NOT GOING IT ALONE – THE CONVERGENCE OF GEOSCIENCE ENROLLMENT/EMPLOYMENT TRENDS WITH THE REST OF THE SCIENCES

Historically, enrollments and employment in the geosciences have largely trended independently of the rest of the physical sciences. These factors directly influenced the successful departments that were in lock-step with the fortunes of the petroleum industry until about 1990. During the 1990’s, the geosciences supply chain aligned with the fortunes of the environmental industry, but like all sciences, experienced a major brain-drain with the dot-com bubble. With the dot-com boom, the geosciences suddenly began to be more similar to the other physical sciences. Most notably, geoscience degree holders diversified their career options in taking employment in government and private industry, while the core research community began running a surplus of new entrants. A key strength of the geosciences is that the Master’s degree remains the optimum degree for professional employment – distinctly different from the other physical sciences. This more accessible level of entry into the professional geoscience work environment is a substantial advantage for the geosciences over our sister disciplines. However, a substantial majority of geoscience departments are not aligned to build on this strength, rather focusing on competing for the finite pool of top-dollar research resources. In the meantime, physics, chemistry, and many engineering programs in the US have discovered the power of educating students in their field, but also facilitating their entry into a career in the broader employment market. These “Professional Master’s programs” add key aspects of MBA, finance, or policy programs to the existing rigorous science expected of traditional majors. Through the growth of these programs, we are witnessing an influx of new professionals with a solid understanding of science. These people will, in time, influence policy and public spending, and likely for the better of their “home” discipline. With science diminishing in the public policy and education arenas in the US, these professionals will be key to giving science its due place in the public discourse. Evidence currently suggests that the geosciences are abdicating our natural advantage in this area, with possibly tragic consequences.