One of the world’s most renowned scientists and astrophysicists, Neil deGrasse Tyson, has a talent for presenting complex concepts in an easy-to-understand manner.
If you’re looking to expand your scientific thinking or want to make sense of your place in the Universe, luckily for you, you can watch Neil’s course on the learning platform MasterClass.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at Neil deGrasse Tyson’s
Who is Neil Degrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson was a young boy when he first took a trip to the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History. The rest is history. He quickly developed a deep interest in stars, planets, and the Universe, got his own first telescope, and spent his teenage years watching the skies from the rooftop of his apartment building.
Tyson graduated from The Bronx Highschool of Science in 1976 and then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Astrophysics from Columbia University in 1991. He later landed a job in the Hayden Planetarium, where his curiosity about the cosmos further expanded.
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Tyson eventually became the Director of The Hayden Planetarium and worked on an extensive renovation of the facility. The renovation offered visitors a cutting-edge look at astronomy. One of Tyson’s most controversial decisions at the time was removing Pluto from the official list of planets. He classified Pluto as a dwarf planet, which invoked a strong response from some visitors. The international Astronomy Community followed Tyson’s lead in 2006 and officially labeled Pluto as a dwarf planet.
Tyson has also hosted the Nova Science Now Documentary Series on PBS from 2006 to 2011. In addition to breaking down barriers between scientists and the general public, Tyson has brought diversity to astrophysics. He is one of the few African-Americans in his field. He has also served as the presidential advisor to President George W. Bush on the future of the aerospace industry and examined the United States’ policy on space exploration.
In 2009, Tyson started hosting the podcast StarTalk Radio. In 2014, he hosted a 13-episode National Geographic Series, Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey. Aside from that, he has also written several books, including Death By Black Hole (2006) and The Pluto Files (2009).
Overview of the Class

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s
- What You Know Is Not as Important as How You Think
- The Frontier of Science
- The Scientific Method
- Be a Skeptic: Ask Questions
- Cognitive Bias
- Beware of Cultural Bias
- Our Systems of Belief
- Scientific Measurement: Calculating the Incalculable
- Communication: It’s Not Enough to Be Right
- Preparing for Your Audience
- Communication Tactics
- Inspire Curiosity in Your Audience
- The Future of Our World
The ultimate goal of this course is to teach students how to challenge the way they think about the Universe and their place in it. Tyson encourages us to question everything and acknowledge our biases. Moreover, he also wants us to learn how to transform data into tangible information and find common ground regardless of our political, religious, or scientific differences.
Moreover, depending on your subscription plan, you can get a 24-page PDF workbook with additional information, such as a mentor biography, a chapter review of the lessons, and a glossary of terms to refer to.
On top of that, you also get to access the community hub, where you can mingle with users who took the same course as you. You can discuss ideas about the lessons in the hub and ask questions.
Pros and Cons

Pros
Some users claimed that Neil deGrasse
- Learn From A True Expert
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most in-demand science experts. He gives talks across the country and is a media favorite whenever an important science issue is covered in the news. Tyson is known for making complex concepts accessible to every audience due to his oratory skills and sense of humor. That said, he is more than capable of teaching this course, and having the opportunity to learn something new from him is absolutely worth it.
- Practical Tips On Effective Communication
It’s a well-known thing that Tyson is a great communicator. One of the best things about his class is that he doesn’t just teach theory but also gives practical tips on how to be a better communicator so that anyone can quickly grasp your idea and easily understand what you mean.
Cons
There aren’t many disadvantages of taking Neil’s course. However, some have mentioned that:
- Workbook Is Too Short For A Massive Topic
The lessons taught by Tyson in this course are technical and quite heavy to digest. A more elaborated workbook would have been a great help to understand him more thoroughly.
- No Assignments Given
Many other classes on
Who is This Class for

- Scientists who need help with developing their way of thinking. In his class, Tyson talks about establishing a scientist mindset and how to prepare for the biases that may come your way.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson Fans.
- People who are interested in science and astrophysics. As mentioned earlier, Tyson is one of the most powerful names in those fields.
- People who want to learn how to better communicate their thoughts and ideas without confusing their audience.
Regarding the level of knowledge, this course is suitable for people with little to intermediate knowledge about astrophysics and science. However, if you’re a scientist, you probably won’t learn anything new in this course if you’re a scientist.
How Much Does the Class Cost
There are three subscription plans offered by MasterClass. Those include:
- The individual plan
This plan costs $15 per month and is billed annually. If you go for this plan, you can access the video lessons through one device only. However, note that this plan won’t allow you to download videos and PDF workbooks for offline viewing.
- The Duo Plan
For $20 per month, billed annually, you can access
- The Family Plan
This plan is ideal for families and friends. Six devices can access the website for $23 per month again, billed annually. However, note that all six are under one profile only. Therefore, sharing an account and activity log is a must. Similar to the duo plan, you are also allowed to download videos and workbooks.
Subscribing to any of those three plans gives you an all-access pass on all the courses offered on
Users’ Experience

Here’s what people who’ve taken Tyson’s
“Neil deGrasse’s Tyson’s
-Robert Alai (Twitter Post)
“Watched and participated in Neil Degrasse Tyson
-Adam Moreno (Twitter Post)
On the other hand, some gave a neutral comment, saying it’s good but didn’t meet their expectations.
“He does sp