Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Earth and Space Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Geobiology,
Geology,
Mars,
Space Plasma Physics,
Surfaces
URL: http://www.ess.washington.edu/
State/Province: WA
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 24
Planetary Researchers: 6
Students: 54
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: many tech firms, Univ. of British Columbia (Canada), Univ. of Victoria (Canada), Dominion Astrophys. Obs. (Canada)
Funding: We offer all of our PhD program students financial support covering tuition, stipend, and benefits. Specifically, we guarantee 5 years of academic-year support in the form of either Teaching Assistantships (TAs) or Research Assistantships (RAs) for PhD students making satisfactory academic progress, dependent on the availability of funds.
Fall Application Deadline: 01 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://ess.uw.edu/education/graduate-program/how-to-apply/
Notes: Can earn graduate certificate in Astrobiology, or pursue a Dual-Title Ph.D in Astrobiology and ESS (http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/drupal/)
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Comets,
Cosmochemistry,
Geology,
Infrared Astronomy,
Kuiper Belt Objects,
Mars,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Ocean Worlds (Titan, Enceladus, Europa),
Planetary Science,
Pluto/KBOs,
Remote Sensing,
Small Bodies,
Surfaces
URL: https://eeps.utk.edu/
State/Province: TN
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 2.7
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 18
Planetary Researchers: 9
Students: 44
Admission Percentage: 10%
Nearby Research Institutions: Oak Ridge National Lab
Funding: Almost all are admitted with guaranteed funding.
Fall Application Deadline: 01 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: 15 Oct
Admissions URL: https://eeps.utk.edu/graduate-students/apply/
Notes:
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Atmospheres,
Climate,
Geochemistry,
Geology,
Geophysics,
Hydrodynamics
URL: https://eos.unh.edu/
State/Province: NH
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required: Subject tests recommended
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 39
Planetary Researchers: 13
Students: 80
Admission Percentage: 90% of students who secure an adviser are admitted; no student without adviser is admitted
Nearby Research Institutions: USGS, Boeing, AER, USDA, Hubbard Brook, Harvard Forest, Woods Hole, Harvard, MIT, Boston Univ.
Funding: Students not guaranteed funding; funding provided by advisers, and no student without an adviser is admitted
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://gradschool.unh.edu/admissions
Notes: Students must provide name of faculty adviser with application; URL for ESS is http://www.unh.edu/nressphd/; contact for ESS is
[email protected]
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Cosmochemistry,
Geochemistry,
Geology,
Instrumentation,
Mars,
Moon,
Remote Sensing
URL: http://www.higp.hawaii.edu/
State/Province: HI
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required: No
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 42
Planetary Researchers: 16
Students: 18
Admission Percentage: ~15–20%
Nearby Research Institutions: University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy
Funding: Most students funded on research assistantships, rest on teaching assistantships
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: 15 Aug
Admissions URL: https://www.higp.hawaii.edu/index.php/teaching/graduate-admissions-information/
Notes:
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Geochemistry,
Geology,
Geophysics,
Planetary Science,
Space Plasma Physics,
Space Science
URL: http://epss.ucla.edu/
State/Province: CA
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required: Physics (Optional)
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 28
Planetary Researchers: 21
Students: 63
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Funding: In general, our admitted students are fully funded through fellowships, teaching assistantships, and/or research assistantships.
Fall Application Deadline: 1 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/steps-to-apply/
Notes:
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Earth and Planetary Science
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Exoplanets,
Geochemistry,
Geology,
Geophysics,
Planet Formation
URL: http://eps.berkeley.edu/
State/Province: CA
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: No
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 32
Planetary Researchers: 9
Students: 65
Admission Percentage: ~5%
Nearby Research Institutions: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab
Funding: In general, admitted students are fully funded, through fellowships and grants, teaching assistant, or research assistant opportunities
Fall Application Deadline: 4 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/
Notes:
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Astrophysics Group
Display Category: International
Field Studied: Atmospheres,
Exoplanets,
Geology
URL: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/star/
State/Province:
Country: United Kingdom
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.3
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 2
Faculty: 22
Planetary Researchers: 10
Students: 46
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Funding: Several ~3.5-year departmental studentships available for UK candidates; overseas candidates may apply for centralised UCL funding scholarships
Fall Application Deadline: 01 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/astrophysics/postgraduate-study/admissions
Notes: Must have MSc to apply for PhD; MSc in Planetary Science info at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/degrees/planetary-science-msc
Last modified: April 1, 2025
Department: Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Exoplanets,
Geology,
Icy Satellites,
Instrumentation,
Mars,
Mercury,
Moon,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Remote Sensing,
Surfaces
URL: http://www.eaps.purdue.edu/research/planetary-science/index.html
State/Province: IN
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 15
Planetary Researchers: 15
Students: 34
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Indiana University Bloomington, Albion College, Notre Dame University
Funding: TA or RA typically offered to all admitted students
Fall Application Deadline: 2 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: 1 Sep
Admissions URL: https://www.purdue.edu/academics/ogsps/prospective/gradrequirements/westlafayette/eas.html
Notes:
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Astronomy & Planetary Science
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Exoplanets,
Geochemistry,
Geology,
Instrumentation,
Planetary Evolution,
Planetary Science,
Pluto/KBOs,
Remote Sensing,
Small Bodies,
Surfaces
URL: https://nau.edu/astronomy-and-planetary-science
State/Province: AZ
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 14
Planetary Researchers: 10
Students: 27
Admission Percentage: ~10%
Nearby Research Institutions: Lowell Observatory, USGS/Astrogeology
Funding: Students typically receive full-tuition waivers, a GTA or GRA stipend, and health insurance
Fall Application Deadline: 1 Dec
Spring Application Deadline:
Admissions URL: https://nau.edu/astronomy-and-planetary-science/phd-astronomy-planetary-science/
Notes:
Last modified: April 1, 2025
Department: Geological and Planetary Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Climate,
Comets,
Cosmochemistry,
Dust,
Exoplanets,
Geobiology,
Geochemistry,
Geology,
Geophysics,
Hydrodynamics,
Infrared Astronomy,
Instrumentation,
Interiors,
Ionospheres,
Kuiper Belt Objects,
Magnetospheres,
Mars,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Planetary Evolution,
Pluto/KBOs,
Radio Astronomy,
Remote Sensing,
Rings,
Saturn,
Small Bodies,
Space Plasma Physics,
Surfaces,
Venus,
Volcanology
URL: https://www.gps.caltech.edu/
State/Province: CA
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 41
Planetary Researchers: 11
Students: 135
Admission Percentage: 10%
Nearby Research Institutions: JPL
Funding: Guaranteed funding for first 5 terms
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.gps.caltech.edu/academics/graduate-program/graduate-admissions-and-entrance-procedures
Notes: Exoplanet research can be pursued in Planetary Sciences or Astronomy
