<p>I'll keep it short. Better for a chap who aspires to be an astronaut? ;)</p>
<p>Physics at Undergraduate + Engg. at Masters </p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>Engineering at both undergraduate and Masters ?</p>
<p>Hmmm...</p>
<p>I hate to burst your bubble, but I think becoming an astronaute is a little high to shoot for, don't you think?</p>
<p>But I would go with the second choice, being an astronaut requires a lot of engineering education.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I would go with the second one, and then do Navy or Air Force ROTC and become a military pilot, then make the jump to NASA.</p>
<p>More important, go to USNA. They've put more dudes in space than any other institution.</p>
<p>International student here ;)</p>
<p>After I get my Undergrads from US I'll come back to my country to get some flying hours under my pocket and probably do my masters.</p>
<p>Though I have a choice. I might want to stay back goto my country's National Defence Academy and goto USNA as a foreign cadet. But that wont do any good. I cannot serve in USNavy. </p>
<p>VSkinner : I wont let go just because its difficult :)</p>
<p>Astronauts are more scientists than engineers. I also want to be an astronaut and plan on getting BS in EE then a PhD in Physics or Astrophysics. Military isn't necessary, but if you want to be a pilot/commander, you will need 1000+ hours behind a jet, and almost all pilots were in the Air Force. Test pilots are especially chosen. Good luck, maybe we will meet at training down the road.</p>
<p>Also, make sure that you are a citizen. Not being a US citizen would nearly eliminate chances of flying (to space that is).</p>
<p>^ precisely the reason why I want to get my butt to US as soon as possible :)</p>
<p>there is no formula of what degrees to get to become an astronaut. Now, i have done absolutly no research what so ever on what degrees most astronauts have, but i'm pretty confident to say there is a wide range in the science field. Astronauts do a variety of tasks from analytical research, to physical technician work.</p>
<p>I saw a breakdown, but I can't find it again. Its somewhere on NASA's site. NASA trains 2 main types of astronauts. Pilots/Captains, who are mostly military and have degrees in mech or aerospace eng., and Mission Specialists, who are a mix of military and civilians and have degrees in eng or physics. Almost all astronauts have at least a masters many of them, especially mission specialists, have PhD's.</p>
<p>^ I agree. Most of them have degrees in science and engineering both.</p>
<p>you don't wanna work for NASA at young age. It's only good for those who are older than 45 or so. The reason being the benefit. They don't paythat much for engineers. To become an astronaut is not easy either. I heard people with bad experiences at Nasa as an engineer.</p>
<p>older than 45? Come on man. The average age of an astronaut is 38 yrs. If it had been for money I would be doing something else.</p>
<p>From NASA Q&A about astronaut:
What is the best degree field to choose?</p>
<p>Among the academic fields considered qualifying for Astronaut Candidate positions, we would not recommend one over another or specify which might be more appropriate in the future. You should choose a field of study that is of interest to you; this will ensure that, whatever course your career takes, you will be prepared to do something that is personally satisfying. You can obtain information on the backgrounds of the current and past astronauts at the following website: </p>
<p><a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/%5B/url%5D">http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/</a></p>
<p>Purdue has an amazing aeronautical engineering program. My dad is a grad and he worked for NASA for a while. Purdue's put a lot of people in space...</p>
<p>^ I agree.But since I am an international so the funding area isnt bright :(</p>