degree is sufficient for some jobs in applied research and development, and a bachelors degree is adequate for some nonresearch jobs. Students should select a college program with wide offerings in physics, mathematics, and astronomy and take as many of these courses as possible. Graduate training will normally take at least three years beyond the bachelors degree.

Bachelors degrees in astronomy are offered by about 75 institutions in the United States, and 40 institutions offer doctorates in the field, often combined with physics departments. Some of the astronomy courses typically offered in graduate school are celestial mechanics, galactic structure, radio astronomy, stellar atmospheres and interiors, theoretical astrophysics, and binary and variable stars. Some graduate schools require that an applicant for a doctorate spend several months in residence at an observatory. In most institutions the students graduate courses will reflect his or her chosen astronomical specialty or particular field of interest.

Other Education or Training

The American Astronomical Society offers career workshops on employment options in astronomy, landing a job, and other topics. Contact the society for more information. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, American Institute of Physics, and other professional associations also provide continuing education opportunities.

Certification or Licensing

There are no certification or licensing requirements for astronomers.

A solid background in mathematics and physics will be helpful for aspiring astronomers.

The field of astronomy calls for people with a strong but controlled imagination. They must be able to see relationships between what may appear to be, on the surface, unrelated facts, and they must be able to form various hypotheses regarding these relationships. Astronomers must be able to concentrate over long periods of time and be attentive to detail. They should also express themselves well in both writing and verbally.