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2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California

21 Colleges in California
994 Geology Degrees Awarded
$39,206 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.

College Factual looked at 21 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 994 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 California 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 the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 California

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 California Schools in Geology

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Geology Degrees Awarded
8.0% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences needs to take a look at Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 100 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those geological & earth sciences students who get their degree from Stanford University earn $18,212 more than the standard geology graduate.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Geology Degrees Awarded
$36,796 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Santa Barbara is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in geological & earth sciences. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 53 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program state that they receive average early career income of $36,796.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
31 Geology Degrees Awarded

California Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in geological & earth sciences. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were about 31 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from California Institute of Technology

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
49 Geology Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue 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 #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 49 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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Geology Degrees Awarded
$25,210 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 31 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, geology degree recipients typically earn about $25,210 in the first five years of their career.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Geology Degrees Awarded
$42,953 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 75 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 program at University of California - San Diego make $3,747 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Geology Degrees Awarded
$27,905 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 70 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, geology degree recipients generally earn about $27,905 in the first five years of their career.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Geology Degrees Awarded
$36,107 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 #102 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were approximately 65 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, geology degree recipients usually earn about $36,107 in their early careers.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Geology Degrees Awarded
$35,137 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the geology program report average early career earnings of $35,137.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$49,915 Median Starting Salary

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Long Beach. This university ranks 28th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 18 geological & earth sciences students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the geological & earth sciences degree program at California State University - Long Beach earn $10,709 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in geological & earth sciences from California State University - Long Beach

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
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 706
Other Geological & Earth Sciences/Geosciences 107
Chemical & Physical Oceanography 86
Geophysics & Seismology 54
Hydrology & Water Resources Science 27
Geochemistry 14

View All Geology Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Geology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 3,316
Physics 3,224
General Physical Sciences 362
Astronomy & Astrophysics 252
Materials Sciences 136
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 82
Other Physical Science 15

View All Geology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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