PhD in Astronomy?

College Majors Science Majors
1

I’m currently double majoring for a bachelors in both Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy due to large openings in my class schedules from tons of math, physics, and general education credits that I got while in high school. I’m just curious about some things regarding graduate school.

I realize that Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy are two very different fields when it comes to schooling and working, but I thoroughly enjoy them both and I’m curious as to if I can pursue both fields in graduate school just for the sake of my own education and passions. It may not be very practical, but it satisfies my desire to learn.

The idea is somewhat farfetched but I’d just like to see if it is actually possible…Say that after I get a B.S. in both Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy, I decide to go for my masters in Aerospace Engineering. Would it be possible, after earning this masters and without a masters in Astronomy, to go for a PhD in Astronomy rather than Aerospace Engineering?

This is not a plan that I am dead set on; I’m far from it, actually. I’d just like to play with the idea and see if it is possible to get into an Astronomy PhD program without a masters in astronomy and with about a 2 year gap between earning my Astronomy B.S. and starting the PhD program.

TLDR;
Is it possible to go from a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a B.S. in Astronomy into an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering into a PhD in Astronomy?

2

You don’t need to earn a master’s in a field before being admitted to a doctoral program in that same field. In fact, many graduate programs only admit students to pursue a doctorate. Some of them will give a master’s degree along the way or as a consolation prize if a student isn’t allowed to continue toward the doctorate (even though the student was only enrolled in a doctoral program and never formally enrolled in a master’s program). If you have a bachelor’s in astronomy, that would meet one of the basic requirements to apply for a doctoral program. You also can be admitted to a doctoral program in astronomy without an undergrad degree in the field as long as you have sufficient background in math and physics. Most who are admitted without an undergrad major in astronomy probably have an undergrad degree in physics, but some will have majored in math, applied math, possibly in engineering or geosciences/planetary science.