VISION AND CHANGE: WHAT GRADUATE GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION SHOULD ACCOMPLISH FOR M.S. AND PH.D. GRADUATES

Most geoscience employment options require at least the M.S. in most professional sectors, and the Ph.D. in research-intensive careers. A separate Summit initiative, “Universal skills for Geoscience Graduate Student Success in the Workforce”, brought together graduate-level geoscience employers, and later Heads, Chairs, and Program Directors from Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences graduate degree programs, toward identifying they key employment-critical skills and competencies for MS and Ph.D. level geoscience graduates, and addressing how these should be integrated into geoscience graduate programs nationally.

The menu of graduate-level critical competencies identified across all geoscience employment sectors aligns strongly with the foundational suite recognized for Bachelor’s students. Problem solving/critical thinking, teamwork/collaboration, leadership skills, and communication with diverse audiences were all identified as key professional skills that geoscience employers expected in their new graduate-level hires. As well, employers placed high value on project management skills, understanding business perspectives, and excellent scientific/professional ethics. In terms of content-focused competencies, employers expect deep core disciplinary knowledge (mastery in M.S. students, and expert-level in Ph.D.'s), the ability to do systems thinking, and extensive quantitative skills, including some computer programming. Employers also put a high priority on abilities in data analytics and data management, skills not stressed in the undergraduate Summit effort, reflecting the rapid growth of “big data” as a part of all geoscience fields. Entry-level graduate geoscientists were viewed as having excellent technical skills, but often lacked in professional competencies, in particular in interpersonal communication and teamwork/collaboration.

In discussing how to better instill professional competencies in MS and Ph.D. graduates, Heads and Chairs saw high value in co-curricular activities (internships, professional development workshops focused on career opportunities, resume writing, interviewing, etc.), and in Individual Development Plans (IDP's) as a means of helping graduate students reflect on their career options and make intentional choices of activities to support their professional ambitions.