Okay so my title may be a bit misleading but, I am a senior in HS right now and I want to do astronomy as a minor and major in music (you always need a backup you know and doing the double major would just be murder). I do eventually want to pursue it as master’s degree later on in life (especially if music doesn’t work out) and higher and I’m just wondering, is it even possible to get a master’s degree in astronomy/astrophysics if you just minored in it? Or would I have to double major if I want to pursue it in grad school?
A minor in astronomy might not give you enough prerequisite courses to pursue a Masters degree unless you take all the basic Calculus courses and extra courses in astronomy and/or physics. Both astronomy and even more so physics, are based on a strong basic physics and mathematics foundation and that is way more than the usual 5-6 courses for a minor. Probably closer to a double major. If you were pursuing a degree in engineering, then it would be more feasible because of the similar foundation courses.
However, if you do take all these courses and the core astronomy courses at the Sophomore/Junior level, the rest can be made up as remedial coursework so it is, in principle, possible.