The CUNY Graduate Center has announced a $4 million grant from the Simons Foundation in support of astrophysics education.

The gift will support a new Astrophysics master’s program designed to prepare students from all backgrounds to excel in astronomy and physics doctoral programs. The program will include research in faculty members’ laboratories and groups as well as professional training in areas such as creating and giving conference presentations, collaborative teamwork, scientific writing, and networking. The gift will cover tuition and healthcare benefits and provide students with a stipend for living costs as well as a budget for supplies, travel to conferences, and, if needed, funds to relocate.

“[Among] the ‘missing pieces’ in our graduate training ecosystem are master’s programs that provide alternative on-ramps to graduate study, said Simons Foundation president David Spergel. “I am hoping that this program will not only provide opportunities for developing outstanding future astronomers, but also serve as a model for broadening access to graduate training in basic science.”

“By making it financially possible for our talented students to further their educational goals and earn a master’s degree in astrophysics, CUNY is adhering to its historic mission to promote equity and expand access, as well as helping to diversify the future STEM workforce of the nation,” said CUNY chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “It is precisely these kinds of academic opportunities that have made the City University of New York an unparalleled engine of social mobility for generations of deserving students. We thank the Simons Foundation for its generous support, which helps make this work possible.”

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