Astrogeologists

High School

Because you will need a college degree to work in this profession, you should take a college preparatory curriculum while in high school. Such a curriculum will include computer science, history, and English classes. Science and math classes are also important to take, particularly earth science, chemistry, and physics. Math classes should include algebra, trigonometry, and statistics.

Postsecondary Education

A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for entry into lower-level geology jobs, but a master’s degree is usually necessary for beginning positions in research, teaching, and exploration. Since the field of astrogeology is so small, many astrogeologists earn doctorate degrees in order to increase their knowledge and improve their chances of landing top research jobs. Additionally, for those wishing to teach at the college level, a doctoral degree is required. Those interested in the geological profession should have an aptitude not only for geology but also for physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

A number of colleges, universities, and institutions of technology offer degrees in geology. Programs in geophysical technology, geophysical engineering, geophysical prospecting, and engineering geology also offer related training for beginning geologists.

Students who go on to graduate school will take advanced courses in astrogeology. A few colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in the planetary sciences. For example, California Institute of Technology (https://www.gps.caltech.edu) offers an undergraduate major and minor in geological and planetary sciences and graduate degree programs in planetary science and other fields. Other schools that offer programs include Brown University (https://deeps.brown.edu), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (https://eaps.mit.edu), University of Arizona (https://www.lpl.arizona.edu), and Washington University in St. Louis (https://eps.wustl.edu).

Other Education or Training

Conference sessions, online courses, and other continuing education opportunities for geologists are provided by the American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Professional Geologists, Association for Women Geoscientists, Geological Society of America, and the Society for Sedimentary Geology. Contact these organizations for more information.