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2025 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

28 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
1,632 Geology Degrees Awarded
$43,196 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in geological & earth sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #95 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for geological & earth sciences students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,632 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 Far Western US 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. For our Best Overall Geological & Earth Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Geological & Earth Sciences in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of geology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Geology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
32 Geology Degrees Awarded

University of California - Berkeley is a good option for students pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 32 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Berkeley

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Geology Degrees Awarded
1.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in geological & earth sciences needs to look into University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 129 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the geology program earn an average of $29,724 for their early career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Geosciences Program Name

Gain the analytical, technical and science communications skills you need to begin your career with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Geosciences from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Geology Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you wish to pursue a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 59 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the geology program earn about $30,759 for their early career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Geology Degrees Awarded
13.8% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - San Diego if you wish to pursue a degree in geological & earth sciences. UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 87 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences degree program at University of California - San Diego make $36,449 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - San Diego

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
47 Geology Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 47 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Geology Degrees Awarded
$43,462 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 31 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the geology program earn around $43,462 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Davis

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Geology Degrees Awarded
$38,804 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 62 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the geology program make around $38,804 for their early career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Irvine

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Geosciences - Natural Resources Conservation Program Name

Learn to manage and conserve our natural resources with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Geosciences - Natural Resources Conservation from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Geology Degrees Awarded
$43,362 Median Starting Salary

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were about 53 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, geology degree recipients typically make around $43,362 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Geology Degrees Awarded
$33,178 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #182 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were roughly 120 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the geology program earn around $33,178 for their early career.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NV
44 Geology Degrees Awarded

UNR is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Reno. This university ranks 2nd out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nevada.

There were approximately 44 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UNR in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from University of Nevada - Reno

Best Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best geological & earth sciences schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 991
Washington 300 339
Oregon 266 135
Nevada 192 69
Hawaii 164 42
Alaska 119 37

View All Rankings >

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

Geology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Geology & Earth Sciences 1,152
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 174
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 154
Geophysics & Seismology 89
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 55
Geochemistry 8

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Geology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 4,110
Physics 3,474
General Physical Sciences 941
Astronomy & Astrophysics 285
Materials Sciences 194
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 142
Other Physical Science 11

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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