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2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

31 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
818 Geology Degrees Awarded
$35,990 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in geological & earth sciences, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #95 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 31 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for geological & earth sciences students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 818 degrees in geological & earth sciences to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Geological & Earth Sciences School

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region The geology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Geological & Earth Sciences rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for geological & earth sciences schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Geology
Master's Degrees in Geology
Doctor's Degrees in Geology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the geology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Geology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
9.5% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in geological & earth sciences. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
17.6% Growth in Graduates

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 17 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Geology Degrees Awarded
$39,352 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 50 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Geological & Earth Sciences degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive an earnings boost of around $3,362 over the average earnings of geological & earth sciences majors.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Geology Degrees Awarded
21.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in geological & earth sciences. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 62 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,679.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 19 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Geology Degrees Awarded
$33,505 Median Starting Salary

Purdue is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were about 34 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program state that they receive average early career income of $33,505.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Purdue University - Main Campus

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,649 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 28 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the geology program make an average of $34,649 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Ohio State University - Main Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Geology Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were about 35 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the geology program make about $34,008 for their early career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Miami University - Oxford

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Geology Degrees Awarded
20.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were about 34 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Geological & Earth Sciences degree recipients from Michigan State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,729 above the typical earnings of geological & earth sciences majors.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Michigan State University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Geology Degrees Awarded
10.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 38 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at WMU in the most recent data year. After graduation, geology degree recipients typically earn an average of $36,192 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Western Michigan University

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 205
Ohio 314 235
Illinois 304 132
Indiana 294 98
Wisconsin 273 130

View All Rankings >

Geological & Earth Sciences is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Geology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Geology & Earth Sciences 731
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 30
Geophysics & Seismology 24
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 18
Geochemistry 9
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 4
Paleontology 2

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 3,288
Physics 1,760
Astronomy & Astrophysics 249
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 174
General Physical Sciences 80
Materials Sciences 37
Other Physical Science 15

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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