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2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region

12 Ranked Colleges
26 Degrees Awarded
$30,400 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 7,821 people earned their degree in geological and earth sciences, making the major the 95th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, geological and earth sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $38,705 and had an average of $23,383 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 430 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,405 and $25,612 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 26 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,829 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in geological and earth sciences. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in geological and earth sciences.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region

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

Top 12 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Plains States Region

1

Out of the 12 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Rolla, Missouri, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Geological & Earth Sciences Report

2
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at WUSTL

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

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

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 5 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at UNL

6
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 3 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Iowa

7
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #7, Saint Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 1 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full SLU Geological & Earth Sciences Report

8
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

With a ranking of #8, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at KU

9

University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Mizzou Geological & Earth Sciences Report

10
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geology degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at K -State

10
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. UND is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 0 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UND Geological & Earth Sciences Report

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a medium-sized school located in Duluth, Minnesota that handed out 19 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Minnesota - Duluth

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