Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Review:
Can It Teach You How to Think?
Last updated on: July 26, 2023, Written by:
Bill Tremlon
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If you’re a fan of scientific thinking, then you know Neil DeGrasse Tyson. In his television shows, he’s talking about the facts of the universe and the objective truths of science. He’s also a narrator in one of the most prolific shows, the National Geographic documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
As a lover of wonders of the universe, I was excited about taking his Masterclass. Here, Neil is still in his element of narrating, but this time leans more on scientific thinking and communication. His purpose is to teach you how to think and question things in everyday life so you can always arrive at an objective truth.
I wrote this Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass review for everyone who loves questioning. It’s all regarding the exceptionality and compilation of this course. I will scrutinize and share my opinion on whether the course teaches you how to think and also if it’s really worth your money.
Contents
Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Overview
Neil gives his viewers all the necessary tools to learn and teaches scientific thinking. The course goes into detail about using the scientific method to do critical thinking, identify what is objectively true, and effectively communicate it. As always, Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s delivery is extremely engaging.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Review Summary
| ⭐ Rating: | 9.6 ★★★★★ |
| 🥇 Category of class: | Science & Tech |
| 📈 Suits best for: | Anyone interested in learning new ways of thinking and communicating |
| 🕒 Lenght: | 2 hours 14 minutes |
| ⏳ Avg. Lesson Duration | 10 minutes |
| 🛍️ Course Essentials: | Pen, paper, and an open mind |
| 💼 Complementary material: | 24-page Workbook, Neil DeGrasse’s books |
| 📚 No. of Lessons: | 13 lessons |
| 🛒 Payment options: | Individual / Duo / Family |
| 💵 Price: | 10 – 20 $ (billed annually) |
| 🔄 Refund policy: | 30-day satisfaction guarantee |
| 🎁 Free trial: | ✅ |
Key Skills You’ll Learn
- Thinking scientifically;
- Scientific analysis;
- Using informed skepticism to ask questions;
- Identification of biases;
- Scientific measurement;
- Effective communication.
Who is Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s MasterClass for
If you’re like me, you’ll probably sign up for this course thinking you’ll learn all about the universe, but what you’ll get is even better – a communication MasterClass. You’ll learn how to arrive at objective truths by using critical thinking skills. So if you want to learn scientific thinking and communication, then this course is for you.
Our Evaluation
Total score: 9.6
PROS
CONS
In This Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s MasterClass
Review, You’ll Learn
Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Instructor Review
About Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Neil is an accomplished astrophysicist and scientific communication expert. His experience in science spans more than 29 years. Having attended Harvard for his undergraduate, the University of Texas for his master’s, and Columbia University for his Ph.D., Neil DeGrasse Tyson teaches flawlessly.
He was the youngest director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of National History, a position he still holds.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s fame comes from his science communication, and there is plenty of resources where he explains the secrets of cosmic perspective. Over this period as a science expert, he has gathered achievements and awards like the Klopsteg Memorial Award in 2007 and the Public Welfare Medal in 2015.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson as an Instructor
Neil is so good at teaching in his Masterclass that he can inspire curiosity in almost any student. It is mainly because he has a background in teaching Astronomy, among other sciences, at Princeton. He has also been a narrator and host on several television shows and documentaries.
As Tyson explains scientific thinking, he talks with passion and conviction. He also uses techniques like variation in tones, which keeps the lessons lively and engaging even to those outside the scientific community.
When explaining a point in detail, he uses plenty of non-verbal communication cues. For example, he uses hand gestures which is a good way for him and the viewers to process the point he is passing through.
About MasterClass
Since 2015, educational platform MasterClass brings 180+ online classes from top-tier instructors in almost any field. It includes pre-recorded video lessons from masters such as Richard Branson, Martin Scorsese, Aaron Sorkin, Gordon Ramsay, and many others.
The video quality equals Hollywood movies, and every MasterClass course is carefully structured. But that’s not all. There are interactive assignments, MasterClass community activities, and an ever-growing video library to enjoy. The sheer amount of content can make it hard to begin. Cursums will help you to choose wisely.
Uniqueness and Freshness of the Content
Neil’s work of communicating science is all over the internet, but the most common resources are his books and TV shows. They are a good way to get content about the universe, but they don’t go into detail in explaining the mind of a planetary scientist.
Neil DeGrasse MasterClass provides valuable insights into how scientists think. By doing this, students learn how to think, and in the process, they know how to navigate around their confirmation bias. Even better, the course offers you actual details on scientific communication to better your own conversations.
Neil’s course isn’t the only MasterClass that touches on space exploration and scientific methods. Other courses like Chris Hadfield and Bill Nye scientific methods touch on the science subject too. However, they lack Neil DeGrass’s top-notch content delivery. The all-in-one course package remains to be Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Content and Structure Review
Neil’s 13 lessons on MasterClass are short, brief, and to the point. On average, one video class takes 10 minutes. Lesson 5 is particularly long, though it takes 17 minutes to complete. It goes on for this long because Neil shares insights on identifying cognitive biases hindering our search for objective truth.
Finishing the video part of the course will take 2 hours and 14 minutes. You may need more time to go through the course workbook, which contains extra information on what Neil talks about in the video lessons. However, unlike most MasterClass lesson workbooks, it has no assignments.
Learning How to Think Using the Scientific Method
1-3 Lessons Summary
In the first three lessons of the MasterClass, Tyson describes the scientific process and its importance in influencing how you think. In this group of lessons, you’ll learn how to hypothesize and test out theories to arrive at truths.
Tyson presents this group of lessons in a way that a person with minimal science background can understand. He uses examples of how scientific thinking and communication led to the discovery of some planets like Neptune and the declassification of Pluto as a planet.
Dealing With Our Systems of Belief and Bias
4-8 Lessons Summary
In this lesson, Tyson discusses our belief systems as the greatest hindrance to achieving objective truths. He goes into detail on cognitive bias, personal truth, and cultural bias. The lessons also discuss how these biases may be hard to discover as some are rooted in our unconscious.
However, Neil DeGrasse Tyson provides a solution for this. He teaches you to use informed skepticism to ask questions that make you abandon your biases and arrive at truths about cosmic events. He also teaches you how to use scientific error measurement to verify data.
Communication Tactics
9-13 Lessons Summary
The final group of lessons is about communicating the objective truths you arrive at. To do this, Neil reiterates a quote from his father that it’s not enough to be right – you also have to be effective.
To achieve this, Neil gives tips and solutions for effective communication. For example, he talks about preparing for your audience, beneficial communication strategies, and how to induce inquisitiveness in your demographics. At the end of these lessons, Tyson encourages you to keep learning about how to communicate objective truths.
Fast-Track Lesson Plan
Finish Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass in 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 55 seconds.
| No. | Lesson | Duration |
| 1. | What You Know is Not as Important as How You Think | 06:02 |
| 3. | The Scientific Method | 14:13 |
| 4. | Be a Skeptic: Ask Questions | 12:13 |
| 7. | Our Systems of Belief | 13:37 |
| 8. | Scientific Measurement: Calculating the Incalculable | 08:05 |
| 11. | Communication Tactics | 16:45 |
Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Student Engagement and Retention
The instruction quality of the course is efficient because Tyson excels in educating people. I’d even argue that he is the best at science communication. Period. He also has a deep understanding and passion for what he teaches, and it shows.
The course is also easy to follow. The structure is simple to understand, even for a person with minimal science background. I also found myself immersed in the lessons, especially when the classes incorporated cinematography. It makes the course even more interesting for a visual learner like myself.
Generally, I was engaged and invested in what Neil had to say from the very first lesson. I found myself wanting to know more from the legendary science communicator. During the course, some eye-openers made me look at the world differently.
My Personal Experience With Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
Things I Liked About the Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
Effective Teaching
Tyson excels at communicating whatever he is teaching. As a result, his MasterClass is effective at teaching you how to think and communicate. For example, in lesson 11, he tells his viewers the tactics he uses to be a good science communicator.
Simplified Science Lessons
You may wonder whether you’ll be able to keep up with knowledge from a professional astrophysicist. However, Neil does a good job of simplifying all the scientific principles, so you don’t need to be a physics student to follow along.
Short Lessons
Unlike many other online courses about science, Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass offers lessons that are brief and to the point. I didn’t get bored with hour-long lessons, which kept me active and engaged the whole time. The lessons take 10 minutes on average, although some take even less time.
An Included Lesson Workbook
The MasterClass has a 24-page workbook downloadable PDF to complement the coursework. It’s a good tool to get more information on what Neil is speaking about in the video lessons. Advanced learners may get more use out of it to know extra information on achieving objective truth.
Things I Didn’t Like About the Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
Lacks Material on the Cosmos
If you’re like me, chances are you have interacted with Neil DeGrasse Tyson outside the MasterClass platform. Most of his material online is mainly about the universe, so you may feel odd that this course talks less about the cosmos and more about scientific literacy. As much as I appreciated being taught how to think, I found myself wanting more mind-blowing content concerning the universe.
Not a Technical Course
The Neil DeGrasse course isn’t technical, and practical learners may feel left out. It’s more theoretical, providing information that you can’t put into practice directly. Unlike other courses on MasterClass, even the workbook class resource has no assignments to engage the learners as they go through the course.
Is Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass Worth the Money
Cost of Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
The Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass monthly memberships are available in three types of packages. You can either get the Individual package which costs $10 per month, the Duo subscription, which costs $15 per month, and the Family package costs $20 per month.
| Plan | Price |
| Individual (one device) | $10 per month |
| Duo (two devices) | $15 per month |
| Family (six devices) | $20 per month |
I recommend getting a MasterClass subscription to the family package that offers more value for money. For example, you can stream Neil’s course on six devices. It makes the Neil DeGrasse Tyson worth it, even if you only get it for Neil’s MasterClass. But it’s even a better bargain once you consider that there are even more MasterClass options from experts like Tyson.
Does the Class Keep Its Promises
In the first introductory lesson, Neil has a goal of changing how you think by the end of the course. The course achieves this and more as I found myself with a new mindset at the end of it.
Although there wasn’t a lot about dark matter or the big bang, the course was worth the money and time invested because of the additional information I learned. For example, Scientific analysis and measurement, identifying human biases and learning to communicate effectively.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass: What Others Have Said
Neil DeGrasse Tyson is quite popular in the science community. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) even offered him a distinguished public service medal in 2004. His popularity doesn’t end there, as even non-science people are quite conversant with his works.
From the time his MasterClass launched in 2019, people have had mostly positive reviews for the course. There are those who have a curiosity about space like me and think the course is an amazing tool from a wonderful role model.
Some love Neil Degrasse Tyson’s MasterClass when only a few minutes in the class.
Others appreciate that they can understand an intelligent astrophysicist in a language they can understand. They also appreciate the life lessons and new information the MasterClass gives them regarding understanding the world.
Essentials Used in the Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
When you get Neils MasterClass, you need several things to get maximum value from the course. A pen and paper for notes is always useful. You may also need to familiarize yourself with other Neil DeGrasse Tyson works.
It will help paint a better picture of Neil as an educator and his science background that heavily influences the MasterClass. These materials include Neil’s books:
- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
- Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
- Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going
- Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
Alternatives to Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
Other Science & Tech Courses Available on Masterclass
- Bill Nye Teaches Science and Problem-Solving
- Terence Tao Teaches Mathematical Thinking
- Chris Hadfield Teaches Space Exploration
- Dr. Jane Goodall Teaches Conservation
- Matthew Walker Teaches the Science of Better Sleep
- Will Wright Teaches Game Design and Theory
- John Douglas Teaches How to Think Like an FBI Profiler
- Jeff Goodby & Rich Silverstein Teach Advertising and Creativity
Alternatives to MasterClass
Udemy
Udemy is one of the most popular online learning providers, with a massive choice of various classes. The learning platform covers a wide range of courses on scientific thinking and various scientific fields.
Coursera
Coursera is another big name in the online courses market, with a lot to offer in Science-related fields. It’s a great way to expand your knowledge of the field without spending much money on online learning. It has one of the best online courses on Black holes, the Big Bang theory, and much more.
Skillshare
Skillshare focuses on practical courses, with educational videos substituting expensive college courses. The aim is to provide users with marketable skills for finding a job. There are some great courses related to science, especially physics, as well.
Q&A about Neil DeGrasse Tyson MasterClass
Blogger | Life-long learner
Bill Tremlon
I’ve spent the last ten years passionately studying various online learning platforms. Udemy, MasterClass, Coursera, and Skillshare are the main ones, but I review lesser-known study tools as well. I test and analyze each course and lesson thoroughly before sharing my research.
Blogger | Life-long learner
Bill Tremlon