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: Astronomy
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Comets,
Dust,
Exoplanets,
Infrared Astronomy,
Instrumentation,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Planetary Evolution,
Pluto/KBOs,
Radio Astronomy,
Remote Sensing,
Rings,
Small Bodies,
Space Plasma Physics,
Surfaces,
X-Ray Astronomy
URL: http://www.astro.umd.edu/
State/Province: MD
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: Optional
Subject GRE Required: Physics (optional)
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 19
Planetary Researchers: 3
Students: 37
Admission Percentage: ~5%
Nearby Research Institutions: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Institution, US Naval Observatory, Space Telescope Science Institute
Funding: The department provides full funding (with tuition waivers) for up to six years while students maintain adequate progress toward degree completion.
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.astro.umd.edu/graduate/admissions.html
Notes:
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Geophysical Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Climate,
Cosmochemistry,
Exoplanets,
Meteorites,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics
URL: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/
State/Province: IL
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: Optional
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 43
Planetary Researchers: 6
Students: 56
Admission Percentage: ~10%
Nearby Research Institutions: Argonne National Laboratory
Funding: Full-tuition scholarship, coverage of Fees and individual insurance premiums; also receive primary funding via a RA, TA, or fellowship
Fall Application Deadline: 19 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://geosci.uchicago.edu/prospective_students/
Notes:
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Planetary Sciences Group
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Brown Dwarfs,
Comets,
Dust,
Exoplanets,
In-Situ Resource Utilization,
Infrared Astronomy,
Kuiper Belt Objects,
Mars,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Evolution,
Planetary Science,
Remote Sensing,
Rings,
Small Bodies,
Space Plasma Physics,
Space Science,
Spacecraft Development,
Surfaces
URL: http://planets.ucf.edu/
State/Province: FL
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 13
Planetary Researchers: 13
Students: 33
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: UCF Florida Space Institute, UCF CREOL, NASA Kennedy Space Center
Funding: Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loan
Fall Application Deadline: 01 Dec (domestic priority and all international), 01 Jul (domestic)
Spring Application Deadline: 01 Jul (international), 01 Dec (domestic)
Admissions URL: https://graduate.ucf.edu/admissions/
Notes:
Last modified: April 1, 2025
Department: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Comets,
Cosmochemistry,
Exoplanets,
Geochemistry,
Interiors,
Mars,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Planetary Evolution,
Planetary Science,
Small Bodies,
Space Plasma Physics,
Surfaces,
Volcanology
URL: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu
State/Province: AZ
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: N/A
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: N/A
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 35
Planetary Researchers: 35
Students: 48
Admission Percentage: 12%
Nearby Research Institutions: Planetary Science Institute; National Optical Astronomy Observatory; University of Arizona Depts. of Astronomy/Steward Observatory, Atmospheric Sciences, Geosciences; College of Optical Sciences; College of Engineering; Biosphere 2
Funding: Up to five (5) years of financial support towards completion of the Ph.D. (GRA or GTA)
Fall Application Deadline: 13 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/admissions
Notes: Applicants should have completed an undergraduate major in a physical science such as astronomy, atmospheric sciences, chemistry, geology, mathematics, or physics. However, admission is based on the overall demonstrated capability and preparation of the applicant.
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Physics and Space Sciences
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Exoplanets,
In-Situ Resource Utilization,
Instrumentation,
Jupiter,
Mars,
Meteorites,
Neptune,
Planetary Science,
Saturn,
Space Plasma Physics,
Uranus
URL: https://www.fit.edu/aerospace-physics-and-space-sciences/
State/Province: FL
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: Recommended
Subject GRE Required: Physics recommended but not required
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 17
Planetary Researchers: 8
Students: ~40
Admission Percentage: ~15%
Nearby Research Institutions: Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Funding: TA and RA available with separate application
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Jan
Spring Application Deadline:
Admissions URL: https://www.fit.edu/admission/applying/graduate/
Notes: 3.2 GPA is recommended for PhD students
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Dust,
Meteorites
URL: https://www.clemson.edu/science/academics/departments/physics/
State/Province: SC
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 25
Planetary Researchers: 3
Students: 82
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Funding: Applicants considered for TA, which provides a tuition waiver and stipend
Fall Application Deadline: 01 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.clemson.edu/science/academics/departments/physics/academics/graduateapply.html
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
