2023 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
14
Ranked Colleges
214
Degrees Awarded
$42,953
Avg Salary
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Geological & Earth Sciences is the 95th most popular major in the country with 7,821 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 California, there were 994 geological and earth sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,206 and $19,545 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geological and earth sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geological and earth sciences programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the geological and earth sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree vets studying geology.
Top 14 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5.According to our most recent data, UCLA supports 44,589 students, and 7 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 4 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UCLA]](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 38 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying geology list, UCSD has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCSD supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 UCSD]](/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 36,303 students enrolled at University of California - Irvine, 8 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,620. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #4 spot on the list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1.Of the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford University, 188 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,909. During this same period, 61 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Stanford University]](/colleges/stanford-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 7 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB also took the #10 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSULB supports 40,069 students, and 822 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSULB does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 California State University - Long Beach Veteran Student Life Report
University of California - Davis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 11 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 31 of the 39,074 students enrolled at University of California - Davis were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of California - Davis]](/colleges/university-of-california-davis/student-life/veterans/)
San Diego State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 36,334 students enrolled at San Diego State University, 1,433 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 853 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,806. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s list. Located in Pomona, California, this large public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified masters’s geology students in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #11.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 30,014 students enrolled at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona were GI Bill® students, of which 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,486. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona offers 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona]](/colleges/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona/student-life/veterans/)
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s geology students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, UCSB supports 26,179 students, and 286 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 128 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,510. During this same period, 3 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also made our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13.Our most recent data shows that 34 of the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Sacramento does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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%.
Read More…
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 11 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 273 of the 19,161 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Cruz were GI Bill® students, of which 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,631. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 4 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 40,381 students enrolled at CSUN, 680 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,745. 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 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%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 3 masters’s geology degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State LA, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 26,745 students enrolled at Cal State LA, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,700. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
Full Cal State LA Veteran Student Life Report
California Institute of Technology came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Geology for a Master’s ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s geology degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
Caltech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geological & Earth Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 4 of the 2,240 students enrolled at Caltech were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $67,154. To help with additional expenses, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 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 94%.
Full Caltech Veteran Student Life 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).
- 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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