Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to astrophysics programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Astrophysics · CIP 40.0202 · 4 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 40.0202 Astrophysics, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps astrophysics programs to 4 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including Natural Sciences Manager, Astronomer and Physicist. BLS median pay across them runs from $103,170 (Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary) to $172,250 (Physicist) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs astrophysics programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Manager | $167,220 | 108,690 | Bachelor's Degree | 5 |
| Physicist | $172,250 | 20,430 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $103,170 | 9,900 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Astronomer | $128,820 | 2,120 | Doctoral Degree | 5 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for Natural Sciences Manager, one of the astrophysics jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
Science · Reading Comprehension · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 40.0202Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
Present research findings at scientific conferences and in papers written for scientific journals.
Reading Comprehension · Science · Writing
Mapped from CIP 40.0202Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
Science · Critical Thinking · Reading Comprehension
Mapped from CIP 40.0202Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
Data Other programs whose crosswalk occupations overlap with these.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “what can you do with an astrophysics degree”, “jobs for astrophysics majors”, “astrophysics degree jobs” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
