2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Geological & Earth Sciences is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #37 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 15 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for geological & earth sciences students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 128 doctor's degrees in geological & earth sciences to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Geological & Earth Sciences School for Your Doctor's Degree

The geology doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on geological & earth sciences students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other geological & earth sciences students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt geological & earth sciences students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized geological & earth sciences related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for geological & earth sciences students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The geology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Geological & Earth Sciences in the Southeast Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for geological & earth sciences students seeking a a doctor's degree.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Doctorate in Geology

1

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, LA

12 Annual Graduates

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the medium-sized city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

2

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Atlanta, GA

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in geological & earth sciences has to look into Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

3

University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

5 Annual Graduates

University of Florida is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from University of Florida

4

George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

6 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat George Mason University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in geological & earth sciences. GMU is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from George Mason University

5

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

10 Annual Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

6

Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

8 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from Florida State University

7

Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

9 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from Virginia Tech

8

University of South Florida - Main Campus
Tampa, FL

12 Annual Graduates

USF Tampa is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Tampa.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from University of South Florida - Main Campus

9

Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL

4 Annual Graduates

FAU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Boca Raton.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from Florida Atlantic University

10

University of Georgia
Athens, GA

3 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in geological & earth sciences from University of Georgia

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	138	51
Virginia	127	17
Georgia	126	3
North Carolina	115	16
Mississippi	113	7
Louisiana	103	16
Tennessee	102	6
Alabama	98	1
South Carolina	91	5
Kentucky	87	0
Arkansas	58	4
West Virginia	49	2

View All Rankings >

Geological & Earth Sciences Related Rankings by Major

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	70
Chemical & Physical Oceanography	40
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences	18

Most Popular Majors Related to Geology

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	539
Physics	293
Other Physical Science	30
Materials Sciences	22
Physics and Astronomy	14
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	13
General Physical Sciences	12
Astronomy & Astrophysics	10

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.