Reasons Why We Have One of the Top Geology Master's Programs Around
UL Lafayette is home to one of the top geology graduate programs in the country. Our School of Geosciences Master of Science in Geology program is well established, respected, and known around the world for our research and our students’ success. Need to know more? Here’s why we’re home to one of the top geology master’s programs around.
We’re literally the best in the world
Our master’s in geology students have proven that they are the best in the world at determining where to drill for oil. We’ve won the international American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Imperial Barrel Award Competition not once, but twice—making UL Lafayette the only university with that distinction. If being the best doesn’t make us one of the top geology master’s programs in the country, we’re not sure what does.
Our location and partnerships with industry
We’re located in Lafayette, LA, where petroleum exploration and production are booming, and where more than 40% of the country’s wetlands are. We have strong relationships with the dozens of energy companies in Lafayette, and many of our alumni who work across the region support our students and programs as mentors, speakers, and internship hosts. There are several hundred geologists in Lafayette, and students attend monthly meets for the Lafayette Geological Society, Southwest Louisiana Geophysical Society, Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Our students are also encouraged to attend AAPG, SEG and GCAGS conventions.
Read what our alumni have to say about graduating from one of the top geology graduate programs in the country.
We like to get our hands dirty 
We’re not in an academic bubble here at UL Lafayette, and we know that hands-on work will prepare you for a great career after you graduate. Our students help curate the exhibits in our Geology Museum, located in downtown Lafayette, which now includes a 7-million-year-old camel fossil that a faculty member and his team uncovered in Oregon. Our geology students travel to field camps across the country to real geologic settings like Big Bend and the Rocky Mountains.
Our dedication to environmental and petroleum research
Our faculty members are currently working on research funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy to explore locally and globally relevant topics. And our students benefit from having an active research faculty—by working alongside faculty to conduct a range of research projects in the field and in our facilities and labs.
Read more about our research and recognition for our work.
Career opportunities in Louisiana and the region
Graduating from one of the top geology master’s programs in the country comes with career opportunities locally and internationally. On a national scale, geology jobs are expected to grow by over 35% in the next decade, and more than 150,000 jobs will be created in Louisiana alone. We have small and large companies actively recruiting our graduates every year, including Schlumberger, Halliburton, Chevron and more.
Learn more about the career opportunities for our master’s in geology graduates.
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Learn more about the Master's in Geology program at UL Lafayette.