Astronomy and Astrophysicsat University of California-Santa Cruz
Graduates earn $35,171/yr in their first year — about 13.0% below the national Astronomy and Astrophysics average. Base-case 10-year earnings $437K; scenarios range from $428K to $430K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Santa Cruz
A degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz immerses you in a highly specialized, research-intensive field, leveraging the university's strong reputation and ties to facilities like Lick Observatory. The career paths you see often involve extensive postgraduate study, leading to incredibly competitive academic or government research roles. This demanding academic pipeline, combined with limited direct industry demand for astronomers, shapes the overall earnings profile. Many graduates pivot, applying their advanced analytical and computational skills to data science or software development. The high AI risk reflects the increasing automation of data analysis and modeling in this field, demanding adaptability. To maximize your options, proactively develop complementary skills in programming, big data analytics, or machine learning, which are highly transferable if a direct astronomy career isn't feasible.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC Santa Cruz's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Astronomy and Astrophysics
How UC Santa Cruz stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Santa Cruz
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Santa Cruz, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz
How does University of California-Santa Cruz's Astronomy and Astrophysics program score?
This program scores 28/100 — on the lower end for Astronomy and Astrophysics. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.
How vulnerable is Astronomy and Astrophysics to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Astronomy and Astrophysics careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 52% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.