Top Geology and Earth Sciences Programs in the United States
Updated
Part of Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the United States
This page ranks 167 Geology and Earth Sciences programs in the United States by median earnings of Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus leads the list with median earnings of $85,207 four years after completing, followed by The University of Texas at Austin at $83,481 and Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus at $81,092.
Across the listed programs, the median figure is $56,255, with values ranging from $85,207 to $11,851.
Public institutions account for 153 of the 167 programs, alongside 14 private nonprofit schools. California State University-Bakersfield posts the lowest average net price on the list at $5,652.
California State University-Long Beach ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK | $85,207 | $15,300 | $10,509 | 76.6% |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus reports $85,207 in median earnings for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing, with 16 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX | $83,481 | $19,857 | $12,553 | 26.6% |
| The University of Texas at Austin admits 27% of applicants and ranks 9th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $81,092 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus shows an average net price of $32,875 alongside median earnings of $81,092 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $79,143 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles carries a median federal debt of $14,000 across all of the school's borrowers who completed, and its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates earn a median of $79,143 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | Texas A&M University-College Station · College Station, TX | $74,594 | $21,315 | $12,784 | 57.4% |
| Texas A&M University-College Station ranks 5th on this list, with median federal debt of $18,686 among Geology and Earth Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 6 | Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX | $74,591 | $19,070 | $12,457 | 72.7% |
| An admission rate of 73% and median earnings of $74,591 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing are reported by Texas Tech University. | |||||
| 7 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $73,647 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| San Diego State University reports an average net price of $15,364 and ranks 36th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 8 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $73,418 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| California State University-Sacramento admits 94% of applicants, and its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates earn a median of $73,418 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $73,337 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis shows median federal debt of $16,000 among Geology and Earth Sciences completers who borrowed, with 20 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 10 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $73,305 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 10th on this list and reports an average net price of $11,531. | |||||
| 11 | Lehigh University · Bethlehem, PA | $72,978 | $36,931 | $16,917 | 25.9% |
| Lehigh University, a private nonprofit university in Bethlehem, reports median earnings of $72,978 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $71,631 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins carries an admission rate of 89% and median federal debt of $22,250 among Geology and Earth Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 13 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $70,820 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| University of California-Irvine reports median earnings of $70,820 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $14,251. | |||||
| 14 | University of South Carolina-Columbia · Columbia, SC | $70,284 | $22,811 | $12,634 | 60.2% |
| With an admission rate of 60%, University of South Carolina-Columbia ranks 14th on this list and shows median federal debt of $23,250 among Geology and Earth Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 15 | California State University-Bakersfield · Bakersfield, CA | $69,989 | $5,652 | $3,536 | 93.9% |
| California State University-Bakersfield posts median earnings of $69,989 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing, and a school-wide median federal debt of $16,600 across all borrowers who completed. | |||||
| 16 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $69,943 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
| Ranking 29th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, University of Florida reports median earnings of $69,943 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | University of Connecticut · Storrs, CT | $69,610 | $25,097 | $15,193 | 52.4% |
| University of Connecticut lists an average net price of $25,097 and median earnings of $69,610 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 18 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $69,227 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports median federal debt of $15,000 among Geology and Earth Sciences completers who borrowed, while its admission rate stands at 31%. | |||||
| 19 | University of Wyoming · Laramie, WY | $68,883 | $13,599 | $7,977 | 96.9% |
| University of Wyoming ranks 19th on this list, with median earnings of $68,883 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $13,599. | |||||
| 20 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $68,201 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| With an average net price of $2,038 for families earning under $30,000, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports median earnings of $68,201 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 21 | University of Houston · Houston, TX | $68,127 | $14,276 | $10,929 | 73.9% |
| University of Houston ranks 13th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $68,127 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College · Baton Rouge, LA | $67,493 | $19,151 | $13,056 | 73.3% |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College admits 73% of applicants and shows median federal debt of $19,500 among Geology and Earth Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 23 | Western Washington University · Bellingham, WA | $67,208 | $21,193 | $12,915 | 93.3% |
| Western Washington University reports median earnings of $67,208 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing, with a cohort of 52 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 24 | Ohio University-Main Campus · Athens, OH | $66,922 | $21,637 | $15,673 | 85.0% |
| Ranking 24th on this list, Ohio University-Main Campus posts median earnings of $66,922 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $21,637. | |||||
| 25 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $66,845 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus reports median earnings of $66,845 for its Geology and Earth Sciences graduates four years after completing, with 97 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Geochemistry graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 51 of the 167 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 167 schools with a published figure. The gap between first-ranked University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus and second-ranked The University of Texas at Austin is $1,726.
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