Best colleges for Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Los Angeles leads: its Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences graduates earn a median $79,143 four years after finishing, against the field's $60,190 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles | $79,143 | +$18,953 |
| 2 | San Diego State University | $73,647 | +$13,457 |
| 3 | California State University-Sacramento | $73,418 | +$13,228 |
| 4 | University of California-Davis | $73,337 | +$13,147 |
| 5 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | $73,305 | +$13,115 |
| 6 | University of California-Irvine | $70,820 | +$10,630 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Geological programs?
$8,323 separates the top and bottom of this list — $79,143 at University of California-Los Angeles against $70,820 at University of California-Irvine, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Geological graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $18,953 above the $60,190 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.