Employment Statistics

Status of Astronomy Bachelors one year after degree, classes of 2014, 2015, & 2016 combined

What can you do with a degree in astronomy?

An AIP survey of astronomy bachelors from the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 found that over half of astronomy bachelor’s recipients entered the job market, and 32% went on to graduate school in astronomy, astrophysics, or physics programs. (Astronomy and astrophysics are largely synonymous.) Of those who went into the job market, over 40% were in the private sector in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas, and another 17% were in the private sector working in non-STEM jobs. Other common employment sectors were at colleges and universities, or civilian government, including national labs.

You can find out more about the employment fields of astronomy bachelors and their typical starting salaries on this page. You can also find information about what jobs astronomy PhD recipients work in , as well as their starting salaries.

The full report on astronomy employment statistics, as well as many other statistics, can be found on the AIP Statistics webpage.

Initial employment sectors of Astronomy Bachelors one year after degree, classes of 2014, 2015, & 2016 combined

What do Astronomy Bachelors do for a living?

Astronomy bachelors are fairly evenly split between entering the workforce and pursuing graduate school. 50% of new bachelors in recent years were employed, and over half of those who were employed went into the private sector.

In the private sector, about two-thirds of astronomy bachelors were working in STEM fields. Common job titles in the private sector are “software developer” and “research analyst.”

About a fifth of astronomy bachelors were working at colleges and universities, typically as a research assistant at the institution’s observatory. Over half considered their employment to be temporary, with plans to enroll in graduate school within a few years.

How much do Astronomy Bachelors earn?

Astronomy bachelors working in private sector STEM jobs had the highest starting salaries. The median starting salary among those jobs in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 was $55,000, but could be as high as $100,000-$130,000 for positions such as “software engineer” or “software developer.”

Median salaries for astronomy bachelors working at colleges and universities was in the $30,000-$40,000 range, but most bachelors working those jobs expected them to be temporary.

Starting salary ranges for new astronomy bachelors, classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 combined
Employment of Astronomy Bachelors one year after degree, classes of 2015 & 2016 combined
Employment type for new Astronomy PhDs by employement sector, classes of 2014, 2015, & 2016 combined

So that’s an astronomy bachelor’s degree, what about a PhD?

Not all PhDs continue in academia! A PhD can be a great starting point for a career in government or industry.

According to AIP Statistics, approximately 60% of new astronomy PhD recipients accept post-doctoral positions, and 40% seek potentially permanent positions. About three-quarters of postdoctoral positions are in academia (see middle column in the Table), and most of the rest are in government positions, such as national labs.

Nearly two thirds of new astronomy PhDs in potentially permanent positions in the years 2014, 2015, and 2016 were employed in the private sector (see right-hand column in the Table), primarily in the fields of software and data science, engineering, and business. Typical job titles for those in data science include “data scientist” and “quantitative researcher.”  About a quarter of potentially permanently employed astronomers were in academia, most with the title of “assistant professor.

Starting salaries of Astronomy PhDs, classes of 2014, 2015, & 2016 combined

What about starting salary?

Starting salaries for astronomy PhDs are higher than for bachelor’s degree holders. Salaries for astronomy postdoctoral positions were similar to astronomy bachelor’s in the private sector, with median salaries for postdocs at academic institutions about $59,000.

Postdoc positions in government and potentially permanent positions in academia held similar median salaries, around $65,000.

Astronomy PhDs in the private sector had much higher median starting salaries, at $107,500, about twice as high as the median salary for bachelor’s degrees in the private sector. If you’re looking to boost your earning potential, a PhD might be a good choice!

Read the full employment report from the AIP