Field Studied: Surfaces

Wesleyan University

Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Planetary Sciences Group
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Cosmochemistry, Exoplanets, Interiors, Mars, Meteorites, Planet Formation, Remote Sensing, Surfaces, Venus
URL: http://www.wesleyan.edu/planetary/
State/Province: CT
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MA
Minimum GPA:
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required: Physics recommended for Astronomy
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 7
Planetary Researchers: 7
Students: 8
Admission Percentage: 10%
Nearby Research Institutions: Yale Univ., many research Institute in CT and nearby Boston
Contact Email: [email protected]
Funding: All admitted students guaranteed funding as TAs
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Feb for E&ES; 1 Mar for Astronomy
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: http://www.wesleyan.edu/planetary/Graduate.html
Notes: Planetary Science students come from astronomy or earth sciences

Western University

Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Earth Science; Physics & Astronomy; Engineering; Health Sciences; Law
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Astrobiology, Atmospheres, Cosmochemistry, Exoplanets, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Instrumentation, Interiors, Planetary Dynamics, Space Health, Space Policy & Law, Surfaces
URL: https://space.uwo.ca/
State/Province: Ontario
Country: Canada
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 47
Planetary Researchers: 47
Students: 32
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: The Institute for Earth and Space Exploration (Formerly CPSX)
Contact Email: [email protected]
Funding: All accepted students to the regular MSc and PhD are funded through TA's and RA's
Fall Application Deadline: 24 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://space.uwo.ca/training/graduate_students/index.html
Notes: Students admitted to program through host department (Physics & Astronomy, Earth Sciences) then may declare Planetary Science specialization. Engineering/geography students contact [email protected] for admission info. Contact potential supervisor(s) early to discuss projects and availability of funds.

University of Washington

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)
Contact Email: [email protected]
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/)

Aberystwyth University

Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Physics
Display Category: International
Field Studied: Instrumentation, Ionospheres, Magnetospheres, Surfaces
URL: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/phys/
State/Province:
Country: United Kingdom
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required:
Recommendations: 2
Faculty: 18
Planetary Researchers: 9
Students: 24
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Contact Email: [email protected]
Funding: EU/UK studentships frequently available; 3 bursaries/yr for non-EU/UK students; enquire at contact email for more information
Fall Application Deadline: Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/study-with-us/pg-studies/apply/
Notes:

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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
Contact Email: [email protected]
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:

University of Pittsburgh

Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Geology and Environmental Science
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Geophysics, Surfaces
URL: http://www.geology.pitt.edu/
State/Province: PA
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 18
Planetary Researchers: 5
Students: 40
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Contact Email: [email protected]
Funding: Financial support for the PhD and MS programs is normally provided to graduate students in good standing through a combination of teaching and research assistantships.
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.geology.pitt.edu/graduate/how-apply
Notes:

University of Oxford

Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics
Display Category: International
Field Studied: Geophysics, Surfaces
URL: https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/research/subdepartment/atmospheric-oceanic-and-planetary-physics
State/Province:
Country: United Kingdom
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.5
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 13
Planetary Researchers: 4
Students: 52
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Contact Email: [email protected]
Funding: Full or partial scholarship without additional application
Fall Application Deadline: 08 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/dphil-atmospheric-oceanic-and-planetary-physics
Notes:

University of Maryland, College Park

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
Contact Email: [email protected]
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:

University of Colorado

Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences; Physics; Geological Sciences; Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Aerospace Engineering; Chemistry
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Astrobiology, Atmospheres, Dust, Exoplanets, Instrumentation, Interiors, Ionospheres, Magnetospheres, Mars, Planetary Dynamics, Rings, Surfaces
URL: https://lasp.colorado.edu/our-expertise/science/planetary-lunar/
State/Province: CO
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA:
General GRE Required: Yes
Subject GRE Required: Physics required for some departments
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 20  (7 APS, 3 Phys, 3 Geo, 1 AaOS, 5 AE, 1 Chem) 
Planetary Researchers: 20
Students: ~50 across all departments
Admission Percentage: ~20%
Nearby Research Institutions: SWRI, SSI, UCAR
Contact Email: [email protected]
Funding: Yes, varies with department
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: http://lasp.colorado.edu/planetary/departments.html
Notes: 21 Jan deadline for international admission; for further information, see also http://www.colorado.edu/aps/ and http://www.colorado.edu/aps/prospective-students

University of Central Florida

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
Contact Email: [email protected]
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: