Astronomy education and jobs

In 2009 and 2010, US astronomy education saw new highs, including enrollment in introductory courses, numbers of graduate students, and numbers of bachelor’s degrees conferred. That’s according to a new report by the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics. A separate new report by the SRC looks at initial employment of astronomy degree recipients.

In 2010, 382 astronomy bachelor’s degrees were conferred, with 36% going to women. The same year, 156 astronomy doctorates were awarded—nearly double the number awarded 30 years ago. The proportion earned by women climbed from 12% to 34% in that time. In 2010, 67% of astronomy doctorates went to US citizens, compared with 47% in physics.

From the combined 2007–09 classes, 48% of astronomy bachelors found employment in the months following graduation, and 45% pursued graduate degrees. Among those in the workforce, 46% were in the private sector; those in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields earned a median salary of $50 000, double that earned in such non-STEM fields as retail and food service.

The 75% of new astronomy PhDs who took postdocs earned a median of $50 000 in academia and about 10% more in government. Another 19% took potentially permanent positions, 4% accepted other temporary work, and 2% were unemployed.

The full reports, Astronomy Enrollments and Degrees and Astronomy Degree Recipients: Initial Employment, are available online at http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/astro2010.pdf and http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/astroemploy070809.pdf , respectively.