USING AN INDUCTIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE COMMONLY REQUIRED COURSES IN U.S. GEOLOGY PROGRAMS

As a growing field, the geosciences are in need of an examination of what constitutes a degree in geology to ensure equivalent qualifications independent of where one earned their degree. The geosciences have no accrediting body, unlike other fields such as chemistry (ACS), engineering and physics (ABET), and biology (ASBMB). There is also no intentional uniformity in required coursework, leading departments to rely on previous experience and personal preferences when designing programs of study. This project analyzed required courses from over 200 programs to determine what courses the geoscience community deems to be the most important. Programs analyzed were limited to those (1) included in the American Geoscience Institute’s Directory of Geoscience Departments (2019), (2) that had geology, geoscience or earth in the department name, (3) offered a B.S. in Geology, and (4) had the required courses publicly available online. Required courses were binned using an iterative, inductive content analysis. A panel of four geology experts initially binned 247 courses from 24 programs and created memos explaining their process, providing face validity. These bins and memos were used to develop an initial codebook, which was then applied by a second set of three expert panelists (Cronbach’s a = 0.941). These codes were then applied to courses at remaining programs. A frequency analysis indicates an emphasis on field experiences as well as introductory, structural, and sedimentary courses. Other courses frequently required are mineralogy, petrology and historical geology. On average, programs require 12.7 courses taken directly in the department including an average of 3.48 electives. This analysis depicts where departments place their primary teaching focus and may display room for growth or exploration in some programs. It also allows for comparison with previous work (e.g. Drummond and Markin, 2008) to examine how degree requirements have changed over time and track how departments have shifted these in response to changing job markets. Finally, this project provides incoming students an opportunity to see what they will be learning throughout their degree, potentially enticing more students to join the field.