Question: I want to be an astrophysicist and cosmetologist when i am older, what would be the best college and university to go to, what degrees do i have to do and how long will they take? :)

Nawapat Kaweeyanun answered on 16 Nov 2019:

To become a professional astrophysicist/cosmologist, you would need a PhD degree in Physics or Astrophysics, which essentially provides training on how to do research very very well. The road to a PhD is a long one. If you are in the UK and just finishing high school, you would need to first get a Bachelors (3 years), then a Masters (1 year), and then a PhD (3-4 years). Now you don’t exactly need to do your Bachelor/Master in Physics, but they have to be in subjects that share some skills with Physics (such as Maths or Engineering) so you can gain the ability needed to succeed. This brings up a total time of 7-8 years.

As for which university, there are many good choices. Despite the uni rankings, there are very little difference in teaching between the Top 50. However, I would check the uni websites for information about their Astrophysics/Cosmology department – see what courses they are teaching in this area and what resources (human or equipment) their departments have. This is important because you can build connections even during your Bachelor/Masters degrees so you can get good PhD offers. Having good equipments will also help you do your best research. But I will tell you also that there is no need to rush. Even if you don’t get your absolute best choice for Bachelors, it does not mean you no longer have a chance of success. Life is never straightforward and we need to just keep trying and one day our chance will come. 🙂