2025 Best Geology & Earth Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California

If you pursue a doctor's degree in geology & earth sciences, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #55 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Geology & Earth Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 64 doctor's degrees in geology & earth sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to geology & earth sciences students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other geology & earth sciences students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized geology & earth sciences related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for geology & earth sciences students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Geology & Earth Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Geology & Earth Sciences in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in geology & earth sciences.

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Geology

1

University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

9 Annual Graduates

University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in geology & earth sciences. UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla.More information about a doctorate in geology & earth sciences from University of California - San Diego

2

University of California - Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of California - Santa Cruz if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in geology & earth sciences. UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz.More information about a doctorate in geology & earth sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz

Best Geology & Earth Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Geology & Earth Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	216	5
Oregon	145	12
Nevada	111	4
Hawaii	65	7
Alaska	21	1

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Geology & Earth Sciences Related Rankings by Major

One of 7 majors within the Geological & Earth Sciences area of study, Geology & Earth Sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Geology

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemical & Physical Oceanography	30
Geophysics & Seismology	21
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences	11
Hydrology & Water Resources Science	6
Geochemistry	1

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong. More about our data sources and methodologies.