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2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

12 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
576 Geology Degrees Awarded
$40,791 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 576 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 Rocky Mountains 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 Rocky Mountains 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 Rocky Mountains 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 Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Geology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Geology Degrees Awarded
$62,256 Median Starting Salary

Colorado School of Mines is a great choice for students interested in a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the large suburb of Golden, Mines is a public school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #48 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mines is a great school overall.

There were approximately 53 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Mines in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences program at Colorado School of Mines get $21,465 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Colorado School of Mines

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Geology Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in geological & earth sciences needs to check out University of Wyoming. UW is a fairly large public university located in the remote town of Laramie. This university ranks 1st out of 7 schools for overall quality in the state of Wyoming.

There were roughly 48 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences program at University of Wyoming get $4,333 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

3
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Geology Degrees Awarded
23.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in geological & earth sciences needs to check out University of Utah. U of U is a very large public university located in the city of Salt Lake City. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 51 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at U of U 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 $34,946.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Geology Degrees Awarded
$38,605 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of Colorado Boulder if you wish to pursue a degree in geological & earth sciences. CU - Boulder is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Boulder. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CU - Boulder is a great university overall.

There were roughly 53 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, geology degree recipients typically earn an average of $38,605 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Geology Degrees Awarded
59.6% Growth in Graduates

Colorado State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 47 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences degree program at Colorado State University - Fort Collins get $4,757 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Geology Degrees Awarded
21.7% Growth in Graduates

MSU Bozeman is a large public university located in the town of Bozeman. A Best Colleges rank of #485 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means MSU Bozeman is a great university overall.

There were roughly 60 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at MSU Bozeman in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the geology program make around $35,575 in their early career salary.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In UT

BYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Provo. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

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

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Brigham Young University - Provo

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In ID

U of I is a fairly large public university located in the town of Moscow. This university ranks 1st out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were roughly 14 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at U of I in the most recent data year.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25.0% Growth in Graduates
$44,619 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were approximately 12 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at BYU - I in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences program at Brigham Young University - Idaho earn $3,828 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from Brigham Young University - Idaho

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Geology Degrees Awarded
29.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Boise, Boise State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 10 schools for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were about 34 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Boise State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the geology program make an average of $34,068 in the first couple years of their career.

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

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Colorado275212
Utah266122
Idaho21965
Montana18876
Wyoming16246

View All Rankings >

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

Geology Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Geology & Earth Sciences460
Hydrology & Water Resources Science41
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences38
Geophysics & Seismology37

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Chemistry711
Physics585
Astronomy & Astrophysics89
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology87
Materials Sciences19
General Physical Sciences7
Other Physical Science5

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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