<p>Can someone provide rankings for undergrad fields of geoscience, or anything related?</p>
<p>Go to any school that is strong at the graduate level for the geosciences.</p>
<p>If you are interested in LACs, I know for a fact that Williams and William and Mary both encourage students strongly to engage in undergraduate research (I know a professor at Williams that regularly takes students to Madagascar, very intriguing). Franklin and Marshall used to be the best of the LAC's for undergraduate geosciences, but they recently pretty much got rid of their department (it is now joint with Environmental science and Environmental Studies, and is pretty much considered to be on a down-swing according to my mentors in the 'know').</p>
<p>With that said, I tend to go with the AGU rankings for geoscience departments, since they are peer-reviewed. These are for PhD-granting institutions, but since they are all research-oriented schools, they will all give top-notch undergraduate training and research opportunities.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</p></li>
<li><p>University of California, Berkeley</p></li>
<li><p>University of Wisconsin, Madison</p></li>
<li><p>University of Washington</p></li>
<li><p>Columbia University</p></li>
<li><p>Stanford University</p></li>
<li><p>Pennsylvania State University</p></li>
<li><p>Harvard University</p></li>
<li><p>University of California, San Diego</p></li>
<li><p>University of Michigan</p></li>
<li><p>University of California, Los Angeles</p></li>
<li><p>California Institute of Technology
University of Illinois (tie)</p></li>
<li><p>University of Arizona</p></li>
<li><p>University of Minnesota</p></li>
<li><p>Cornell University</p></li>
<li><p>Yale University</p></li>
<li><p>University of Colorado</p></li>
<li><p>Princeton University</p></li>
<li><p>University of Chicago</p></li>
<li><p>Oregon State University</p></li>
<li><p>Johns Hopkins University</p></li>
<li><p>University of Texas, Austin
Texas A&M University (tie)</p></li>
<li><p>Ohio State University </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, I just finished up my MS degree at UNC - Chapel Hill (well, almost, just need to hand in my thesis), and I was quite impressed with their undergraduate curriculum as well, nearly all undergraduates I came in contact with successfully completed undergraduate research and are at top-rated graduate schools (including MIT and Oxford).</p>
<p>I also want to tell you to don't worry about rankings too much, I completed my undergraduate degree at a well-known university overall, but not very strong in the geosciences and am now starting my PhD in geology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison (#3 on the above list). </p>
<p>With so few students going into geology and the geosciences, opportunities for advancement regardless of your undergraduate institution is growing each year. So, go where you feel most comfortable where you can get a great baseline education in the geosciences. Your opportunities for graduate school won't likely be compromised by your undergraduate choice.</p>
<p>What kind of careers are available for environmental/geosciences majors?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.earthscienceworld.org/careers/%5B/url%5D">http://www.earthscienceworld.org/careers/</a></p>
<p>the above link provides some good info. I am a 20 year career geologist in the petroleum industry. </p>
<p>To really achieve solid goescience credientals plan on a Masters, and I would second what ophiotite says regarding undergrad, get a good solid education, but look at things like location and fit. I went to Texas Tech unergrad, and MS at Texas A&M</p>
<p>I know people in environmental, government and academia as wella spetroleum of course. WOuld be happy to give feedback</p>
<p>Congrats Ophiolite on Wisconsin PhD program.. what specialty are you looking at ?</p>
<p>rty456:</p>
<p>Thanks for posting that link, I've been a bit too busy to track down a good one right now.</p>
<p>Also, thanks for the good wishes! My dissertation will be studying oxygen isotopes in ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks. Nothing petroleum related, but the petroleum industry is still an option.</p>
<p>
[quote]
With so few students going into geology and the geosciences, opportunities for advancement regardless of your undergraduate institution is growing each year. So, go where you feel most comfortable where you can get a great baseline education in the geosciences. Your opportunities for graduate school won't likely be compromised by your undergraduate choice.
[/quote]
I agree that in general, the market now gives geology majors an advantage when applying to grad schools. Even the top grad schools don't get as many applicants as they used to, and so they have to look seriously at every one, regardless of their undergraduate school. </p>
<p>The NSF</a> degree statistics document the long-term decline in undergraduate geology majors. For example, the number of geology bachelor's degrees issued in 2003-2004 was down by 56% from the peak in 1983-1984. </p>
<p>There has also been a decline in graduate degrees issued, but not by nearly as much. So in general, there are now fewer undergraduates relative to each grad school spot. In 1983-84, for example, there were 3.5 bachelor's degrees issued for every graduate (MS and PhD) degree. For 2003-2004, that ratio was down to just 1.8.</p>
<p>What careers do geology majors usually end up in?</p>
<p>a LOOK AT web site gives more details but
Envirnomental Firms- evaluating and remediating contaminated (or potentially contaminated) sites
Petroleum Industry- Exploration and Development of Oil and Gas
Governement- Acquiring and dissemninating information needed for public
Acadamia- Basic Teaching and research</p>