Astronomy

View the Astronomy Department website

Resources, Strengths, Career Paths, Skills

Transferable Skills:Students of Astronomy / Planetary Sciences end their education with superior analytical skills, a rare and highly valued commodity in today's job market. Astronomy / Planetary Sciences majors also:

• Have Problem solving skill
• Have abstract and formal reasoning skill
• Identify and rectify problems
• Explain processes
• Perform mathematical analyses
• Describe technical information to layperson's
• Sort and prioritize data

Career Paths: The Major in Astronomy / Planetary Sciences provides students with an optimal platform for entering a variety of fields. Students with a strong technical background are viewed favorably by varying fields. Here are some fields an Astronomy / Planetary Sciences major may pursue:

• Research
• Education
• Government Agencies
• Publishing & Media
• Research & Development
• Technical Institutes

Resources & Professional Associations of Interest: Check out the following websites and consider joining at least one of the professional associations in your field of interest to boost your career and give you a competitive edge on the job market. These are just a few so don' t hesitate to do some research on your own!

• American Astronomical Society
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Chronicle of Higher Education , Inside Higher Education - great sites for academics
• NASA
• American Physical Society
• Mathematical Association of America

Sample Job Titles:The following are some sample job titles that would be appropriate for a student who has majored in Astronomy / Planetary Sciences. This is in no way a complete list. If you're surprised at some of these titles, you shouldn't forget that a student who majors in Astronomy / Planetary Sciences gains skills that can be used in many industries!