2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree School for You
Geological & Earth Sciences is the #96 most popular major in California with 991 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for geology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured Geology Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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BS in Geosciences - Natural Resources Conservation
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Top 10 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for geological and earth sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
CSULB graduate students pay an average of $8,280 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value geological and earth sciences schools in California. Cal Poly Pomona is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $8,873 per year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Sacramento helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value geological and earth sciences schools in California. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Sac State are $8,826 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at SDSU are $9,570 per year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value geological and earth sciences schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,160 per year.
UC Berkeley did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
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With a ranking of #6, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best value schools for geological and earth sciences students working on their master’s degree. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal State LA are $8,219 per year.
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University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree geological and earth sciences programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCSB are $13,581 per year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
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California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for geological and earth sciences students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.
Cal State Fullerton graduate students pay an average of $8,410 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fullerton Report
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California State University - Northridge came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. CSUN is a very large public school located in the city of Northridge.
CSUN graduate students pay an average of $8,477 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Northridge Report
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University of California - Davis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.
UC Davis graduate students pay an average of $13,608 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Davis Report
Request InformationBest Value Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 339 |
| Oregon | 137 |
| Nevada | 69 |
| Hawaii | 42 |
| Alaska | 37 |
More Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings in California
Majors Related to Geology
One of 8 majors within the area of study, geological and earth sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 17 schools only.
- 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.