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2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools

116 Colleges in the United States
1,663 Master's Degrees
$59,807 Avg Early-Career Salary
a master's degree in geological & earth sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #82 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual looked at 116 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,663 master's degrees in geological & earth sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools Your choice of geological & earth sciences for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality geology program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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 master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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

More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Geology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Geological & Earth Sciences in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for geological & earth sciences students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

18 Top Schools for a Master's in Geology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
38 Annual Graduates

Stanford University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from Stanford University

2

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in geological & earth sciences. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station.

Those geological & earth sciences students who get their master's degree from Texas A&M University - College Station receive $11,596 more than the average geology grad.

More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station

2
5 Annual Graduates

Northwestern University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from Northwestern University

3

It's hard to beat Colorado School of Mines if you wish to pursue a master's degree in geological & earth sciences. Mines is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Golden.

Those geological & earth sciences students who get their master's degree from Colorado School of Mines earn $2,449 more than the typical geology grad.

More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from Colorado School of Mines

4
14 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat California Institute of Technology if you want to pursue a master's degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from California Institute of Technology

5
7 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

6

UH is a very large public university located in the large city of Houston.

Master's recipients from the geological & earth sciences major at University of Houston get $39,940 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Houston

7
18 Annual Graduates

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from The University of Texas at Austin

8
25 Annual Graduates

University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the large city of Tucson.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Arizona

9
7 Annual Graduates

UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Storrs.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Connecticut

10
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Berkeley

11
15 Annual Graduates

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

12

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, geology master's recipients usually make about $42,953 in their early careers.

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

13
23 Annual Graduates

UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

14
8 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Reno, UNR is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Nevada - Reno

15
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from Cornell University

16
8 Annual Graduates

UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

17

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in geological & earth sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Geological & Earth Sciences students that almost earned our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
18 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
19 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
20 Baylor University Waco, TX
21 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
22 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
23 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
24 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
25 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN

Geological & Earth Sciences by Region

View the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master's Degree 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

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

Geology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Geology & Earth Sciences 1,154
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 182
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 137
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 97
Geophysics & Seismology 79
Geochemistry 12
Paleontology 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 2,246
Physics 1,949
Materials Sciences 270
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 213
Astronomy & Astrophysics 187
Other Physical Science 148
General Physical Sciences 75
Physics and Astronomy 9

Notes and References

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