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2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k

146 Ranked Colleges
1,233 Degrees Awarded
$39,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Master's For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 7,036 people earned their degree in geology and earth sciences, making the major the 101st most popular in the United States.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,233 geology and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 146 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geology and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geology and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geology and earth sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geology & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k)

#1

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Caltech

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Northwestern University

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 25 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Stanford University

#4

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Out of the 146 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at University of Pennsylvania

#5

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 146 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.

Princeton also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton University are $56,470.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Princeton University

#6

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 1 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

MIT also took the #0 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MIT are $56,719.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

#7

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#4 in overall quality

Dartmouth College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dartmouth College is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Dartmouth are $58,120.

Full Dartmouth College Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#8

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#16 in overall quality

Johns Hopkins University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Johns Hopkins, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins are $59,425, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Johns Hopkins University Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#9

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Florida came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 5 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130.

Full University of Florida Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#6 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 9 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#11

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Brown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brown University are $60,363, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at Brown

#12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#20 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.

U-M also took the #20 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at U-M

#13

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#11 in overall quality

Cornell University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Cornell

#14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#17 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 7 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNC Chapel Hill has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#15

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
Top 25% in overall quality

Vanderbilt University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 7 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Vanderbilt Geology & Earth Sciences Report

#16

The City College of New York

New York, New York

The City College of New York ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The City College of New York is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at The City College of New York are $20,832, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at The City College of New York

#5 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Columbia

With a ranking of #18, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at UIUC

#19

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 2 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland - College Park are $30,885, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Maryland - College Park Geology & Earth Sciences Report

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Cal State LA

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fullerton

#21 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 13 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at UW Seattle

#23

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Laramie, Wyoming, and it awarded 7 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Geology & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW are $16,615, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Geology & Earth Sciences at University of Wyoming

#24

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #24, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at Purdue

With a ranking of #25, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geology & Earth Sciences at California State University - Long Beach

Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong.

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