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2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region

10 Ranked Colleges
64 Degrees Awarded
$26,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 8,918 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 84th most popular in the United States. 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 the Rocky Mountains region, there were 630 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,529 and $23,431 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 64 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,140 and $97,138 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region” list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region doctor’s degree geology students.

Top 10 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Laramie, Wyoming is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region doctor’s degree geology students list, UW has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW are $16,615.

Full University of Wyoming Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#2

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Utah. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

U of U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at U of U are $24,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at U of U

#3

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montana State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region. Montana State University is a public institution located in Bozeman, Montana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Bozeman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MSU Bozeman are $21,446.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Montana State University

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geology students in 2019-2020.

Colorado State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State are $28,055.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Colorado State

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USU are $22,598, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full USU Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#6

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#9 in overall quality

The University of Montana landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Missoula, Montana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

UM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Montana are $23,242, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at The University of Montana

#7

Boise State University

Boise, Idaho
#7 in overall quality

Boise State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Boise State is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Boise State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Boise State are $26,566.

Full Boise State Geological & Earth Sciences Report

#8

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region list. U of I is located in Moscow, Idaho and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s geology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of I, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at U of I are $29,112, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Idaho

#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region list. CU - Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 9 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CU - Boulder, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CU - Boulder are $32,980, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Colorado Boulder

#10

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, Colorado
#1 in overall quality

Colorado School of Mines did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Doctorate in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #10. Mines is a medium-sized school located in Golden, Colorado that handed out 12 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region doctor’s degree geology students list, Mines has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado School of Mines are $39,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Colorado School of Mines Geological & Earth Sciences Report

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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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