Program Details

Columbia University (Astronomy and Astrophysics)

How many tenure-track or tenured faculty -- male/female?

There are 14 faculty in the Columbia Astronomy Department, 3 of who are women. There are an additional 13 faculty (4 women) associated with the department either in the Columbia or Barnard Physics department or at the American Museum of Natural History.

How many graduate students-- male/female?

The Department of Astronomy has 16 male students and 14 female students in the PhD program. This year (2009) 3 of the 6 PhD's awarded were to women. Historical statistics and outcomes can be found at http://www.astro.columbia.edu/graduate-program/graduate-stats.html

How many post doctoral associates - male/female?

Information Unavailable

Is there a family leave policy for graduate students? If so, describe.

The University does not have a formal policy, but the three students (all women) who have had children in the past ten years have had paid leaves arranged by the Department.

Is there family health insurance for graduate students? If so, is it included in the stipend?

The student's health insurance is covered by the Felowship each student receives; family health coverage is available for an additional sum.

Please describe why someone applying to graduate school who is interested in a female-friendly department should choose your department.

The relatively large number of female faculty and students in the astronomy and astrophysics program at Columbia results from a conscious effort to create a research and teaching environment welcoming to all. The most important consideration, however, is the outcomes our program achieves. The seven women PhD recipients in the past five years are all active researchers in Astronomy at Penn State University (tenure-track faculty), University of Manitoba, Harvard (SMA fellow), Caltech, NASA Goddard, Arizona and Stony Brook. Our program, which emphasizes closely mentored research from the first semester and requires a variety of research projects over the first two years allows all students to find the mentor and style of research best suited to their needs and interests. See
http://www.astro.columbia.edu/graduate-program.html for program details.

Has the institution had a Climate for Women in Physics Site Visit or Gender Equity Conversation?

Information Unavailable

Updated: September 02, 2009

Back to list of institutions