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Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences Degree

103 schools compared · Average earnings $39,934/yr

Students study the composition, structure, and processes of the Earth, including mineralogy, plate tectonics, hydrogeology, paleontology, and natural hazard assessment. Graduates typically pursue careers in oil and gas exploration, environmental consulting, mining, government geological surveys, and natural disaster preparedness agencies. Geoscientists who work in energy and resource extraction often earn above-average salaries.

What Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences Graduates Do

Your career in geosciences will likely blend rugged fieldwork with sophisticated data analysis. As a geoscientist, you might spend one week collecting rock core samples to assess mineral deposits and the next in an office using GIS software to map seismic risks for a new construction project. Many start as geological technicians, preparing those samples and maintaining field equipment before advancing to lead their own projects. With experience, you can progress to a natural sciences manager, where you'll direct research teams, manage budgets, and present findings to stakeholders.

While core geoscientist and management roles show steady growth, some specializations like hydrology face headwinds, making your focus area important. With moderate AI exposure, your daily work will change substantially. AI will automate significant chunks of routine data processing and model generation, shifting your value away from manual analysis. Instead, you'll focus on interpreting AI-driven insights, verifying complex data, and applying your judgment in the field where sensors can’t go.

Schools Offering

103

Avg Grad Earnings

$39,934/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

41/100

AI Automation Risk

High

50% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 15,600 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Natural sciences managers	$161,180 $114K$215K	8,500	+3.7%	50%
Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary	$101,390 $67K$136K	1,000	+2.6%	48%
Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers	$99,240 $72K$134K	2,000	+3.2%	47%
Hydrologists	$92,060 $73K$115K	500	-0.1%	50%
Chemistry teachers, postsecondary	$86,220 $65K$126K	1,900	+2.2%	43%
Hydrologic technicians	$58,570 $47K$80K	400	-2.1%	50%
Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians	$48,390 $39K$64K	1,300	+1.5%	39%

Natural sciences managers

$161,180

$114K $215K

8,500 openings/yr +3.7% growth 50% AI risk

Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary

$101,390

$67K $136K

1,000 openings/yr +2.6% growth 48% AI risk

Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers

$99,240

$72K $134K

2,000 openings/yr +3.2% growth 47% AI risk

Hydrologists

$92,060

$73K $115K

500 openings/yr -0.1% growth 50% AI risk

Chemistry teachers, postsecondary

$86,220

$65K $126K

1,900 openings/yr +2.2% growth 43% AI risk

Hydrologic technicians

$58,570

$47K $80K

400 openings/yr -2.1% growth 50% AI risk

Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians

$48,390

$39K $64K

1,300 openings/yr +1.5% growth 39% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Top 20 of 103 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of Wyoming Laramie, WY	59 59–60	$45,758/yr	24.6x
2	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	58 57–59	$48,565/yr	22.9x
3	East Carolina University Greenville, NC	56 56–57	$44,961/yr	20.1x
4	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	53 54–55	$44,585/yr	12.9x
5	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	53 55–55	$43,068/yr	15.0x
6	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	53 54–54	$42,932/yr	15.8x
7	University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX	51 49–52	$50,894/yr	15.5x
8	Iowa State University Ames, IA	51 50–52	$50,150/yr	12.0x
9	College of Charleston Charleston, SC	51 50–52	$49,786/yr	10.5x
10	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX	51 49–52	$49,727/yr	11.0x
11	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	51 52–52	$43,362/yr	11.5x
12	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	51 54–52	$41,158/yr	13.7x
13	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA	50 49–51	$49,406/yr	15.6x
14	Weber State University Ogden, UT	50 49–52	$47,998/yr	17.8x
15	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL	50 53–51	$40,691/yr	33.3x
16	Kean University Union, NJ	49 48–50	$50,645/yr	9.5x
17	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX	49 50–50	$42,779/yr	14.7x
18	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA	49 51–50	$42,218/yr	12.5x
19	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA	49 56–50	$35,509/yr	27.0x
20	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT	48 47–49	$49,446/yr	12.3x
21	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA	48 47–49	$48,118/yr	9.5x
22	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI	48 48–49	$44,207/yr	13.3x
23	Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, CT	48 49–49	$43,915/yr	10.6x
24	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	48 49–49	$43,462/yr	9.8x
25	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	48 50–49	$42,062/yr	12.1x
26	Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA	48 50–49	$41,094/yr	13.4x
27	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	48 51–49	$40,691/yr	19.8x
28	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY	48 51–48	$39,696/yr	13.9x
29	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO	47 47–48	$46,263/yr	8.4x
30	Fort Hays State University Hays, KS	47 48–48	$43,421/yr	18.3x
31	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY	47 50–48	$40,524/yr	15.6x
32	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR	47 50–48	$39,450/yr	12.4x
33	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA	47 51–48	$39,375/yr	16.2x
34	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	46 46–47	$44,825/yr	8.2x
35	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS	46 48–47	$42,298/yr	12.8x
36	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	46 50–47	$39,450/yr	11.5x
37	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA	46 50–47	$38,804/yr	11.5x
38	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	45 44–46	$48,489/yr	9.9x
39	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC	45 50–46	$37,717/yr	18.0x
40	Winona State University Winona, MN	45 51–46	$36,984/yr	14.7x
41	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	44 43–45	$45,974/yr	7.1x
42	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX	44 45–45	$42,788/yr	10.4x
43	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ	44 49–45	$38,617/yr	11.2x
44	University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC	44 48–44	$38,459/yr	16.6x
45	University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO	43 42–44	$46,954/yr	8.8x
46	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH	43 47–44	$39,678/yr	10.7x
47	SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY	43 48–44	$37,768/yr	14.9x
48	Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO	42 41–43	$47,352/yr	7.3x
49	Auburn University Auburn, AL	42 41–43	$45,588/yr	8.1x
50	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	42 45–43	$39,997/yr	8.6x
51	Portland State University Portland, OR	42 47–43	$37,831/yr	11.9x
52	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA	42 48–43	$36,802/yr	14.3x
53	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	41 40–42	$47,045/yr	5.8x
54	Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ	41 40–42	$47,045/yr	6.1x
55	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ	41 43–42	$42,528/yr	9.1x
56	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	41 43–42	$41,351/yr	11.5x
57	Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH	41 44–41	$39,321/yr	10.9x
58	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH	40 40–41	$45,727/yr	5.9x
59	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	40 42–41	$41,963/yr	11.0x
60	University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Bradford, PA	40 44–41	$38,652/yr	9.2x
61	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown, PA	40 44–41	$38,652/yr	9.2x
62	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH	40 45–41	$38,637/yr	14.6x
63	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH	40 45–41	$38,637/yr	14.6x
64	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH	40 45–41	$38,637/yr	14.6x
65	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH	40 45–41	$38,637/yr	14.6x
66	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH	40 45–41	$38,637/yr	14.6x
67	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ	39 40–40	$43,985/yr	6.4x
68	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	39 42–40	$41,156/yr	8.8x
69	Appalachian State University Boone, NC	39 47–40	$35,021/yr	16.3x
70	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO	39 46–39	$34,481/yr	14.3x
71	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS	38 40–39	$41,626/yr	7.9x
72	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV	38 41–39	$39,553/yr	10.0x
73	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN	38 46–39	$34,329/yr	13.8x
74	Washington State University Pullman, WA	38 46–38	$33,178/yr	11.6x
75	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA	38 47–39	$28,040/yr	14.9x
76	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	37 40–38	$39,692/yr	8.9x
77	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	37 41–38	$38,871/yr	9.9x
78	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA	37 41–37	$38,652/yr	5.9x
79	Boise State University Boise, ID	37 47–38	$31,701/yr	15.7x
80	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH	36 39–37	$40,005/yr	8.2x
81	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	36 45–37	$30,759/yr	11.0x
82	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	35 39–35	$38,478/yr	6.5x
83	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV	35 42–36	$36,382/yr	11.4x
84	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	35 42–36	$35,235/yr	9.2x
85	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	33 37–34	$38,867/yr	5.1x
86	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	33 37–34	$38,675/yr	5.6x
87	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH	33 38–34	$38,637/yr	6.0x
88	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	33 38–34	$38,432/yr	6.6x
89	University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA	33 41–33	$33,344/yr	13.0x
90	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	33 42–34	$29,724/yr	11.1x
91	University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA	33 43–34	$29,724/yr	11.2x
92	Montana State University Bozeman, MT	32 41–33	$29,030/yr	14.8x
93	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL	31 37–32	$37,280/yr	5.5x
94	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA	31 41–32	$29,476/yr	14.4x
95	Carleton College Northfield, MN	29 32–30	$40,371/yr	0.5x
96	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA	29 36–29	$34,617/yr	6.6x
97	Wayne State University Detroit, MI	27 36–27	$30,723/yr	8.0x
98	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR	25 34–26	$31,087/yr	7.0x
99	University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha, WI	25 34–25	$29,117/yr	8.3x
100	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	24 34–25	$30,101/yr	7.8x
101	SUNY College at Geneseo Geneseo, NY	23 31–24	$27,395/yr	6.6x
102	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY	22 30–23	$34,658/yr	0.3x
103	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA	19 24–20	$22,998/yr	3.1x

Highest Earning Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences Programs

Schools where Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
University of Houston-Downtown	$50,894/yr	51
Kean University	$50,645/yr	49
Iowa State University	$50,150/yr	51
College of Charleston	$49,786/yr	51
Texas Tech University	$49,727/yr	51
University of Utah	$49,446/yr	48
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	$49,406/yr	50
University of South Florida	$48,565/yr	58
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$48,489/yr	45
James Madison University	$48,118/yr	48

Best ROI for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
University of Florida-Online	33.3x	$40,691/yr	50
California State University-Fullerton	27.0x	$35,509/yr	49
University of Wyoming	24.6x	$45,758/yr	59
University of South Florida	22.9x	$48,565/yr	58
East Carolina University	20.1x	$44,961/yr	56
University of Florida	19.8x	$40,691/yr	48
Fort Hays State University	18.3x	$43,421/yr	47
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	18.0x	$37,717/yr	45
Weber State University	17.8x	$47,998/yr	50
University of North Carolina Wilmington	16.6x	$38,459/yr	44

Want to compare two Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn?

Across 103 schools, Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn an average of $39,934 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $22,998 to $50,894 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences?

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 50% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Wyoming ranks #1 for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences with a score of 59/100 and graduate earnings of $45,758/yr.

What's the outlook for a Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences degree?

On average, Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn 11.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →