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CIP 40.0601 Physical Sciences

Geology/Earth Science, General

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

5,687

2025 · 431 schools

International share

7.1%

405 international students

Bachelor's degrees

3,997

2.4% international

Master's degrees

1,035

17.2% international

Overview

Geology, or Earth Science, is a diverse and interdisciplinary field that focuses on the study of the Earth, its materials, processes, and history. This major encompasses various sub-disciplines, including mineralogy, petrology, paleontology, sedimentology, and geophysics, among others. Students in this field learn about the formation and evolution of the Earth, examining rocks, minerals, and fossils to understand past environments and geological events.

The curriculum typically includes a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Students engage in field studies, laboratory work, and data analysis, which are crucial for conducting geological surveys and research. They often utilize advanced technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and computer modeling, to analyze geological data and predict geological phenomena.

Geology has significant implications for various industries, including natural resource management, environmental consulting, and disaster mitigation. Graduates can pursue careers as geologists, environmental scientists, or educators, and they may work in sectors such as energy, mining, water resources, and environmental protection.

The field is becoming increasingly important in addressing global challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, and resource sustainability. As society seeks to understand and manage the Earth's resources responsibly, the demand for skilled professionals in geology and Earth sciences continues to grow. Overall, this major offers a robust foundation for those interested in exploring the complexities of our planet and contributing to its stewardship.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates grew 56% and the international share went from 5.7% to 7.1%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
65.8%
Asian
3.8%
Hispanic
13.6%
Black
2.7%
Other
7.0%
Intl.
7.1%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 431 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts 17 2
#2 Princeton University New Jersey 23 8
#4 Yale University Connecticut 29 5
#5 California Institute of Technology California 11 1
#5 Stanford University California 63 4
#7 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 15 5
#8 Duke University North Carolina 3 1
#9 Northwestern University Illinois 5 1
#9 Johns Hopkins University Maryland 8 4
#12 Dartmouth College New Hampshire 22 5
#12 Columbia University in the City of New York New York 43 12
#14 Cornell University New York 12 7
#16 Washington University in St Louis Missouri 9 2
#16 Brown University Rhode Island 26 4
#16 Vanderbilt University Tennessee 9 0
#16 Rice University Texas 14 6
#20 University of California-Berkeley California 15 1
#20 University of California-Los Angeles California 13 1
#25 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan 80 10
#27 University of Southern California California 20 5
#27 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina 17 1
#29 University of California-San Diego California 42 8
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 5 0
#31 Tufts University Massachusetts 4 0
#34 University of California-Davis California 37 4
#34 University of California-Irvine California 60 7
#34 University of Florida Florida 34 4
#34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois 17 2
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 20 9
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 80 15
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 25 3
#44 University of California-Santa Barbara California 57 3
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 17 0
#44 Case Western Reserve University Ohio 4 0
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 32 2
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 19 2
#49 University of Rochester New York 9 5
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 13 0
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 23 3
#52 College of William and Mary Virginia 25 0
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 43 5
#55 University of Miami Florida 4 0
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 45 3
#55 Purdue University-Main Campus Indiana 61 10
#59 Florida State University Florida 13 1
#59 Tulane University of Louisiana Louisiana 13 4
#59 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Massachusetts 19 3
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 18 2
#59 Stony Brook University New York 13 1
#59 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania 71 1
#59 Texas A & M University-College Station Texas 71 4
#69 Michigan State University Michigan 18 3
#69 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York 3 0
#69 University of California-Merced California 22 0
#72 Syracuse University New York 22 2
#73 University of Connecticut Connecticut 19 0
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 12 2
#73 Rutgers University-Newark New Jersey 6 0
#73 Binghamton University New York 24 0
#73 North Carolina State University at Raleigh North Carolina 13 0
#80 University of California-Riverside California 32 6
#80 Colorado School of Mines Colorado 14 7
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 7 0
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 10 3
#85 University at Buffalo New York 24 1
#85 Southern Methodist University Texas 9 0
#90 Baylor University Texas 23 3
#90 Texas Christian University Texas 8 0
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 34 2
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 23 1
#100 Auburn University Alabama 16 3
#100 Florida International University Florida 26 3
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 26 3
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 19 0
#100 Saint Louis University Missouri 1 0
#109 University of California-Santa Cruz California 58 2
#109 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 38 2
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 16 0
#109 Temple University Pennsylvania 8 2
#109 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee 38 1
#116 Iowa State University Iowa 6 1
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 26 0
#116 University of Oregon Oregon 31 1
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 23 0
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 17 0
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 30 6
#121 University of Dayton Ohio 4 3
#121 University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina 22 1
#121 The University of Texas at Dallas Texas 28 2
#121 George Mason University Virginia 13 0
#133 Miami University-Oxford Ohio 38 0
#133 University of Vermont Vermont 8 0
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 19 2
#137 San Diego State University California 13 1
#137 San Jose State University California 13 0
#137 University of Houston Texas 40 4
#137 James Madison University Virginia 24 0
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 7 0
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 22 4
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 16 1
#148 University of Tulsa Oklahoma 3 0
#156 The University of Alabama Alabama 18 3
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 16 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 10 3
#156 University of St Thomas (MN) Minnesota 2 0
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 25 0
#156 CUNY--City College New York 15 5
#156 Oregon State University Oregon 19 3
#169 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado 40 4
#169 Michigan Technological University Michigan 12 2
#169 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska 17 7
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 83 0
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 4 0
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 19 0
#179 University of Utah Utah 25 0
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 34 2
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 9 0
#186 Texas Tech University Texas 26 1
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 26 3
#191 Georgia State University Georgia 28 3
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 8 0
#191 Hofstra University New York 5 0
#191 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Oklahoma 32 2
#191 Washington State University Washington 127 4
#202 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana 19 2
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 10 1
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 52 1
#208 California State University--Fresno California 12 0
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 19 0
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 13 1
#208 Mississippi State University Mississippi 157 5
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 17 0
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 11 1
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 18 1
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 22 2
#227 Ball State University Indiana 3 0
#227 University of Michigan-Dearborn Michigan 1 0
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 2 1
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 19 0
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 20 1
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 28 3
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 31 0
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 31 3
#236 North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota 9 0
#236 Kent State University at Kent Ohio 14 4
#236 Portland State University Oregon 28 3
#236 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 15 0
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 12 0
#250 New Mexico State University-Main Campus New Mexico 5 0
#250 University of Wyoming Wyoming 20 2
#262 University of Maine Maine 17 1
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 6 0
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 21 3
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 23 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 6 0
#276 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Ohio 8 3
#288 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Illinois 12 2
#288 University of Indianapolis Indiana 3 1
#288 Wichita State University Kansas 5 0
#288 University of Memphis Tennessee 18 6
#288 Utah State University Utah 21 0
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 19 0
#299 Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut 5 0
#299 Boise State University Idaho 19 1
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 3 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 5 3
#299 Tennessee Technological University Tennessee 17 0
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 17 2
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 8 0
#308 Montana State University Montana 45 0
#308 North Carolina Central University North Carolina 8 0
#308 Wilkes University Pennsylvania 1 0
#317 Kean University New Jersey 6 0
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 10 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 4 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 10 0
#328 East Tennessee State University Tennessee 25 0
#332 University of South Alabama Alabama 2 0
#332 Texas A&M University--Kingsville Texas 2 0
#342 University of Northern Colorado Colorado 11 0
#342 Missouri State University Missouri 10 0
#342 University of Akron Ohio 20 0
#353 University of West Georgia Georgia 13 0
#353 University of Louisiana--Lafayette Louisiana 9 3
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 4 0
#365 Indiana State University Indiana 5 0
#365 Northern Kentucky University Kentucky 5 0
#365 Jackson State University Mississippi 1 0
#365 The University of Montana Montana 15 2
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 5 0
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 7 1
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 6 0
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 6 1
#382 University of New Orleans Louisiana 15 0
#382 Wright State University-Main Campus Ohio 8 1
#382 Angelo State University Texas 5 0
#382 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Texas 12 0
#382 Lamar University Texas 3 0
#382 Tarleton State University Texas 6 0
LAC #1 Williams College Massachusetts 12 1
LAC #2 Amherst College Massachusetts 3 0
LAC #3 Pomona College California 2 0
LAC #3 Bowdoin College Maine 24 0
LAC #10 Wellesley College Massachusetts 5 0
LAC #12 Vassar College New York 10 0
LAC #12 Washington and Lee University Virginia 6 0
LAC #14 Hamilton College New York 12 0
LAC #16 Carleton College Minnesota 21 2
LAC #22 Colby College Maine 4 0
LAC #22 Smith College Massachusetts 19 0
LAC #22 Colgate University New York 6 1
LAC #26 Bates College Maine 15 0
LAC #26 Haverford College Pennsylvania 3 0
LAC #28 Macalester College Minnesota 14 2
LAC #29 Bucknell University Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #30 Lafayette College Pennsylvania 13 0
LAC #31 Denison University Ohio 1 0
LAC #31 Bryn Mawr College Pennsylvania 5 0
LAC #34 Colorado College Colorado 11 1
LAC #34 Mount Holyoke College Massachusetts 6 0
LAC #34 Franklin and Marshall College Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #38 Occidental College California 7 0
LAC #38 Scripps College California 1 0
LAC #38 Trinity University Texas 4 0
LAC #41 Skidmore College New York 6 0
LAC #44 Pitzer College California 1 0
LAC #49 DePauw University Indiana 9 1
LAC #49 St. Lawrence University New York 7 0
LAC #49 The University of the South Tennessee 6 0
LAC #54 Dickinson College Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #57 Wheaton College (IL) Illinois 4 0
LAC #57 Furman University South Carolina 9 0
LAC #59 Oberlin College Ohio 14 0
LAC #62 Gustavus Adolphus College Minnesota 3 0
LAC #78 Hope College Michigan 2 0
LAC #78 Whitman College Washington 15 2
LAC #83 Earlham College Indiana 4 0
LAC #85 Susquehanna University Pennsylvania 12 0
LAC #91 Augustana College Illinois 12 0
LAC #91 College of Wooster Ohio 4 0
LAC #91 Juniata College Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #100 SUNY College at Geneseo New York 13 0
LAC #100 Beloit College Wisconsin 5 0
LAC #106 Pacific Lutheran University Washington 7 0
LAC #109 Hanover College Indiana 2 0
LAC #119 Albion College Michigan 7 0
LAC #128 Cornell College Iowa 6 0
LAC #128 University of Minnesota-Morris Minnesota 2 0
LAC #132 Saint Norbert College Wisconsin 3 0
LAC #138 Millsaps College Mississippi 1 0
LAC #153 University of Hawaii--Hilo Hawaii 4 1
LAC #170 Western Oregon University Oregon 7 0
LAC #172 Brigham Young University-Idaho Idaho 7 2
LAC #172 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Wisconsin 3 0
LAC #184 Fort Lewis College Colorado 9 0
— Western Washington University Washington 50 1
— Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 38 0
— Fort Hays State University Kansas 34 0
— Appalachian State University North Carolina 33 0
— Central Washington University Washington 28 1
— CUNY Brooklyn College New York 24 2
— The University of Texas Permian Basin Texas 24 4
— California State Polytechnic University-Pomona California 22 0
— Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee 21 3
— University of Houston-Downtown Texas 21 1
— College of Charleston South Carolina 20 0
— University of Florida-Online Florida 20 0
— University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wisconsin 18 0
— CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York 17 3
— State University of New York at New Paltz New York 17 0
— California State University--San Bernardino California 16 0
— California State University-Northridge California 16 0
— California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt California 16 0
— Murray State University Kentucky 16 2
— Salem State University Massachusetts 15 0
— University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Puerto Rico 13 0
— Bridgewater State University Massachusetts 12 0
— University of Minnesota-Duluth Minnesota 12 1
— University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Arkansas 11 0
— Winona State University Minnesota 11 2
— Midwestern State University Texas 11 4
— Sam Houston State University Texas 11 0
— Stephen F. Austin State University Texas 11 1
— The University of Tennessee-Martin Tennessee 10 0
— El Paso Community College Texas 10 0

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Natural Sciences Managers 108,690 $86.66 $180,250
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 23,470 $55.84 $116,150
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary 9,900 — $116,020
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians 6,980 $29.75 $61,870
Hydrologists 5,850 $49.81 $103,600

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.