2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Far Western US Region
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that 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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,851 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,136 and $22,606 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 328 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 28 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 Master’s in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nevada - Reno. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Nevada - Reno is located in Reno, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
UNR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNR are $21,971, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Nevada - Reno Geological & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Long Beach 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.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
UNLV also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #18. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNLV are $21,962.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #15. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 16 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. 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 more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fresno
With a ranking of #6, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
SFSU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Francisco State University are $17,944, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Chico came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Chico are $18,802, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 3 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona are $18,377, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
With a ranking of #9, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, this large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region master’s degree geology students list, Oregon State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Oregon State University are $28,121, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #10, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
SDSU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at San Diego State University
California State University - Bakersfield landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2019-2020.
CSUB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CSUB are $18,437.
With a ranking of #12, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 12 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - San Diego landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 43 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 18 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #15, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
WWU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Washington University are $24,105, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Western Washington University
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #17, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
UCSB also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Geological & Earth Sciences Report
California State University - East Bay came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 3 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State East Bay are $17,828, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - East Bay
University of California - Davis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 6 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
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.
Central Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21. CWU is a fairly large public school situated in Ellensburg, Washington. It awarded 9 masters’s geology degrees in 2019-2020.
CWU also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Central Washington University are $24,976.
University of California - Irvine ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Irvine
Portland State University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region list. Portland State University is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Portland State University
University of Oregon landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Eugene, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UO, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oregon are $29,991, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geology Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #25. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.
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Geological & Earth Sciences students with family income $75-$110k in the Far Western US Region
Best Value Master's Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Far Western US Region
Geological & Earth Sciences students in the Far Western US Region
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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