2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Rocky Mountains Region
14
Ranked Colleges
143
Degrees Awarded
$62,256
Avg Salary
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 526 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,791 and $24,175 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 143 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,301 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region master’s degree geology students.
Top 14 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Rocky Mountains Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado School of Mines. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Colorado School of Mines is a public institution located in Golden, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 50 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Full Colorado School of Mines Geological & Earth Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montana Technological University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region. This small school is located in Butte, Montana, and it awarded 8 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Montana Technological University Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Wyoming is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Wyoming
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montana State University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region. MSU Bozeman is a fairly large public school situated in Bozeman, Montana. It awarded 7 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Montana State University
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Boise State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Boise State is a large school located in Boise, Idaho that handed out 11 masters’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%.
Full Boise State Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Utah State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Utah State University is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geological & Earth Sciences at Utah State University
University of Idaho landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Moscow, Idaho, and it awarded 4 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at University of Idaho
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is located in Provo, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at Brigham Young University - Provo
The University of Montana came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. UM is a public institution located in Missoula, Montana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at The University of Montana
University of Utah ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Utah Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Colorado State University - Fort Collins did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #11. Colorado State is a large public school situated in Fort Collins, Colorado. It awarded 7 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Colorado State University - Fort Collins Geological & Earth Sciences Report
Idaho State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #12. Idaho State University is a fairly large school located in Pocatello, Idaho that handed out 2 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at ISU
University of Northern Colorado ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region list. University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Northern Colorado Geological & Earth Sciences Report
University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Geology Major in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, coming in at #14. CU - Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 masters’s geology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of Colorado Boulder 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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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