How to Become An Astrophysicist?

Education & Career Trends: December 11, 2022

Curated by the Knowledge Team of  ICS Career GPS

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Content Credit:

• Article published on theladders.com. Original article link.

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Do the sun, moon, and planets pique your interest? If yes, then making a career as an astrophysicist might be the right path for you. Not only is the job of an astrophysicist wide in incentives, but you also get to work with the top government organisations like ISRO.

But, becoming an astrophysicist is not an easy process, and not many students know how to become an astrophysicist in India. Let’s understand in detail what astrophysics is and how you can become an astrophysicist.

What is Astrophysics?

Astrophysics is a subpart of science in which we study celestial bodies like stars, moons, planets, galaxies, and any other objects present in our universe.

Who is an Astrophysicist?

An astrophysicist applies the rules of physics and chemistry to explain how all these celestial bodies are formed.

Astrophysicists collect patterns and data about the celestial bodies by observing them and, depending upon the data, develop theories on the complete life and death cycle of a celestial body.

Eligibility to Become an Astrophysicist:

If you too wish to become an astrophysicist, then there are several criteria that you must fulfil. It would help if you had these to begin your path towards being an astrophysicist.

• The first thing you need would be a 10+2 degree from some government-recognised board. The subject stream in 10+2 has to be math and physics.
• For getting selected in a reputed institution, you would need at least 50% aggregate marks in 10+2.
• Then, you would need to give either the joint entrance exam or the entrance exam particular to a specific institution that you want to join.
• After clearing the entrance exam, you can take admission to an undergraduate course in astrophysics or astronomy. Make sure to choose an institution with a history of successful placements.
• You can do a significant/honours degree in physics. Take mathematics as your secondary subject.
• After the completion of your graduation, you can opt for a postgraduate degree in physics or astrophysics.
• After completing your master’s degree in astronomy, you will need to do a specialisation course to complete your PhD degree.
• Upon completion of your PhD, now you are eligible to work as an astrophysicist in several organisations, either private or public, in India. You can also join any organisation abroad.

Top Astrophysics Institutions in India:

Some of the top colleges in India that offer courses in astrophysics or astronomy are:

• The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP), Bangalore
• Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram
• Osmania University, Hyderabad
• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

For getting a PhD degree in physics, one can also choose any of the IITs in India.

List of Entrance Exams for Becoming an Astrophysicist:

To get admission to top colleges and institutions for studying astrophysics, you must qualify for entrance examinations. Some of the top entrance examinations taken across India are

• Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
• Interuniversity Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ICAA)
• Autonomous Research Institutions (ARI)
• Joint Assessment Test for Skills (JEST)
• Joint Astronomy Program (JAP)

Courses Available in Astrophysics:

There are several different courses of astronomy available depending upon your level of qualifications.

After the completion of your 10+2, you can get admission to a bachelor’s course. You can do these courses for your undergraduate programme.

• Batch in relevant Engineering – 4-year course
• B.Sc. in Astronomy – 3-year course
• B.Sc. in Astrophysics – 3-year course

Once you are done with your bachelor’s degree, you can opt for postgraduate degree courses. You can choose any of these master’s courses for two years.

• MTech in Astronomy and Space Engineering
• M.Sc. in Astronomy

You can choose any of these courses for your doctorate.

• PhD. in Atmospheric Science and Astrophysics
• PhD. in Astronomy
• PhD. in Astrophysics
• PhD. in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Several integrated courses let you complete your master’s and PhD together. You can opt for these too.

• Integrated MTech – PhD (Tech.) programme in Astronomical Instrumentation
• Integrated M.Sc. – PhD. Programme in Physics and Astrophysics

Career Options for an Astrophysicist:

There are two different career options for an astrophysicist. You can go for theoretical or observational research in astrophysics. Understanding astronomy involves both observation and theory.

1. Observational Research in Astrophysics

Astrophysicists in an observational research study the real-world data of astronomy. Based on real-world data, they observe how celestial objects, like stars, planets, and others behave in space.

There are vast career options in Observation Research in astrophysics. Candidates, even from an engineering background or someone possessing knowledge of computers and electronics, can apply for the graduation course. They can also do a master’s course by research before doing a PhD.

2. Theoretical Research in Astrophysics

Astrophysicists in theoretical research make connections between various data observed by observational researchers. This allows them to understand the observations better and, based on their understanding, make future predictions for phenomena that we have yet to observe.

Working as a theoretical astrophysicist involves making templates and mathematical models for astronomical phenomena for new results whenever they arise.

To work as a theoretical astrophysicist, a candidate needs a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Technology field. A student with a master’s degree in physics knowing mathematics can also go for theoretical research for the course.

Job Opportunities for an Astrophysicist:

After completing a course in astrophysics, an astrophysicist would have many job opportunities both in private and public institutions. As a research scientist, you can join any private or government research organisation like the Indian Space Research Organization or ISRO.

Some of the private organisations that you can work with as an astrophysicist are:

• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
• Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC)
• Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)

At the beginning of your career, you can join a research team already working on a project in astronomy as a fellow researcher.

If you are perfect as an astrophysicist, then you may have a chance of working in the space research centres like

• ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisation
• NASA

You can also choose to join a university or college as a professor of astrophysics.

For gaining experience as an astrophysicist, you can join an internship programme at different astronomy centres in India like ARIES, IUCAA, and NCRA.

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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