Planetary Scientist Overview

Required Education and Training To Become a Planetary Scientist

Best Schools to become a Planetary Scientist in U.S. 2024

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS

In-State Tuition:$9,248
Out-of-State Tuition:$25,294
Admission Rate:75%
Graduation Rate:63%
Total Enrollment:22,649

Washington State University

Pullman, WA

In-State Tuition:$10,708
Out-of-State Tuition:$26,392
Admission Rate:83%
Graduation Rate:62%
Total Enrollment:27,539

Texas A & M University-College Station

College Station, TX

In-State Tuition:$8,815
Out-of-State Tuition:$36,239
Admission Rate:63%
Graduation Rate:84%
Total Enrollment:74,014

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

In-State Tuition:$3,812
Out-of-State Tuition:$17,936
Admission Rate:80%
Graduation Rate:70%
Total Enrollment:29,551

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI

In-State Tuition:$17,454
Out-of-State Tuition:$56,941
Admission Rate:18%
Graduation Rate:93%
Total Enrollment:51,225

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

In-State Tuition:$11,210
Out-of-State Tuition:$35,628
Admission Rate:87%
Graduation Rate:68%
Total Enrollment:49,403
Planetary Scientist Job Description:
  • Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.

Required Skills and Competencies To Become a Planetary Scientist

Job Duties for Planetary Scientists

  • Collaborate with other astronomers to carry out research projects.

  • Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.

  • Present research findings at scientific conferences and in papers written for scientific journals.

Technologies and Skills Used by Planetary Scientists

Analytical or scientific software

  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • The MathWorks MATLAB

Development environment software

  • Abstraction plus reference plus synthesis A++
  • National Instruments LabVIEW

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Basic Skills

  • Reading work related information
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems

People and Technology Systems

  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Current Job Market and Opportunites for a Planetary Scientist

Additional Resources To Help You Become a Planetary Scientist

FAQs About Becoming a Planetary Scientist