Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

13 Colleges
$28,833 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,405 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Geological & Earth Sciences School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, geological and earth sciences was ranked #96 in the country. In fact 7,821 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in the Plains States Region to see which 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region

Check out the geology programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

$16,498 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Missouri State University - Springfield the best value school in the Plains States Region for geological and earth sciences students. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri State are $16,498 per year. On average, geology graduates from Missouri State take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Missouri State University - Springfield

$15,940 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Minnesota - Morris helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best geological and earth sciences schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the remote town of Morris, UMN Morris is a public college with a small student population.

UMN Morris undergraduate students pay an average of $15,940 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Minnesota - Morris

Out of the 13 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Ames.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Iowa State are $25,446 a year. The average amount in student loans that geology majors at Iowa State take out is $25,400.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Iowa State also did well on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Iowa State University

$18,165 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Wichita State University is a great value for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the large city of Wichita, WSU is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WSU are $18,165 per year.

Read More…

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Winona State University is a great value for geological and earth sciences students. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Winona.

Winona State undergraduate students pay an average of $16,684 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Winona State also is in the top 15% of our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Read More…

University of Minnesota - Duluth landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value geological and earth sciences programs. UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Duluth.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMN Duluth are $19,148 per year. After completing their degree, geology graduates from UMN Duluth carry an average student debtload of $28,009.

Read More…

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMN Twin Cities are $33,818 a year. On average, geology graduates from UMN Twin Cities take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Twin Cities also is in the top 15% of our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

Read More…

University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Columbia.

Mizzou undergraduate students pay an average of $30,450 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mizzou also did well on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#9

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa are $31,905 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Iowa also did well on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Iowa Report

$28,023 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UMKC are $28,023 a year.

Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Missouri - Kansas City Report

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological and earth sciences colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 114
Minnesota 133
Kansas 71
Iowa 54
Nebraska 18
North Dakota 12
South Dakota 13

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 13 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.