What subject did Edwin Hubble study as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford?

As a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Edwin Hubble studied jurisprudence. The subject was essentially the academic study of law, not astronomy or physics, the fields with which he later became famous.

Hubble attended The Queen’s College, Oxford, beginning in 1910, and spent about three years there. He chose jurisprudence partly to honor the wishes of his father, who wanted him to pursue a legal career. Hubble also studied literature and Spanish during his time in England and eventually earned a master’s degree. His Oxford education therefore looked much more like preparation for law and public life than training for an observatory.

After returning to the United States, Hubble briefly taught Spanish, physics, and mathematics at New Albany High School in Indiana. He also coached basketball. His interest in astronomy eventually drew him back to the University of Chicago, where he pursued graduate study at Yerkes Observatory and earned a doctorate in astronomy.

This early detour helps explain a common mix-up: Hubble’s undergraduate studies included mathematics and astronomy, but the subject he studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford was jurisprudence. His legal training did not become his profession; astronomy did.