Best Astronomy Colleges in India after Class 12
In recent years, Astronomy field in India has become popular among students and has grown rapidly because of its magical nature. Here, students who fancy the moon, stars and the mesmerising sky can check the best Astronomy colleges one can go for. Read on!
Do you remember those golden childhood days, when the stars and the moon always caught our fancy? Our parents and science teachers would tell us all the beautiful concepts and stories of the stars and how they connect and form a constellation! This love for the moon and stars is our first encounter with the celestial objects and the fascinating stories surrounding them!
In India, Astronomy is one of the popular fields of study that is being taken by many students who want to make a career in this field. In the past years, India has entered the list of elite countries because of its satellite launching stations and innovations. One of the most remembered missions is Chandrayaan-1, which detected the lunar water and surprised NASA, the USA space agency.
Today, a career in Astronomy is one of the most lucrative ones, especially in India. There is a great demand for astronomers, astronauts, astrophysicists, and more, to handle, maintain, and store exclusive data from the heavenly bodies. For this, India has some excellent or rather the best astronomy colleges offering courses at graduation and post-graduation levels. Read on!
Astronomy Courses in India after Class 12
A student who desires to enter the field of astronomy after graduating from high school must start preparing for it at the school level. An in-depth understanding of Physics and Mathematics is the pathway to Astronomy; hence it is a mandate to be thorough with these subjects from the beginning.
In India, there are limited options to pursue a career in Astronomy after a 10+2 education. First off, a student needs to be from the science stream and then can study Science/ Physics or Engineering at the undergraduate level and then select Astrophysics in Masters as well as Doctoral level.
Career Path Choice 1
A Science stream student can enroll in a BSc in Physics/ Applied Physics and can then proceed with an MSc in Physics. Then, for PhD in Physics, it is mandatory to clear CSIR NET.
Career Path Choice 2
A Science stream student can enroll in BTech in Computer Science and can then proceed with MTech/ MSc in Physics/Astrophysics.
Career Path Choice 3
The student with Mathematics can opt for a BSc in Physics and can then proceed with an MSc in Physics/ Astronomy/ Astrophysics. At last, one can join an Astronomy Programme and a PhD.
Check B.Sc in Physics Colleges in India
Best Astronomy Courses in India
Listed below are a few programmes under the Astronomy stream:
- MSc in Astronomy
- MSc in Astrophysics
- MSc in Meteorology
- PhD in Astronomy
- PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics
- PhD in Astrophysics
- PhD in Atmospheric Science and Astrophysics
Astrology Colleges in India
In India, there are only a few institutes, which provide courses in Astrophysics. Listed below are the premier institutes, providing courses in Astronomy
| Institute Name |
Programme(s) Name |
|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore |
Integrated M.Tech.-PhD (Tech) in Astronomical Instrumentation; PhD Programme and Internship Programmes |
| Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bangalore |
PG Diploma (PGD) in Remote Sensing and GIS; M.Tech (RS & GIS); M.Sc and PG Diploma in Geo-informatics |
| Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai |
PhD, Integrated M.Sc-PhD and MSc Degree |
| National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Pune |
Regular doctoral research programme in astronomy or radio instrumentation and PhD |
| Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune |
PhD, MSc and Summer & Winter Programmes |
| Institute of Physics (IOP), Bhubaneswar |
PhD degree |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore |
PhD, MS (Engg.), MS (Research) and Integrated PhD Programme |
Astronomy Colleges Admission Procedure
Most of the institutes conduct annual entrance examinations and interviews to enroll candidates in the programmes. The minimum eligibility criteria is a bachelor’s degree in Physics/Engineering with a minimum of 55 percent aggregate marks. For, a doctoral degree, it is mandatory to secure good marks in exams such as GATE, CSIR NET, JEST, IIAST, and more.
For example, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics only has 4-5 seats for its PhD programme per year. To qualify for the interview round, one must appear for any one of the above-mentioned exams. In an MSc Astrophysics course, opted the most under astronomy, one can study many crucial subjects in detail.
Astronomy Job Opportunities & Career Prospects
The demand for young professionals in the field of Astrology has been increasing day by day. There is an abundance of career opportunities to choose from for the students after completing their education in this field, the same are listed below:
Research Assistant: As a research assistant, one can choose to assist Astronomers. To qualify for the same, a Master’s level degree and CSIR-NET Eligibility is also required.
Astronomer: This is the career for you if your interest in astrophysics does not end at the master's level. Before you can become a true astronomer, you'll need to get your doctorate.
Astrophysicists study the mechanics of the universe as well as the relations between different objects in space. Modern astrophysical science encompasses topics such as electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, molecular physics, and quantum mechanics.
Technicians: This is also one of the popular fields that are opted for by various candidates nowadays. Many technology-based firms, such as Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, and Google, employ astrophysicists as technicians because the course consists of hardcore mathematics and physics.
National Observatory Agency Jobs: National observatories such as NASA and ISRO usually employ astrophysicists with doctoral degrees. They work as technicians on satellites, space programs, exoplanet studies, and galactic-stellar observations. A lot of job opportunities are also offered by the firms namely Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), NASA, and Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) etc.
