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Major · Physical Sciences

Theoretical physics meets the cosmos the math-heavy sibling of astronomy

Astrophysics is the theoretical and computational study of stars, galaxies, and the structure of the universe — the math-heavy cousin of observational astronomy. About 340 bachelor’s degrees are awarded each year across 47 colleges, making it one of the smallest physical-science majors and one of the most explicitly pre-PhD.

Schools offering
47
Annual completions
340
Typical degree level
Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$74k

About this major

Astrophysics as an undergraduate major focuses on the theoretical and observational study of stars, galaxies, and the large-scale structure of the universe — cosmology, stellar physics, plasma kinetics, radiative transfer, galactic dynamics, and the mathematical apparatus of relativistic astronomy. Coursework runs heavier on theory and mathematics than the sibling astronomy major (40.0201): expect a physics-major core in mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and statistical physics, layered with mathematical-methods courses, numerical computing, and upper-division work in general relativity, cosmology, and stellar structure. Survey instruments like LSST, Euclid, JWST, and the Roman Space Telescope produce datasets that demand pipeline engineering and machine-learning techniques to interpret.

The major rewards students who like sitting with hard quantitative problems and find satisfaction in modeling rather than measuring. Comfort with programming compounds in value across the four years, and curiosity about the long mathematical chain from a partial differential equation to a galaxy simulation tends to predict who finishes the degree well. Most successful programs assume early commitment to a research lab or a computational project.

The scale of the named field is small. About 340 bachelor’s degrees are awarded each year across 47 colleges — roughly seven graduates per program — and the count understates the true population because many universities file astrophysics-track students under the broader Physics, General code. The five-year bachelor’s median earnings sit at $74,096, a figure that reflects a mix of graduates who continue directly to PhD programs, pivot into quantitative finance or scientific software, and take research-adjacent technical roles. Named career destinations in the data include astronomers ($132,170 median, doctoral typical), physicists ($166,290, doctoral), and natural sciences managers ($161,180, mid-career), all of which sit beyond the bachelor’s alone.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Natural sciences managers $161k +3.7% Bachelor's degree
Physicists $166k +4.0% Doctoral or professional degree
Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary $101k +2.6% Doctoral or professional degree
Astronomers $132k +2.2% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$74k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you find general relativity and cosmology interesting enough to read about for fun, you’re comfortable with the long mathematical apparatus that theoretical physics demands, you enjoy programming as a tool for working through simulations and survey data, you’re open to the five-to-seven-year PhD timeline that the named astrophysics careers require, and you can tolerate research that produces partial answers and dead ends as often as clean results. The major also fits students who want a quantitative bachelor’s with optionality — strong programs at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, and Michigan State feed into physics PhDs but also into quantitative finance, scientific computing, and machine-learning roles.

Think twice if you want a bachelor’s that leads straight to a high-earning astrophysics job — the named occupations all require a doctorate, and the typical bachelor’s-only path lands in lab-tech, science-educator, or general data-analyst roles around $50,000 to $90,000. Reconsider the major if mathematics is a tool you tolerate rather than enjoy; the curriculum leans harder on theoretical methods, general relativity, and computational simulation than the sibling astronomy major. If your real interest is observational technique or instrumentation rather than theory and modeling, Astronomy (40.0201) or Engineering Physics (40.1201) is likely a closer match.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Astrophysics

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 37 37
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 0 34 34
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 28 28
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 0 28 28
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 26 26
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 0 21 21
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 20 20
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 0 11 11
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ 0 11 11
Princeton University Princeton, NJ 0 10 10
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Physics, General

7,501 completions/yr

Geology/Earth Science, General

3,815 completions/yr

Engineering Physics/Applied Physics

664 completions/yr

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other

564 completions/yr

Astronomy

545 completions/yr

Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, General

530 completions/yr

Physics, Other

240 completions/yr

Oceanography, Chemical and Physical

239 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Astrophysics majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum sits closer to a physics major than an astronomy one. You move through classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, statistical and thermal physics, plus the math sequence that supports them — multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and often a methods-of-mathematical-physics course. Astrophysics-specific topics include cosmology, stellar structure, galactic dynamics, plasma kinetics, radiative transfer, and general relativity at the upper-division level. Computational work is now central; expect Python, numerical methods, and at least one project that runs simulations or processes survey data.
What do Astrophysics graduates actually do for work after a bachelor’s?
The career data lists astronomers ($132,170 median), physicists ($166,290), atmospheric/space-sciences professors ($101,390), and natural sciences managers ($161,180). The first three list a doctoral degree as the typical entry credential, and the fourth is a mid-career outcome reached after years of research experience. Bachelor’s-only graduates more often land in lab-tech, scientific-programmer, data-analyst, science-educator, or aerospace engineering-adjacent roles in the $50,000 to $90,000 range. A meaningful share continue directly into PhD programs in physics or astronomy.
Do I need a PhD to make this major pay off?
For the named careers in the data, yes — astronomer, physicist, and astronomy-professor roles all list a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry credential. The honest economic case for the bachelor’s rests on the optionality the training creates. Quantitative finance firms like Citadel, Jane Street, and Two Sigma actively recruit physics PhDs and a smaller number of standout bachelor’s graduates, and software roles working on survey-data pipelines for missions like LSST, Euclid, Roman, and JWST are a growing wage-growth lane. That pivot is real but usually demands extra computer-science coursework or self-taught software engineering.
How is Astrophysics different from Astronomy or Physics?
The CIP system treats them as separate codes inside the same family: Astronomy is 40.0201, Astrophysics is 40.0202, and Physics, General is 40.0801. In practice the lines are program-specific. Astronomy programs typically weight observational technique and survey science more heavily; astrophysics programs lean further into theory, modeling, mathematical methods, and the high-energy or relativistic regime. Physics, General is broader and more flexible, with about 7,500 graduates a year — roughly twenty-two times the astrophysics cohort — and is often the safer pick if you’re uncertain.
Why does the data show so few astrophysics graduates?
About 340 bachelor’s degrees a year across 47 colleges is small — roughly seven graduates per program — but the number understates the real population. Many universities roll astrophysics-track students into the broader Physics, General code (40.0801) or into the Astronomy code (40.0201), so the 340 figure mostly reflects schools that file a distinct astrophysics program. The largest dedicated cohorts in the data are at UC Berkeley (37), UC Santa Cruz (34), UCLA (28), Michigan State (28), and Minnesota–Twin Cities (26).
What if I love astrophysics but want a stronger bachelor’s-level career path?
A few honest options. Engineering Physics or Applied Physics (664 completions in the data) keeps the physics depth while improving direct-to-career earnings in aerospace, defense, and instrumentation. Computer Science with a physics minor positions you for the same simulation and survey-data jobs that observatories and tech companies hire for, but with stronger software credentials. Physics, General gives you broader optionality if you’re unsure which physics subfield fits. If the love is specifically for theory and cosmology, the astrophysics bachelor’s still serves that goal — just plan for the PhD step from year one.