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2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region

38 Colleges in the Southeast Region
1,540 Geology Degrees Awarded
$37,423 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 38 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for geological & earth sciences students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,540 degrees in geological & earth sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Geological & Earth Sciences School

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southeast 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

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 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college 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 Southeast 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 Southeast Region Schools in Geology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Geology Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College if you want to pursue a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the medium-sized city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 29 colleges for overall quality in the state of Louisiana.

There were approximately 72 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Louisiana State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, geology degree recipients usually earn around $37,819 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

2
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Geology Degrees Awarded
$38,395 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences has to look into University of Florida. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were about 32 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, geology degree recipients generally make about $38,395 in the first five years of their career.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Geology Degrees Awarded
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in geological & earth sciences needs to look into North Carolina State University. NC State is a very large public university located in the city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 32 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, geology degree recipients usually make an average of $37,773 in their early careers.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,241 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in geological & earth sciences. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were about 29 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program report average early career wages of $28,241.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

5

Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #24 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

6
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In VA
18.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #111 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were roughly 27 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from William & Mary

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In GA

Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

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

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

8
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Geology Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #121 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 33 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent year we have data available. Those geological & earth sciences students who get their degree from Florida State University make $2,596 more than the average geology student.

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

9
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Geology Degrees Awarded
21.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the remote town of Mississippi State, Mississippi State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were roughly 181 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Mississippi State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences program at Mississippi State University earn $8,018 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

10
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,556 Median Starting Salary
$30,062 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 26 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program report average early career earnings of $25,556.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Virginia Tech

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 92
Florida 282 221
North Carolina 279 260
Virginia 274 143
Tennessee 269 189
South Carolina 248 64
Kentucky 244 44
Louisiana 242 137
Mississippi 234 217
Arkansas 234 45
Alabama 233 38
West Virginia 207 61

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 1,219
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 190
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 115
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 13
Geophysics & Seismology 3

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 5,043
Physics 2,030
General Physical Sciences 239
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 205
Other Physical Science 155
Astronomy & Astrophysics 131
Materials Sciences 39
Physics and Astronomy 38

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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