2023 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
Finding the Best Geological & Earth Sciences School for You
In 2020-2021, 7,821 people earned a degree or certificate in geological and earth sciences, making the major the #96 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 206 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for geology majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Geological & Earth Sciences
Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in the United States for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at Stanford University Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University
The excellent programs at The University of Texas at Austin helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best geological and earth sciences schools in the United States. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
While working on their degree, geology majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $16,479 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $171.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin Report
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Middlesex County College is a great place for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the suburb of Edison, Middlesex County College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Middlesex County College
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Chicago is a great place for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geological and earth sciences programs. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that geology majors at Texas A&M College Station take out is $19,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $340, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Florida-Online did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for geological and earth sciences students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF Online is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that geology majors at UF Online take out is $15,337.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Florida-Online
University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geological and earth sciences programs. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools ranking. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
On average, geology graduates from UC Berkeley take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #10, Williams College did quite well on this year’s best schools for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Northeastern University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geological and earth sciences programs. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
University of Delaware came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools ranking. UD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Delaware
University of Wyoming landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geological and earth sciences programs. Located in the remote town of Laramie, UW is a public school with a large student population.
While working on their degree, geology majors at UW accumulate an average of around $24,000 in student debt.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Wyoming Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #14 on this year’s Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.
On average, geology graduates from UW - Madison take out $26,911 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for geological and earth sciences students. It came in at #15 on the list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
On average, geology graduates from UIUC take out $23,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #16, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on this year’s best schools for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Maryland - College Park
Union College New York came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools ranking. Union College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Schenectady.
With a ranking of #18, Iowa State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for geological and earth sciences students. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.
Geology majors at Iowa State take out an average of $25,400 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #19, Cornell University did quite well on this year’s best schools for geological and earth sciences students. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at Cornell University Report
With a ranking of #20, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s best schools for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, geology graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $18,579.
Lock Haven University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools list. Located in the town of Lock Haven, LHU is a public school with a small student population.
With a ranking of #22, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on this year’s best schools for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the distant town of Kingsville, Texas A&M Kingsville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
University of Houston ranked #23 on this year’s Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, UH is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, geology graduates from UH take out $21,550 in student loans while working on their degree.
California State University - Long Beach came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools ranking. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #25 on this year’s Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools list. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.
On average, geology graduates from UCSB take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Rest of the Top Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 32 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 33 | Smith College | Northampton, MA |
| 34 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
| 35 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 36 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 37 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | East Stroudsburg, PA |
| 38 | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg, PA |
| 39 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 40 | University of Nevada - Reno | Reno, NV |
| 41 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
Geological & Earth Sciences by Region
View the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Geology
Geological & Earth Sciences is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Geology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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