2023 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region
8
Ranked Colleges
46
Degrees Awarded
$32,000
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate” 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 Rocky Mountains region, there were 526 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,791 and $24,175 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geological and earth sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geological and earth sciences programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
The geology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate”.
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.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate”.
Top 8 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Utah. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate. U of U is a large public school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 6 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
U of U also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Of the 33,081 students enrolled at University of Utah, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Colorado Boulder. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 13 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
CU - Boulder did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,379 of the 37,437 students enrolled at CU - Boulder were GI Bill® students, of which 968 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,889. In addition to receiving other benefits, 46 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate list. University of Wyoming is a fairly large school located in Laramie, Wyoming that handed out 9 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
UW also took the #1 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Wyoming supports 11,829 students, and 473 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 255 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,738. During this same period, 13 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wyoming Veteran Student Life Report
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 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate. Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a large public school situated in Fort Collins, Colorado. It awarded 1 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
Colorado State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Among the 32,428 students enrolled at Colorado State University - Fort Collins, 1,606 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,183 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,701. On top of their other funding sources, 68 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Colorado State University - Fort Collins offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
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Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Montana State University landed the #5 spot on the list. MSU Bozeman is located in Bozeman, Montana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s geology degrees to qualified students.
MSU Bozeman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Of the 16,218 students enrolled at Montana State University, 656 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 393 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,023. To help with additional expenses, 37 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full MSU Bozeman Veteran Student Life Report
Colorado School of Mines landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking. Colorado School of Mines is a medium-sized public school situated in Golden, Colorado. It awarded 7 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our rocky mountains region doctor’s degree vets studying geology list, Mines has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Colorado School of Mines supports 6,744 students, and 234 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 145 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,456. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full Mines Veteran Student Life Report
Boise State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Boise, Idaho, this large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geology students in 2020-2021.
Boise State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Among the 24,069 students enrolled at Boise State, 1,134 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 798 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,559. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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University of Idaho did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Geology for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. University of Idaho is a fairly large public school situated in Moscow, Idaho. It awarded 2 doctorate’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Among the 10,791 students enrolled at U of I, 382 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 248 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,784. In addition to receiving other benefits, 29 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. U of I does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at U of I]](/colleges/university-of-idaho/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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