Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Colleges and Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees

Q: Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Badge for BEST FOR EARTH SCIENCES COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

By Dr. Jed Macosko and Dr. James Barham

Updated: Nov 27, 2023

The best earth sciences degree programs are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best earth sciences degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding earth sciences faculty.

Key Takeaways

In an Earth sciences program, professionals learn about the Earth’s structure, stratigraphy, and chemical composition and their significance to society.
Earth sciences graduates from the best Earth sciences schools develop analytical, interpretive, and mapping skills and transferable soft skills to become even more attractive to employers.
A four-year degree in Earth sciences schools typically qualifies graduates for work in the field, but to pursue a research career, students must pursue a master’s or doctoral degree.

Table of Contents

A bachelor’s degree in earth sciences is an excellent starting point for a career in meteorology, environmental conservation, renewable energy, and many other innovative fields. As an Earth sciences major, you’ll study the Earth, its atmosphere, the materials and substances that compose them, and the processes that produce weather patterns, climate shifts, geological events, and more.

Your Earth sciences degree will incorporate four primary sub-disciplines—geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy, as well as foundational courses in subjects such as mineralogy, climatology, hydrology, paleontology, agriculture, conservation, and preservation. The best schools for earth sciences are those which are regionally accredited, which offer a full array of earth sciences concentrations, and which give you the chance to work with the best and most influential professors and classmates.

Featured Programs

Earth sciences studies is an academic discipline that focuses on solving the mysteries surrounding Earth’s history and the science behind it. If you’re a science buff passionate about such topics, an Earth sciences degree exposes students to the basics of planetary science, and our natural resources. Natural disasters, like hurricanes and volcanic eruptions, can be predicted and prepared for through the study of Earth science, which is highly relevant to the welfare of humanity.

Earth science’s four primary areas are astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography.

Federal data indicate that the number of geoscientist jobs in demand will increase by 5% between 2021 and 2031.

Frequently Asked Questions About Earth Science Bachelor’s Degrees

Scientific careers tend to involve specialized, challenging, and well-paying jobs, and earth sciences is no different. Whether as an environmental scientist, geologist, or atmospheric scientist, landing a job in a branch of earth sciences can lead to a big paycheck.

Whether studying minerals, crystals, and magma deep within the Earth, or measuring patterns of atmospheric change, earth science majors lead interesting careers full of discovery, investigation, and problem-solving opportunities. Today, top influencers in earth sciences are bringing new light to volcanology, climate change, sustainability, and much more.

Earth sciences is a great major if you aspire to positively impact the earth and environment. This versatile degree gives you the opportunity to contribute to advances in sustainability, alternative energies, environmental conservation, agriculture, food production, and more. Your degree in earth sciences could put you in a position to produce findings, technology and innovations that could solve some of the world’s greatest challenges from global hunger to climate change.

Once you’ve declared your major in earth sciences, you will likely be required to complete a set of core courses in a number of STEM-related subject areas. While your concentration will give you a chance to choose from a wide range of highly-specialized earth sciences electives, there are several common courses that most earth sciences majors will be required to take, including:

Earth Materials
Earth Processes
Earth Climate and History
Paleontology
Geology
Climatology
Mineralogy
Petrology
Atmospheric Thermodynamics
Sedimentation and Tectonics
Atmospheric Instrumentation
Hydrology

With such a wide range of specialization options, earth science majors have an equally wide selection of career paths. Keep in mind, your major specialization largely determines your professional specialization, so if, for instance, you want to work as a geologist, we would recommend specializing in geology; if you plan to become a climate scientiest, specialize in meteorology. With the right focus, your earth sciences major can lead to a wide range of career opportunities, including these top jobs:

Related: How to Major in Earth Sciences

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines.

Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students.

Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).

Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers.

Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available.

Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online.

Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands.

Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.

Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving.

If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.

The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors.

Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

The Best Colleges and Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees

Harvard University
MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford Universityy
Columbia University
University of Chicago

Go to The Best Earth Sciences Research Universities

Pomona College
Middlebury College
Swarthmore College
Amherst College
Williams College

Go to The Best Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges

Career Outlook for Students with Earth Sciences Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Geology/Earth Science

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $11,497
Avg. Expenses*: $18,161
Avg. Starting Salary*: $40,078
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $51,621
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 11 years
Job Growth: 6.40%
Number of Jobs: 156,200
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	7.49%	$157,740
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	4.17%	$100,690
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	5.38%	$92,580
Hydrologists	3.08%	$88,770
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	3.15%	$85,810
Hydrologic Technicians	3.12%	$55,890
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians	3.26%	$52,440

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	$157,740
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	$100,690
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	$92,580
Hydrologists	$88,770
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	$85,810
Hydrologic Technicians	$55,890
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians	$52,440

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

The Best Earth Sciences Schools in Your State

Learn More About Earth Sciences

If you want to know more about Earth sciences, then check out our related content:

Learn how to major in earth sciences
Think about your next step and what you can do with a master’s degree in earth sciences
Learn more about earth sciences from our interviews with influential earth scientists
Find out who are the most influential earth scientists today

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Colleges and Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Earth Science Bachelor’s Degrees

The Best Colleges and Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees

Best Earth Sciences Major Research Universities

Best Earth Sciences Major Liberal Arts Colleges

Career Outlook for Students with Earth Sciences Degree

Geology/Earth Science

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

The Best Earth Sciences Schools in Your State

Learn More About Earth Sciences

Best Colleges and Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Earth Science Bachelor’s Degrees

What can I do with an earth sciences major?

Is earth sciences a good major?

What courses will I take as an earth sciences major?

What jobs can I do with an earth sciences major?

The Best Colleges and Universities for Earth Sciences Degrees

Best Earth Sciences Major Research Universities

Best Earth Sciences Major Liberal Arts Colleges

Career Outlook for Students with Earth Sciences Degree

Geology/Earth Science

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

The Best Earth Sciences Schools in Your State

Learn More About Earth Sciences