How many years is astronomy school

Key questions about the big bang and the nature of matter in the universe can only be answered by studying the behavior and forces of elementary particles and, perhaps, discovering new particles. Hence, in order to understand how the very large came to be, astronomers must learn what they can about the very small. You may have heard somewhere that astronomy is "hard" or difficult to grasp.

This may seem to be the case because astronomers don't have laboratories like chemists, biologists, or paleontologists; they can't put stars in test tubes or galaxies in a centrifuge. Their "fossils" lie millions and even billions of light-years away. Most of the time, astronomers derive information from an analysis of the light or the motions of celestial bodies, a process that, to the uninitiated, may seem more like sorcery than science.

In fact, astronomy is a challenging science, but not because the universe is inaccessible in the conventional sense. Rather, astronomers must apply equal measures of analytic thinking and imagination, logic and intuition, to answer the most fundamental questions about the cosmos: What are stars and planets?

How did they evolve? Why does the night sky look the way it does? Does life exist among the stars? How did the universe get here? How will it end? If astronomy seems a rigorous science, it's because the objective of astronomers is nothing less than to understand the nature of the universe. It takes a special person to pursue this objective; one who likes to challenge and be challenged. Decisions made in high school can have a big effect on a science career.

Generally, students who take mathematics or science courses after the tenth grade have the best chance of successfully pursuing a science or engineering career. Although most colleges require at least one year of high school science and two years of high school mathematics, this minimum background is insufficient for students planning to major in science.

A better approach is to complete math through pre-calculus in high school. This gives students who plan to major in astronomy or physics the necessary grounding in mathematics needed to start their science courses as soon as they begin college. Both chemistry and physics courses are also strongly recommended in high school as adequate preparation for the first year of college.

Students are also encouraged to get involved in high school science groups, state junior academies of science, and local amateur astronomy clubs. There are literally thousands of such organizations in the United States.

College undergraduates planning careers in astronomy must obtain a solid foundation in physics and mathematics. An astronomy major with a strong background in physics, or a physics major with some astronomy coursework, should have a sufficient foundation in physics and math to seek a graduate program in astronomy.

Specifically, a student planning to go on to graduate school in astronomy should have had physics courses covering electricity and magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum theory.

This first step is the foundation for the study of astronomy. Some universities offer a degree specialization in astrophysics , which is a mix of astronomy and physics. Complete a Ph. Before committing to a particular sub-discipline, take time to determine which area is of greatest interest to you. The Ph. To earn your Ph. The dissertation, which can range from eighty to a hundred pages in length, is an in-depth study of a particular topic in astronomy. Some examples of dissertation topics are exploration of star formations, examination of mass planets, and analysis of radio pulsars.

Following the writing of your dissertation, you will need to pass qualifying exams to graduate with a Ph. A postdoctoral fellowship will make you a competitive job candidate.

In subsequent years, astronomy subjects include:. The next step is graduate school. By the time you finish your bachelor's degree, you should have a grasp of the basics and — just as importantly — you should know the type of specialties you enjoy the most. It's not always necessary to get a master's degree in astronomy, particularly if the work you want to do takes you into other areas like physics or math.

The same applies to your Ph. Your Ph. According to Dr. The entire education process, she notes, takes about as long as to become a medical doctor. Astronomers study just about everything out of this world: other planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, comets, asteroids and planetoids.

They can peer across the visible universe and through billions of years in time to observe the beginnings of the entire universe, look for signs of life in other solar systems or postulate on what our galaxy may look like a few billion years from now. Most of the work astronomers do involves computer systems, whether they use ground-based equipment, like radio and optical telescopes, or space-based equipment like satellites.