College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

12 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
526 Geology Degrees Awarded
$40,791 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in geological & earth sciences, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #95 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 526 degrees in geological & earth sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Geological & Earth Sciences School

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for geological & earth sciences schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Rocky Mountains Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the geology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Geology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Geology Degrees Awarded
10.3% Growth in Graduates

Colorado School of Mines is a good option for students pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the suburb of Golden, Mines is a public school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #48 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mines is a great school overall.

There were about 58 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Mines in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences major at Colorado School of Mines get $21,465 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Colorado School of Mines

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Geology Degrees Awarded
$45,124 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences has to check out University of Wyoming. UW is a large public university located in the remote town of Laramie. This university ranks 1st out of 7 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wyoming.

There were about 45 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences program at University of Wyoming earn $4,333 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Geology Degrees Awarded
$34,946 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in geological & earth sciences needs to take a look at University of Utah. U of U is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.

There were about 39 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,946.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Geology Degrees Awarded
$38,605 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Colorado Boulder if you wish to pursue a degree in geological & earth sciences. CU - Boulder is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Boulder. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CU - Boulder is a great university overall.

There were about 64 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, geology degree recipients generally earn around $38,605 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Colorado Boulder

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$45,548 Median Starting Salary
$26,750 Median Student Debt

Colorado State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Fort Collins. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were about 19 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences program at Colorado State University - Fort Collins make $4,757 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Geology Degrees Awarded
$35,575 Median Starting Salary

MSU Bozeman is a large public university located in the remote town of Bozeman. A Best Colleges rank of #485 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means MSU Bozeman is a great university overall.

There were about 47 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at MSU Bozeman in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the geology program make around $35,575 in the first couple years of their career.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In UT
7.7% Growth in Graduates

BYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Provo. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

There were about 26 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Brigham Young University - Provo

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In ID
11.1% Growth in Graduates

U of I is a large public university located in the distant town of Moscow. This university ranks 1st out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were roughly 18 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at U of I in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$44,619 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were about 9 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at BYU - I in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences major at Brigham Young University - Idaho earn $3,828 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Brigham Young University - Idaho

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,068 Median Starting Salary
$27,760 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Boise, Boise State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 10 schools for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were about 24 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Boise State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the geology program make about $34,068 for their early career.

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

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Colorado 275 212
Utah 266 122
Idaho 219 65
Montana 188 76
Wyoming 162 46

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 400
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 51
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 37
Geophysics & Seismology 32
Geochemistry 6

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 689
Physics 609
Astronomy & Astrophysics 85
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 84
General Physical Sciences 24
Materials Sciences 7
Other Physical Science 3

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options