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2024 Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools

173 Colleges in the United States
6,024 Geology Degrees Awarded
Ranked #125 in popularity, geology & earth sciences is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 173 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,024 degrees in geology & earth sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Geology & Earth Sciences School

Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools Your choice of geology & earth sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Geology & Earth Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Geology & Earth Sciences Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Geology
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 Geology & Earth Sciences Schools 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 Geology & Earth Sciences in the United States

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Geology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
64 Geology Degrees Awarded

Any student pursuing a degree in geology & earth sciences needs to look into Stanford University. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 64 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
9.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a degree in geology & earth sciences. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TX
108 Geology Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat Texas A&M University - College Station if you want to pursue a degree in geology & earth sciences. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. This university ranks 3rd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 108 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TX
50 Geology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in geology & earth sciences has to take a look at The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 50 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from The University of Texas at Austin

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CO
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Mines is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Golden. This school ranks 1st out of 33 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were roughly 9 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Mines in the most recent year we have data available.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
48 Geology Degrees Awarded

UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. This university ranks 10th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 48 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In CA
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 12 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent data year.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In CA

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

There were roughly 14 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
46 Geology Degrees Awarded

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 46 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WA
43 Geology Degrees Awarded

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were approximately 43 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.

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

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AZ
48 Geology Degrees Awarded

University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson. This university ranks 3rd out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 48 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Arizona

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
62 Geology Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 62 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
54 Geology Degrees Awarded

Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. This university ranks 7th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 54 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 24 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

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

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX
60 Geology Degrees Awarded

UH is a very large public university located in the large city of Houston. This university ranks 10th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 60 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Houston

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MN
25.0% Growth in Graduates

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 1st out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 28 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 19 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 27 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.

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

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CT

UCONN is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Storrs. This university ranks 2nd out of 28 colleges for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.

There were roughly 16 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Connecticut

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WY

Located in the town of Laramie, UW is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 7 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wyoming.

There were approximately 27 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW in the most recent data year.

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

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In NY

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were roughly 9 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from Cornell University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
34 Geology Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 34 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from Purdue University - Main Campus

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA

UMass Amherst is a very large public university located in the suburb of Amherst. This university ranks 11th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 25 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geology & earth sciences from University of Massachusetts Amherst

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
70 Geology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 70 geology & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.

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

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NV

Located in the city of Reno, UNR is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nevada.

There were about 16 geology & 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 geology & earth sciences from University of Nevada - Reno

Rest of the Top Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Geology & Earth Sciences students that almost earned our Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
27 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
28 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
29 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
30 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
31 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
32 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
33 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
34 University of Florida Gainesville, FL

Geology & Earth Sciences by Region

View the Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Geology & Earth Sciences is one of 7 different types of Geological & Earth Sciences programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 767
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 508
Geophysics & Seismology 243
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 221
Geochemistry 49
Paleontology 9

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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