which schools offer an astronamy major?

Question

and where are they located

Answer 1

Many colleges offer astronomy as a subcategory of physics, so I'd advise you to never rule out a college just because it does not appear to have an astronomy major. Check out its physics program first, look to see if it has a sufficient number of courses in astronomy (and a good observatory) and keep in mind that professional astronomists usually majored in either physics OR astronomy at the undergraduate level. It's the graduate program that really counts.

The top ten astronomy and astrophysics programs in the US are:

Cal Tech
Princeton
UC Berkeley
UC Santa Cruz
Cornell
MIT
U of Arizona
Harvard
U Chicago
U Texas at Austin

However, these are ranked in terms of their graduate programs.

If I were a young person looking to major in astronomy at the undergraduate level, I would strongly consider Cal Tech, MIT, or UC Berkeley, if I wanted to be at a large research university.

If I preferred a smaller, liberal arts college with more one-on-one attention, then I would consider Princeton and, perhaps surprisingly, Vassar College. Both institutions have a history and reputation of close collaborations between students and professors, and extremely strong reputations, so they place their graduates into top-tier graduate programs.

Vassar has a new state-of-the-art observatory, and a superb summer scholar program, in which undergraduates can apply to work one-on-one with professors on real scientific projects, the results of which are often published in academic journals.

I'm sure you will eventually find the right school for you!

Answer 2

Go to Princeton Review's web site. They have a tool that asks you about your background and interests and then tells you what schools are right for you.

One of the criteria that you can specify is the major that interests you. Be sure to spell Astronomy correctly.

You may also look at Physics programs. Some schools do not have separate astronomy departments -- but offer the subject through physics.

Answer 3

I don't know all of them.
Harvard (famous one in Boston). Actually, if you can get in, that is probably the premier astronomy university in the world. Of course, you'd have to travel to do observations, but that's status quo for astronomers. All major astronomical observations and discoveries worldwide are reported to Harvard, as that is the official depository of astronomy information (as are discoveries of new elements, etc.)
Most major state colleges have astronomy as a major, most state colleges with a student population of over 15,000 will have it as a major, especially if the college has been around over a hundred years.
Especially good colleges for astronomy are ones where the viewing is good. Try University of Hawaii, and major universities in the southwest like Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, etc.
If your interest in astronomy is more closely tied to physics, the University of Chicago is a good pick.
Good luck.