Completed M.Sc. at Princeton University

In 1973, María Teresa Ruiz completed an M.Sc. in astronomy/astrophysics at Princeton University, continuing the advanced training that had begun with her undergraduate studies in Chile. The exact calendar day is not documented in the sources provided, so the event is recorded with a year placeholder only.

This step mattered because Princeton was one of the world’s leading centers for astrophysical research, and Ruiz’s presence there represented both academic excellence and a form of international entry into a field where Latin American women were scarce. Although the most widely cited historic first attached to Ruiz is her later PhD, the master’s degree was an important part of the same trajectory: it marked her sustained passage through elite scientific training and prepared her for research at the highest level.

For women in science in the 1970s, access to advanced graduate study often required overcoming social expectations, institutional bias, and the practical distance between Chilean scientific development and the major research centers of North America. Ruiz’s Princeton experience helped establish the credentials that would later support her work in Chilean astronomy, university teaching, and research leadership.