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How many years of education is needed to become an Atmospheric and Space scientist?

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Sergey A.’s Answer

In my impression, which is supported by this post, a Bachelor's degree may suffice to do some work in the field, but you would like need an M.Sc./Ph.D. to become an active researcher. So we are looking at 6 to 10 years.

Consider that if you are getting a Ph.D., there is often the possibility of getting a teaching assistantship or a research assistantship, so you will not have to pay for it. I have a Ph.D. in Mathematics, and I had had a teaching assistantship for most of the time. Not only did I not pay for education, but the university, a public school in the U.S., was paying me enough to comfortably cover rent (I shared with roommates), food and other necessities, and transatlantic flights back home twice a year. That appears to be common in other fields and at other universities as well.

Lastly, a Ph.D. does take several years, but if you want to be a researcher anyway, that shouldn't be a problem: you are going to be doing a research either way. With engineering, for instance, you study, and then you get to do "real work". But with research, your thesis or even your research in college is just as "real". And due to climate change, the need for this kind of research will only increase, so good luck!
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Katherine’s Answer

While I think this depends on exactly what you want to study, I think you most likely would need at least an M.S. to find full-time employment in industry (i.e. SpaceX) or a Ph.D. to get an academic job. This is based on my previous job search, knowing people in aerospace industry, and knowing people in academic atmospheric research.

Again, I think this probably depends on your focus though. Requirements for someone who wants to design spacecraft, for example, differ than those required to research the way dust storms affect the upper atmosphere.

So I'd say 4 years to earn a B.S. + at least 2 years to earn an M.S. = minimum 6 years of higher education. Depending on your field, you may need another ~2 years to earn a Ph.D., and even a few more years after that in what's called a "post-doc" job before you become an independent researcher leading a team of technicians.

Katherine recommends the following next steps:

Decide if you are more interested in applied or basic research (actively trying to apply new knowledge vs. discovery for the sake of discovery)
Narrow down an interest/perspective (engineering, chemistry, military, etc. - there are many types of scientists studying atmosphere and space)
If you don't want to be in school 6+ years, consider the many technician type jobs in the aerospace industry and/or military
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