SPACE STUDIESPROGRAMS

Planetary astronomy and science

Best Planetary Science Programs, Ranked for 2026

The best planetary science programs form a focused set of 12 records at 9 institutions. These degrees study planets, moons, small bodies, atmospheres, surfaces, origins, and related observational or computational questions.

Reviewed Edited by Taylor Rupe
Editorial illustration of a researcher examining planetary rock samples beside surface imagery.
National set 12 programs ranked
12ranked records
9institutions
5states
12official-source insights

What the data says

Key facts about best planetary science programs

Score within the planetary astronomy and science CIP and degree-level peer group. The cards below show 59 recorded awards across this ranked set.

  • 3 bachelor’s programs provide direct undergraduate entries into the federal planetary-science field.
  • 2 master’s and 7 doctoral records make up the graduate comparison.
  • 5 states appear in this smaller national set.
  • The strongest fit signals come from named research areas, faculty groups, instruments, missions, laboratories, and datasets on official program pages.

Complete program cards

12 Best planetary science programs, Ranked

Score within the planetary astronomy and science CIP and degree-level peer group. Read the full ranking methodology for the federal field boundary, score construction, and school-research rules.

Rank #1 Score 92.3

Harvard University

Bachelor’s in Earth and Planetary Sciences

best planetary science programs · Cambridge · Private nonprofit · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Primary and double concentrators complete 14 courses and at least 5 department tutorials; joint-allied students follow an 11-course plan that includes a senior thesis.

Harvard’s Earth and Planetary Sciences concentration connects planetary science with climate, geophysics, geochemistry, data analysis, and a structured tutorial requirement.

Every concentration path includes mathematics, computation and data analysis, physics, chemistry, and foundational Earth and planetary science. Primary and double concentrators then sample the department’s major subdisciplines, while an adviser helps shape those pieces into a thematic plan tied to your background and research interests.

Key program details
  • 14-course primary or double concentration
  • 11-course joint-allied concentration
  • At least 5 department tutorials
  • Planetary science and geophysics

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: eps.harvard.edu.

Rank #2 Score 90.2

Harvard University

Doctorate in Planetary Science

Planetary science field from IPEDS

best planetary science programs · Cambridge · Private nonprofit · Space science

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Program and field evidence

The Astronomy PhD combines theoretical, observational, and experimental graduate work, with first-year research and access to two observatory partners in Cambridge.

First-year research connects Harvard astronomy doctoral students with both the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

The astronomy department guarantees doctoral funding regardless of faculty adviser and brings students into weekly colloquia, seminars, clubs, and informal meetings. Harvard thesis examples span black-hole accretion, high-resolution millimeter observations, and Milky Way mapping, showing how early research can develop across very different theoretical and observational questions in Harvard’s astronomy program.

Key program details
  • First-year research
  • Two observatory partners
  • Twin 6.5-meter telescopes
  • Six years of guaranteed funding

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: gsas.harvard.edu.

Rank #3 Score 84.2

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Doctorate in Planetary Science

best planetary science programs · Cambridge · Private nonprofit · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Research topics span planetary atmospheres, orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, habitability, astrobiology, cosmochemistry, planetary evolution, and the physical and chemical processes shaping surfaces and interiors.

MIT’s federal research-doctorate row aligns with a Planetary Science program spanning solar-system bodies, exoplanets, spacecraft data, modeling, spectroscopy, and remote sensing.

MIT’s published Planetary Science scope combines theory, telescopic observation, spacecraft data, numerical modeling, experimentation, and analysis to examine the solar system and exoplanets. Those methods address planetary and small-body surfaces and interiors along with the structure, chemistry, and dynamics of planetary atmospheres.

Key program details
  • Spacecraft data analysis
  • Transit photometry and spectroscopy
  • Orbital mechanics and astrodynamics
  • Planetary atmospheres

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: eaps.mit.edu.

Rank #4 Score 83.5

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Master’s in Planetary Science

best planetary science programs · Cambridge · Private nonprofit · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Planetary Science at MIT spans orbital mechanics, astronomy, exoplanets, observational astronomy, spectroscopy, and remote sensing, with observatory work identified by the official source.

MIT's Planetary Science master's joins orbital mechanics, spectroscopy, remote sensing, and observatory work, with a score of 83.5 and 2 awards.

Graduate investigations can combine theory, telescope observations, spacecraft data, numerical modeling, experiments, and laboratory analysis. Those methods are applied to planetary and small-body surfaces and interiors as well as the structure, chemistry, and dynamics of atmospheres across the solar system and beyond.

Key program details
  • Orbital mechanics
  • Exoplanets and spectroscopy
  • Remote sensing
  • Observatory work
  • Rank 2 of 7

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: eaps.mit.edu.

Rank #5 Score 79.3

California Institute of Technology

Doctorate in Planetary Science

Planetary science field from IPEDS

best planetary science programs · Pasadena · Private nonprofit · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Doctoral students complete an oral qualifying examination with written research propositions, advanced systematic study, a thesis, and a final oral defense.

Caltech’s planetary-science doctorate centers on independent investigation of Earth and planets through field settings, complex data, laboratories, and thesis research.

Before candidacy, students prepare written research propositions and defend them in an oral qualifying examination. Planetary projects may draw on field observations, laboratory experiments, or analytical work. The degree then culminates in a thesis and final oral defense, making independent inquiry the organizing work of Caltech’s doctorate.

Key program details
  • Planetary science research
  • Two research propositions
  • Oral qualifying examination
  • Field and laboratory work
  • Thesis defense

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: gps.caltech.edu.

Rank #6 Score 74.6

University of California-Los Angeles

Doctorate in Planetary Science

best planetary science programs · Los Angeles · Public · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Research projects can incorporate Keck observations, space observatories, Mount Wilson solar work, telescope instrumentation, and a dissertation within the division’s PhD program.

UCLA astronomy doctoral students conduct observational, theoretical, and instrumentation research using major ground-based telescopes, orbiting observatories, and solar facilities.

UCLA’s research infrastructure joins ground-based Keck observations with orbiting observatories, solar work at Mount Wilson, and instrument construction. A planetary-science dissertation can therefore draw on existing telescope data or on the hardware that gathers it, placing observational technique and technical development inside the same doctoral environment at UCLA.

Key program details
  • Keck telescope observations
  • Orbiting observatories
  • Solar observatory research
  • Instrumentation construction
  • Doctoral dissertation

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: astro.ucla.edu.

Rank #7 Score 73.1

Arizona State University Digital Immersion

Bachelor’s in Astronomical and Planetary Sciences (Astrophysics)

best planetary science programs · Scottsdale · Public · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Astronomical and Planetary Sciences (Astrophysics) covers astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, galaxies, and exoplanets through Arizona State University Digital Immersion.

ASU Digital's planetary sciences degree combines cosmology, galaxies, and exoplanets with internships and telescope work, backed by 26 awards.

The online curriculum couples substantial mathematics and physics with astronomy and planetary-science topics, engineering methods, and computational tools used in research. Students analyze space-telescope images, examine exoplanets and cosmology, and study early stars, giving the remote format concrete data-centered work rather than lecture topics alone.

Key program details
  • Cosmology and galaxies
  • Planetary science
  • Published exoplanets
  • Internships and telescope work
  • 26 planetary science awards

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: degrees.asu.edu.

Rank #8 Score 68.2

University of Arizona

Astronomy and Astrophysics Doctorate

best planetary science programs · Tucson · Public · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Students develop theoretical, observational, and instrumentational astronomy skills while working with program advisers, faculty researchers, astrophysics tools, and research facilities.

Arizona’s planetary-science federal record maps to its Astronomy and Astrophysics PhD, which emphasizes original and independent investigation.

This federal planetary-science row maps to the same astronomy and astrophysics doctorate, where students build independent research with a faculty adviser. The source emphasizes theoretical, observational, and instrumentational methods, so a planetary project can move from modeling or direct measurement into analysis or instrument development within Arizona’s active research facilities.

Key program details
  • Original research program
  • Independent scientific research
  • Faculty adviser mentoring
  • Astrophysics facilities
  • Instrumentational astronomy

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: arizona.edu.

Rank #9 Score 66.0

University of Arkansas

Doctorate in Planetary Science

Planetary science field from IPEDS

best planetary science programs · Fayetteville · Public · Space science

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Program and field evidence

The graduate program combines advanced coursework and research on Mars, Venus, Pluto, ice worlds, geological processes, spacecraft design, and planetary atmospheres.

Arkansas’s Space and Planetary Sciences PhD spans astronomical processes, planetary surfaces and atmospheres, astrobiology, mission instrumentation, and applications to multiple worlds.

The program crosses traditional department lines, linking planetary atmospheres and geology with astrobiology, astronautics, thermodynamics, and mission instrumentation. Doctoral students use that mix to study several worlds and then focus it through dissertation research, which is useful if the question depends on both physical science and spacecraft engineering methods.

Key program details
  • Planetary atmospheres
  • Mission instrumentation
  • Astrobiology coursework
  • Multiple-world applications
  • Doctoral dissertation

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: catalog.uark.edu.

Rank #10 Score 66.0

University of Arkansas

Master’s in Planetary Science

Planetary science field from IPEDS

best planetary science programs · Fayetteville · Public · Space science

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Program and field evidence

The thesis track pairs 24 coursework hours with six thesis hours. The non-thesis route also totals 30 credits and uses additional electives.

Arkansas’s Space and Planetary Sciences MS offers thesis and non-thesis 30-credit routes grounded in astrophysics, planetary atmospheres, geology, astrobiology, and astronautics.

Master’s students share an interdisciplinary base in planetary geology, atmospheres, astrobiology, astronautics, and mission instrumentation. The thesis option develops that breadth through supervised research. The non-thesis route adds electives, giving you a direct choice between a focused investigation and broader technical coverage.

Key program details
  • 30-credit master’s routes
  • Thesis and non-thesis options
  • Planetary geology
  • Astrobiology core choice
  • Astronautics coursework

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: catalog.uark.edu.

Rank #11 Score 58.3

Northern Arizona University

Doctorate in Planetary Science

Planetary science field from IPEDS

best planetary science programs · Flagstaff · Public · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Graduate students participate in faculty research covering planetary formation, surface processes, solar-system dynamics, astroinformatics, laboratory materials, and observational planetary science.

NAU’s Astronomy and Planetary Science doctoral setting involves faculty research in astrobiology, exoplanets, planetary materials, spacecraft missions, and computational astrophysics.

The department’s research areas span astrobiology, exoplanets and planetary formation, laboratory studies of planetary materials, observational planetary science, solar-system dynamics, spacecraft missions, astroinformatics, and theoretical or computational astrophysics. These are department-wide examples of the research environment around the doctorate. An individual project would draw on a narrower part of that range.

Key program details
  • Astrobiology research
  • Planetary materials laboratories
  • Spacecraft missions
  • Computational astrophysics
  • Faculty research participation

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: in.nau.edu.

Rank #12 Score 57.8

Florida Institute of Technology

Astronomy and Astrophysics, B.S.

best planetary science programs · Melbourne · Private nonprofit · Space science

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Program and field evidence

Astronomy and Astrophysics, B.S. spans orbital mechanics, cosmology, planetary science, stellar physics, galaxies, exoplanets, black holes, and observational astronomy within the official undergraduate program.

Florida Tech's astronomy degree connects planetary science and orbital mechanics to internships and observatory work, but the associated record ranks 5 of 5.

Florida Tech’s membership in the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy gives students access to automated telescopes in Arizona, Chile, and the Canary Islands. Faculty also encourage undergraduate projects using campus telescopes or data from space observatories, including the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.

Key program details
  • Orbital mechanics
  • Planetary science
  • Exoplanets and black holes
  • Observatory and telescope work
  • Rank 5 of 5

Official program source reviewed August 28, 2026: fit.edu.

Use the ranking well

How planetary science programs cross disciplines

Planetary science can live in astronomy, earth and planetary science, physics, or a dedicated space-science unit. That home changes the work. Compare the mix of geology, atmospheres, remote sensing, orbital dynamics, chemistry, observation, and computation before treating two degree names as equivalent.

A smaller field also makes advisor and research fit more visible. For graduate applicants, identify the faculty and laboratories doing the planetary work you want. For bachelor’s applicants, check how early undergraduates can join projects and what mathematics, physics, chemistry, or geology sits under the major.

Keep narrowing the list

Move between field, degree-level, delivery, ownership, mission, cost, and state comparisons without changing the published program boundary.

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Questions before you shortlist

Questions about best planetary science programs

How many of the best planetary science programs are ranked?
The ranking includes 12 program records at 9 institutions in 5 states.
What does a planetary science degree study?
The field can cover planetary surfaces, interiors, atmospheres, origins, small bodies, exoplanets, remote sensing, instruments, missions, and solar-system dynamics.
Is planetary science the same as astronomy?
They overlap, but planetary science often draws more directly from geology, atmospheric science, chemistry, remote sensing, and mission data. The department and curriculum show the real emphasis.
What matters most in a planetary science doctorate?
Faculty research fit, funding, laboratory or computing access, mission and dataset involvement, qualifying requirements, and dissertation expectations should drive the comparison.
Can I study planetary science online?
The online national ranking includes one explicitly confirmed bachelor’s record in astronomical and planetary sciences. Check the current delivery and residency rules on the school’s official page.

Check the record

Sources for best planetary science programs