I am a high school Junior thinking about college, and I’m pretty sure I want to major in geophysics (I’ve always been good at math and rocks seem kinda cool). I haven’t been able to find a list of some well-respected geophysics programs anywhere, so I was wondering if one of y’all on this forum could give me a starting point. I am looking to go into industry, particularly minerals/o&g exploration (not academia). Additonally, I would love to avoid needing a masters degree (at least starting out) and I would like a good starting salary (I know it seems shallow but I have reasons that take awhile to explain). Also I’d say I’m a good student (1570 sat, class rank #1/400) so I’m open to schools of any selectivity. I know that’s a lot but I believe in y’all.
It seems your most likely prospects for early employment in geophysics might involve processing induced seismic data. For this you would benefit from an understanding of geosciences, physics, math and computer programming. With a major and a minor (or double major) in the first two of these fields, an undergraduate degree specifically in geophysics may not be needed. For a range of schools to research further, this resource may be helpful:
Based on the immediate nature of your goals, the Colorado School of Mines may most suit you.
My undergraduate school, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has degree programs in things like mining engineering, petroleum engineering and geoscience with an emphasis on geophysics. I’m mentioning it less as a recommendation for UAF, although it’s a fine school, but more about having you take a look at the program curricula to see if they’re close to what you’re looking for. You may not need to limit yourself to geophysics programs.