So I have narrowed down my college selection to 2 final schools. One I would be able to attend in person and the other I would have to take courses online. The one that is online is a much higher ranked school and program. The other does not have the greatest geology program. I know that a lot of what is learned in geology is done through field and lab work, so my question is would it be better to attend the better program and lose out on the field/lab experience or go to the school that doesn’t have the best program?
It depends on what you want to do with your geology degree.
You would likely have trouble finding a traditional job as a geologist with an online geology degree. Entry-level jobs for geologists generally involve a lot of field work. Potential employers for such positions will want to know about your previous field experience, and are not going to be impressed (except negatively) with a geology degree that involved zero field or lab work.
Possibly you could find some kind of non-geologist office job where geology knowledge could be helpful. For example, the University of Florida offers an online geology BA degree. They say:
https://ufonline.ufl.edu/degrees/undergraduate/geology/
So maybe an online geology degree would work for a career in education or environmental policy, or as a precursor to a degree in environmental law or environmental medicine. I don’t see it as a ticket to a traditional job as a geologist though.