2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major
24
Ranked Colleges
72
Degrees Awarded
$34,100
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Geophysics & Seismology is the 757th most popular major in the country with 238 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 72 geophysics & seismology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in geophysics & seismology. That schools that top this list have a program in geophysics & seismology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Geophysics 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major”.
Top 24 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Geophysics & Seismology
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Alaska Fairbanks landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Fairbanks, Alaska, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #2 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Stanford
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major. California Institute of Technology is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 8 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at California Institute of Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UH
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 7 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Chicago Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #6, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Southern Methodist University Geophysics & Seismology Report
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Wyoming did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 2 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Wyoming Geophysics & Seismology Report
Michigan Technological University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. Houghton, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geophysics degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at Michigan Technological University
University of Colorado Boulder ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full CU - Boulder Geophysics & Seismology Report
University of Utah came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s geophysics degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at U of U
University of Nevada - Reno did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Reno, Nevada, this large public school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at UNR
With a ranking of #13, Saint Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. SLU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 1 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full SLU Geophysics & Seismology Report
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full MIT Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #15, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at SDSU
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #16. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 doctorate’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Geophysics & Seismology Report
With a ranking of #17, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Texas A&M College Station Geophysics & Seismology Report
University of California - San Diego landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s geophysics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - San Diego Geophysics & Seismology Report
Boise State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Boise, Idaho, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Boise State University
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking. This small school is located in Socorro, New Mexico, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
With a ranking of #19, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 21 doctorate’s geophysics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 more about Geophysics & Seismology at UW Seattle
Brown University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s geophysics degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Brown University
Colorado School of Mines did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Golden, Colorado, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s geophysics students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Geophysics & Seismology at Mines
With a ranking of #19, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Geophysics Major list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Geophysics & Seismology at UW - Madison
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelvinsong.
