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2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

32 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
1,632 Geology Degrees Awarded
$37,732 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in geological & earth sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #95 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 32 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of geological & earth sciences. Combined, these schools handed out 1,632 degrees in geological & earth sciences to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Geological & Earth Sciences School

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region The geology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Geological & Earth Sciences rankings. For our Best Overall Geological & Earth Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Geology
Master's Degrees in Geology
Doctor's Degrees in Geology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of geology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Geology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Geology Degrees Awarded
8.0% Growth in Graduates

Stanford University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in geological & earth sciences. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 100 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences degree program at Stanford University earn $19,686 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Geology Degrees Awarded
$36,796 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you wish to pursue a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 53 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $36,796.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Geology Degrees Awarded
$38,071 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in geological & earth sciences has to check out University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 127.00000000000001 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. After graduating, geology degree recipients usually earn about $38,071 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
31 Geology Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences has to look into California Institute of Technology. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were about 31 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from California Institute of Technology

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
49 Geology Degrees Awarded

UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 49 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Berkeley

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Geology Degrees Awarded
$25,210 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, geology degree recipients generally earn about $25,210 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Geology Degrees Awarded
$42,953 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 75 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences major at University of California - San Diego get $5,221 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - San Diego

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NV
33 Geology Degrees Awarded

UNR is a very large public university located in the large city of Reno. This university ranks 2nd out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nevada.

There were roughly 33 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UNR in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Nevada - Reno

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Geology Degrees Awarded
$27,905 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 70 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduating, geology degree recipients usually earn about $27,905 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Irvine

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Geology Degrees Awarded
$36,107 Median Starting Salary

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were about 65 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, geology degree recipients generally earn around $36,107 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 991
Washington 300 339
Oregon 266 135
Nevada 192 69
Hawaii 164 42
Alaska 119 37

View All Rankings >

Geological & Earth Sciences is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Geology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Geology & Earth Sciences 1,121
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 193
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 162
Geophysics & Seismology 83
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 59
Geochemistry 14

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Geology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 4,052
Physics 3,867
General Physical Sciences 1,209
Astronomy & Astrophysics 344
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 157
Materials Sciences 143
Other Physical Science 15

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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