### SUMMARY

 Choosing to study Geological Engineering is a valuable choice and generally a necessary first step for students intending to enter a career as a geophysicist, a mine engineer, or a geological engineer. Interestingly, geological engineering is a very rare degree ranking as the 337th most popular degree. Last year alone, there were 248 geological engineering degrees conferred. In-state tuition at public schools is, on average, Infinity times more spendy than their private fellows.

 With only 19 universities offering geological engineering there might be a smaller selection of institutions that will have an option for you. If you're looking to surround yourself with other geological engineering undergrads, consider schools in Colorado which have more undergrads admitted to geological engineering than any other state. More generally, the top region to major in geological engineering is in the Rocky Mountains region with [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines) and [Montana Technological University](/colleges/montana-technological-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection of the best conference to major in geological engineering is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines) representing the conference. From our comprehensive list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our belief is that the best university for geological engineering is [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison).

 The best school is not necessarily the best school for every student. There might be a bunch more angels to consider when deciding on institution. Stuff like campus amenities, transportation services, and food would modify your inclinations on where to go to university. Here at Authority, we have examined the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which geological engineering university is home to the top campus, the answer is [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison). If you are very interested in which school has the top campus, then we have an entire page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through professor reviews, student reviews, government databases, and more so we can evaluate every major in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can explore our well researched list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand our choice for the school with the best student life for geological engineering is [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison). Are you curious why? Continue reading to find out more about Authority's top choices. Many of our picks might surprise you.

 If price is a primary deciding factor in your choice of where you attend university, you might consider avoiding [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines). [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines)&nbspis our most expensive school for geological engineering, at least regarding out of state enrollment. We do have an entire list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspschools that might put the expense of [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you might be interested to know that geological engineering is the 305th most expensive degree in the US, with an average associated cost of $23,500. On a broader scale, the most costly state for geological engineering nationally is Colorado demonstrated by a cost of $37,350 at the main college in the state Colorado School of Mines. Even more broadly, the most costly region for geological engineering is the Great Lakes region which is best demonstrated with [Michigan Technological University](/colleges/michigan-technological-university) with a cost of $36,688, and [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison) with a cost of $36,333.

 Our cheapest region for geological engineering is the Plains region which is represented by [Missouri University of Science and Technology](/colleges/missouri-university-of-science-and-technology) with a cost of $27,921, [University of North Dakota](/colleges/university-of-north-dakota) with a cost of $14,371, and [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology](/colleges/south-dakota-school-of-mines-and-technology) with a cost of $11,920. In better news, the most affordable college for geological engineering is [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology](/colleges/south-dakota-school-of-mines-and-technology). Our comprehensive list of the most affordable universities can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $10,800 for a degree in geological engineering. The cost decreases intensely to an average of $26,300 for the out-of-state public-school student. On that note, our selection for the college with the best value for geological engineering: [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines). Through this link you will find our comprehensive list of the colleges we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. That being said, this list is based on being an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when it comes to in-state tuition, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for geological engineering majors differ a lot, but within two-years of leaving college students will regularly make in the neighborhood of $89,400. While there can be a lot of variation in earnings potential; top earners can make up to $145,200. Right out of school, the minimum earning positions within the geological engineering field make $54,000, which could be worse. The highest earning grads from geological engineering graduated from [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines)&nbspand if you are looking for colleges with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The general diversity of geological engineering ranks pretty bad, ranking in only the 20th percentile of all majors. The school with the highest composite diversity for geological engineering is [University of Alaska Fairbanks](/colleges/university-of-alaska-fairbanks)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the colleges with the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of the Geological Engineering major only ranks in the 85th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even lower in the 16th percentile. White students make up the largest proportion, 76%, of scholars studying geological engineering. Additionally, 71% of students pursuing a geological engineering degree are men.

 The median rating for geological engineering professors is 3.5 stars, a score that is 12% worse than the median score across every major; this is a subpar ranking. If you are interested in the most popular geological engineering professor in the nation, take a look at J. David Rogers from [Missouri University of Science and Technology](/colleges/missouri-university-of-science-and-technology). It might come as a shock, but the top rated geological engineering professors from student rankings are at [Missouri University of Science and Technology](/colleges/missouri-university-of-science-and-technology). If we incorporate data other than simply rankings it becomes clear that the university with comprehensively the best professors for geological engineering is [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines). You can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the top professors nationwide.

 Finally, the most difficult school to get into for geological engineering is [Colorado School of Mines](/colleges/colorado-school-of-mines). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a detailed page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). But, we do hope you believe that looking at the education process from examples mainly built on superlatives might cause issues. We hope you read our more nuanced pages on different topics and explore a couple of our background articles on useful things to look out for as you continue your university search.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Geological Engineering: Median Professor Rating: 3.5 / 5, which is below average.

 Professors always have a great influence your college experience, no matter what you study. A good teacher can provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Alternatively, an unpleasant professor can turn you off of a subject or even worse... flunk you!

 Geological Engineering professors, disappointingly, only have a median student rating of 3.5 / 5, putting these professors in the bottom 4 percent in the nation grounded in student satisfaction. For context a 3.5 rating is 12.5% under the national median professor rating for all subjects. Geological Engineering professors slightly edged-out those from ["Business Statistics"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-business-statistics), whereas ["Neuroscience"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-neuroscience)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Geological Engineering.

 Now for some statistics about Geological Engineering professors. Colleges located in large citys tend to have the best Geological Engineering professors. The Mountain West Conference has the highest rated Geological Engineering professors. The Far West region has the highest rated Geological Engineering professors. Public schools tend to have higher rated Geological Engineering professors than private universities. Finally, Nevada has the highest rated Geological Engineering professors in the US.

 J. David Rogers, professor at [Missouri University of Science and Technology](/colleges/missouri-university-of-science-and-technology)&nbspin Rolla, MO is the most popular Geological Engineering professor in the US. Debasmita Misra, professor at [University of Alaska Fairbanks](/colleges/university-of-alaska-fairbanks)&nbspin Fairbanks, AK is the highest rated Geological Engineering professor in the nation, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which schools have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



Stanford University

Harvard University

Princeton University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Yale University

Rice University

California Institute of Technology

Brown University

University of Pennsylvania

Duke University

Dartmouth College

Columbia University in the City of New York

Northwestern University

University of Chicago

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Vanderbilt University

Washington University in St Louis

Pomona College

Claremont McKenna College

Johns Hopkins University

University of Southern California

Bowdoin College

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Cornell University

University of California-Los Angeles

Search for the best Geological Engineering colleges according to your filter parameters.

2023 Geological Engineering Salary

There are about 1,489 students enrolled in Geological Engineering in the USA.