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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Geography

58 Ranked Colleges
201 Degrees Awarded
$33,200 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Geography is the 159th most popular major in the country with 4,954 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 201 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major” ranking looked at 58 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography. That schools that top this list have a program in geography in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geography Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree geography students.

Top 25 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Geography

1
Clark crest
Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Clark University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major. Clark University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 11 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Geography at Clark University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 Geography at UCSB

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Maryland - Baltimore County. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major. This fairly large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at UMBC

4
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Geography at Texas State

5
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kentucky. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. UK is a large public school situated in Lexington, Kentucky. It awarded 6 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read more about Geography at University of Kentucky

6

Kent State University at Kent did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #6. Kent State University at Kent is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 5 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geography at Kent State University at Kent

7
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 9 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Michigan State University

8
University at Buffalo crest
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

With a ranking of #8, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. This large school is located in Buffalo, New York, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 87%.

Read more about Geography at University at Buffalo

9

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography at University of California - Los Angeles

10

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s geography degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

11

With a ranking of #11, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geography degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

12

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

13

University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. UNC Charlotte is a large school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 5 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Geography at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

14
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #14. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s geography degrees to qualified students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at University of Kansas

15

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 4 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, 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 full report on Geography at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

16
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #16. Kansas State University is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at K -State

17
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. University of Oregon is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 more about Geography at University of Oregon

18
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. University of Georgia is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 6 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Geography at University of Georgia

19

University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #19. UH Manoa is a fairly large school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 2 doctorate’s geography 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%.

Full UH Manoa Geography Report

20

Northern Illinois University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geography at Northern Illinois University

21
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #21. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geography degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Geography Report

22

With a ranking of #22, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is a large public school situated in Boulder, Colorado. It awarded 4 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 85%.

Read more about Geography at University of Colorado Boulder

23
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geography students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Geography at University of Florida

24

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 7 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Geography at University of Wisconsin - Madison

25

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geography Major ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 more about Geography at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Notes and References

References

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