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

21 Ranked Colleges
218 Degrees Awarded
$25,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Master's in California 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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Geological & Earth Sciences is the 84th most popular major in the country with 8,918 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $35,533 and had an average of $23,531 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,138 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,160 and $19,278 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 218 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 21 colleges that offer a degree in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and earth sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 21 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in California

#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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 11 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California Institute of Technology

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 36 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Stanford University

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA also took the #18 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 8 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fullerton

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at CSULB

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#8 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Irvine

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

CSUB also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #17. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Bakersfield are $18,437, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Bakersfield

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Fresno State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Fresno State

#11

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 9 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at SDSU

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UC Davis

#13

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Riverside

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Sacramento

#15

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

#13 in overall quality

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 3 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree geology students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona are $18,377.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 43 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UCSD

#18

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large 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 UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#19

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#12 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at San Francisco State University

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.

Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Chico State are $18,802, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Chico

#19 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State East Bay are $17,828, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Cal State East Bay

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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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