Earn Your Doctorate in Astrophysics Online

Written by:  • Edited by: Heather Marie Kosur
Updated Jul 13, 2010
• Related Guides: NASA

An astrophysics PhD can prepare you for an exciting career in the field of science. You can take your love for science and the stars to the next level with this degree. Is it possible to earn this degree online? Let's take a look.

Is an Online Astrophysics PhD Possible?

If you have a background in science, this degree may be for you. It will require at least a master's degree to be enrolled in any astrophysics PhD program. Typically, a student will need very strong math skills. You will be studying physics concepts, cosmology, astronomy, chemistry, biology, electromagnetic theory, and much more. A PhD is almost always required for higher-level research facilities. Expect an astrophysics PhD to take you anywhere from four to five years to complete. This degree is very challenging, and one should make sure they are really prepared to put in a lot of hard work to complete the program. You will be expected to do a lot of research and write a thesis. Students are also required to attend seminars and have a paper published.

Currently there are not any schools that offer this degree online. You must attend physical classes and have a lot of lab time when enrolled in this degree path. Some class work can be done online, and lectures can also be viewed online. As online education continues to grow, more schools will offer PhD. level courses in astrophysics and make learning much more convenient for students looking to pursue this higher level degree. As technology grows and the online experience can more so mimic the on-campus experience needed for this advanced degree, there will be no reason to limit it to just brick and mortar on-campus learning. Currently, this degree needs a lot of physical time at the college or university, so it is best to contact your local college or university and see if they offer any of this degree path online.

We will continue to search for schools that will be offering this degree path online and will review the program if one is found.

Career Prospects

Once finished you have many career choices, you can start in research or perhaps go into teaching. A lot of groundbreaking work is done in the field of research, and it can be a very rewarding career. Your career may have you focus your work on theoretical observation of stars, star systems, stellar physics, and stellar life cycles. People with this advanced degree may even qualify to be astronauts for NASA. You will have to undergo more training to make sure you are ready for the physical rigors of traveling into space.

The median salary for a physicist is around $91,876.

Please check out the following article on Bright Hub on getting a bachelor in physics online:

In Depth Look into a Bachelor Degree in Physics Earned Online

Source

Department of Astrophysical Sciences: http://www.princeton.edu/astro/


 
blog comments powered by Disqus
Email to a friend